Bread Boats

Hey Everyone,

A bread for brunch this week! From one of my favourite recipe books, Sirocco, this bread is from Persian cooking - a far stretch from what I usually make at home, so the unusual flavour combinations seem (and are) very exotic! It might be quite a strange thing to crack an egg on a bread, but I can assure that it tastes really nice, even if I did manage to break the yolk of ALL my eggs - I trust that you can avoid my rookie mistake!

For those of you who aren't too keen on a whole lot of spice in your cooking, I will warn you that the cayenne pepper really adds a kick! However, my Grandad, a devout hater of hot food, really enjoyed it, so why not give it a go anyway?!

Bread Boats - From "Sirocco" By Sabrina Ghayour

Makes 4

Ingredients -

• 7g Sachet Fast-Action Dried Yeast
• 500ml Warm Water
• 700g Warm Water
• 700g Strong White Flour
• 2 Heaped Tbsp Crushed Sea Salt Flakes
• 75ml Olive Oil
• 50g Butter, melted

For the Filling

• 6 Large Eggs
• 250g Ready Grated Mozzarella (not Buffalo Mozzarella)
• 120g Young Spinach Leaves, roughly chopped
• 4 Spring Onions, thinly sliced
• 1 Tsp Cayenne Pepper
• A Pinch of Grated Nutmeg
• Finely Grated Zest of 1 Unwaxed Lemon
• Sea Salt Flakes and Freshly Ground Black Pepper

1. Stir the yeast into 50ml of the warm water, then allow it to sit for a few minutes until it has dissolved.

2. In a large bowl, combine the flour, and crushed salt, then make a well in the centre. Pour in the remaining warm water, 50ml olive oil and the yeast dissolved in water and combine using your hands until you have a smooth dough. If the dough is a bit sticky, just add a little extra flour and, if it is dry, an additional splash of warm water.

3. On a clean, floured surface, knead the dough for 5 minutes to activate the yeast and stretch the glutens within it. Allow the dough to rest for 10 minutes before kneading it again for 2 minutes. Repeat this process another 3 times and, on the second, incorporate the remaining 25ml olive oil. Return the dough to the bowl, cover with a clean towel and leave to rest for 3 hours. Once the resting period is over, the dough will have tripled in size.

4. Preheat the oven to 230°C/Gas Mark 8. Line a large baking tray with baking paper. Divide the dough into 4 equal portions and shape the dough into a "boat" shape and place on the lined tray. Cover loosely with clingfilm and leave to rest in a warm place for 45-60 minutes.

5. Make the filling. In a mixing bowl, beat 1 egg with the mozzarella, spinach, spring onions, cayenne, nutmeg and lemon zest and season well with salt and pepper. Blend well until the mixture is smooth.

6. Divide the remaining mixture into 4 equal portions and place 1 in the centre of each bread boat, leaving 2.5cm clear at the edges. Pick up the clear edges of dough and tuck the inwards to secure the filling. Beat 1 of the remaining eggs and brush any exposed pastry dough with this egg wash. Bake for 15-17 minutes, remove from oven and carefully crack 1 egg into the centre of each boat. Bake for 6-8 minutes more or until the egg whites are opaque.

Please Enjoy!!!