Stuffed Greek Salad Bread

By mitzzy

This is pure picnic and party fare. Zesty and chock full of summery tastes. Good hot or cold. Thin cold slabs work well alongside a pitcher of fresh lemonade. This offers all the gutsy, great tastes of a Greek Salad but stuffed into a rustic bread. The recipe uses dough from My Best (and easiest) French Country Bread but if you are in a hurry, you can opt for a store-bought frozen white bread dough. This is a hefty, rustic, neo-sourdough, inflated with chunks of feta, studded with black olives and decked out in sundried tomatoes, and a shower of fresh pepper, parsley and olive oil. It's a meal in itself.

Ingredients

• Filling
• 3/4 cup sundried tomatoes, plumped and minced (about 8 halves)
• 1/4 cup flat leafed Italian parsley, finely minced
• 1/4 cup minced onions
• 3 medium garlic cloves finely minced
• 2 cups halved or coarsely chopped pitted black olives (such as Colossos or Calamata)
• 2 cups (8 ounces) chopped feta cheese - in small chunks
• 1 cup asiago cheese, (U.S. Asiago, not Italian), in small chunks
• 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/2 - 1 teaspoon oregano
• 1/2 - 1 teaspoon basil

Preparation

Step 1

Prepare the bread dough up until the time it needs a second rise. Gently deflate and have ready on a floured work surface.

Pour boiling water over the dried tomatoes to soften them five minutes. Drain and reserve.

In a medium bowl, toss together the parsley, onions, sun-dried tomatoes, garlic, olives, feta and asiago cheese chunks, olive oil, salt, pepper, oregano and basil.

Flatten or gently deflate bread dough into an oval shape (1/2 to 3/4 inch thick). Press half of topping mixture onto bread. Fold bread into center and pinch dough together to cover filling. Let rest a few minutes. Flatten again, using a rolling pin, trying not to force any filling out. Press the remaining filling into the dough. Fold dough over again, into center, pinching dough together to cover any exposed filling. Bread should look like a plumpish, slightly flattened oval. Smear a little olive oil on bread.

Line a doubled-up cookie sheet with parchment paper. Sprinkle with semolina. Place bread on sheet and cover with tea towel. Let rise about 45 minutes to 1 1/2 hours - until puffy.

Preheat oven to 400 F. Bake 15 minutes, then reduce heat to 350 F

And bake until done, (about 20-30 minutes). Serve in warm wedges or cold, in thin slices.

Makes one loaf.