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Cheesy Spinach Einkorn Picnic Bread

This hearty side combines the satisfaction of homemade bread, the healthy punch of green spinach, and wonders of rich, melted Mozzarella cheese. It can easily stand as its own course!

Course: Bread

Cuisine: American, Old World

Keyword: cheese, Einkorn Flour, Mozzarella, spinach

Servings: 8

Ingredients

Spinach, Mozzarella Filling

• 1 Lb. Spinach
• 1/4 Cup. Butter
• 3 Cloves of Garlic Minced
• 1 Small onion Diced
• 3 Cups. Mozzarella Cheese Grated
• 6 Oz. Cream Cheese At room temperature
• 1/2 - 1 Cup Fresh Basil Chopped
• Sea Salt
• Freshly Ground Pepper

Bread Dough

• 1 Cup. Whole Wheat Einkorn Flour
• 1 1/2 Cup. Warm Water
• 1/2 Cup. Sourdough Starter
• 1 Tbsp. Sucanat
• 2 tsps. Sea Salt
• 3 - 3 1/2 Cups All Purpose Einkorn Flour
• 1 tsp. Dried Ground Thyme

Instructions

Garlicy - Spinach - Cheese Filling

• If using Fresh mozzarella cheese make sure that it is grated and then pressed in a towel to remove excess moisture. A soggy finished loaf is not desirable and fresh mozzarella tends to be very moist. If you are using a hard block of cheese pressing it will not be necessary.
  
• Saute the onion in the butter until soft and fragrant. Add in the garlic and stir while cooking for several minutes. Add the spinach and finish cooking when the spinach has fully wilted. Place the mixture into a colander to drain. Again, you are avoiding a soggy loaf by draining out excess moisture.
• When the Spinach mixture has drained and is at room temperature knead in the rest of the filling ingredients with a pair of clean hands. Salt and pepper should be added to taste. Since this is going to be a filling it ought to be a little strong to the taste but not overpowering. You have now created an unbaked spinach dip. This can be stored in the refrigerator in an airtight container for several days if necessary.

Bread

• Create a sourdough levain by mixing together the first 3 ingredients and letting sit overnight or for about 8 hours on your counter top. Be careful to prevent bugs from getting into the levain. Animals can detect healthy food and they love sourdough. You can put a towel across the top of the bowl and place a dinner plate on top of that and it will usually suffice.
• When your levain has proofed long enough, you are seeing bubbles, add the rest of the bread ingredients to the levain bowl and combine. Let sit until it has almost doubled in size and keeps the indent when you gently poke at it.

  Before it has finished rising bring your spinach filling out of the refrigerator so that it can come to room temperature for easier spreading.
• Roll out the dough on a floured surface.
• Spread the filling onto the rolled out dough.
  
• The more the filling is chilled the harder this will be. It will bake fine cold or room temperature, but letting it warm up a bit before trying to spread it makes that easier.
  
• Roll the dough upon itself until you have a long log of spinach filled goodness.
  
• My long log of spinach bread is usually too long to bake without cutting. Section the log into lengths appropriate for your loaf pans and line the pans with parchment paper.
  
• Lay the loaves into the pans and let them rise until they keep the indent of your finger when you gently press. Slash them a few times on top.
  
• Bake at 350 until golden brown on top and if pressed on it does not feel squishy. Let cool for about 30 minutes before cutting . . . this instruction is a good idea for a pretty slice but is not often followed because who can resist fresh bread for a full 30 minutes!

This bread is a favorite, absolutely. OF course it is, it’s practically pizza. I feel I cannot praise enough the goodness of Einkorn flour. With so much the fiber, vitamin and protein nutrients of good nuts but with the elasticity of flour, this ancient grain is such a blessing. If I’m having guests you better believe I’m serving a rack of ribs and a salad with this bread but if it’s just Kevin and me for dinner a few slices of bread and a glass of tart wine is all we need.