Savoury Kringle Bread

It's cold outside,

a warm soup kind of day,

 the Olympic Game is on

between Finland and U.S.A.,

the sun is shining - showing all the dirty windows,

the farmer has a nice fire going in the woodstove,

and I have a hankering for baking

some savoury bread!

Have you ever made Kringle bread?

It's an Estonian Bread - fairly easy to master

and looks so pretty.

The most popular versions of

this bread 

are the ones with sweet fillings

but because I'd like to serve this with

soup today - I've decided to make it savoury.

Pesto, Sundried Tomato, Goat Cheese Kringle Bread

Dough:

2 Cups all purpose flour

1/2 tsp. salt

1/2 Cup lukewarm milk

1 Tbsp. sugar

1 Envelope (2 1/4 tsp.) dry yeast

1/8 Cup melted butter

1 egg yolk

Mix warm milk and sugar. Sprinkle on the yeast and let stand for 5 min. Add egg yolk, melted butter, flour and salt. Mix and knead till smooth. Let rise till double in bulk - approx. 1 hr.

Preheat the oven to 400F

Filling:

4 tsp. Pesto

3 Tbsp. chopped Sundried Tomato

1/2 clove garlic - crushed

4-5 Tbsp. soft Goat cheese

*or any combination you choose (see below for some options).

Punch down the dough and roll out into a rectangle. Spread with Pesto, sprinkle with tomato, garlic and cheese.

Roll tightly into a cylinder, starting from the long side. Using a sharp knife, spit the cylinder in half lengthwise, leaving the one end attached. 

Twist the two halves together, keeping the open cut layers exposed.

Form into a circle, weaving ends together. Pinch to seal and place in a greased pie plate or on a parchment lined baking sheet.

Bake for 30 minutes or until golden brown. Cover loosely with foil halfway to prevent excessive browning.

*Optional Fillings:

1/4 Cup softened butter

2 Tbsp. finely chopped fresh rosemary

1 garlic clove - minced

3 Tbsp. flaxmeal/ground flaxseed

Sweet Filling Option:

1/4 Cup softened butter

4-5 Tbsp. sugar

3 tsp. cinnamon

3 Tbsp. ground almonds

(I'd like to try this combo sometime!)

Till next time ............ are you watching the Olympics?  Tomorrow is the big game for Canada!!!