Half of the dough recipe below is required to make this pie. The remainder can be refrigerated where it will keep for a few days (bring it to room temperature before using) or press it into a 20 x 30cm shallow tray, very well oiled with extra virgin olive oil, its top brushed with more oil and sprinkled with flaky sea salt. Bake in a 200C oven for about 40 minutes until well cooked, like foccacia. Otherwise, use the remaining half to make my Turkish-style lamb pies or Sugar rolls.
Because it is a sticky no-knead dough, you need to work with it on a well-floured surface. Like scones, handle it as little as possible and if it springs back when you try to roll it out, stop, wait and let it relax before proceeding.
Stuffed bread pie
| 800 g | Butternut, peeled, deseeded, cut into 3cm chunks (Main) |
| 2 Tbsp | Extra virgin olive oil, plus extra for brushing |
| 2 | Onions, finely chopped |
| 1 | Carrot, diced 1cm |
| 4 cloves | Garlic, finely chopped |
| 1 small handful | Sage leaf |
| ½ | Preserved lemons, peel only, finely diced |
| 80 g | Kalamata olives, pitted |
| ¼ cup | Dried cranberries |
| ½ | Basic bread dough, see above for what to do with the remaining half (Main) |
| 135 g | Creamy feta, crumbled (Main) |
| 200 ml | Jenny's Kitchen Tamarind Chutney |
Bread dough
| 3 cups | Warm water, you want it lukewarm |
| 1 Tbsp | Dried yeast (Main) |
| 1 tsp | Sugar |
| 5 cups | Flour (Main) |
| 1 tsp | Salt |
Directions
To make the dough
- Put the water, yeast and sugar into a large bowl. Wait until the yeast melts, then stir and place in a draught-free warm place (a sunny deck works well) until the mixture is very frothy.
- Whisk in 2 cups of flour so you have a lump-free slurry. Set aside, covered, in a draught-free, warm place until doubled in bulk.
- Add the remaining flour and salt and mix well. Cover, put back in the warm place and allow to double in bulk.
To make the pie
- Heat the oven to 200C. If you have a pizza stone, place it in the oven. Line a wide oven tray with baking paper.
- Boil or steam the butternut until tender, drain well, place in a bowl and cool. Reserve.
- Heat the oil in a frying pan over moderate heat and add the onions, carrot, garlic, sage, preserved lemon peel, olives and cranberries. Fry gently without browning for 10 minutes or until the onion is soft. Remove from the heat and cool.
- Add the onion mixture to the butternut. Crumble in the feta and mix. Taste, season with salt and freshly ground black pepper and mix again.
- Cut the dough into two equal pieces and roll one out on a floured surface into a 30cm diameter disc. Carefully lift this on to the paper-lined tray.
- Spread the butternut mixture evenly over the rolled out dough, but leave a 2-3cm border unfilled all around the edge. Brush the border with cold water.
- Roll the other half of the dough into a disc the same size as the other and place it on top of the filling.
- Twist or crimp the edges together. Brush the top of the pie with extra oil and make four 4cm slits in the top to let the steam escape.
- Place in the oven on the pizza stone if using, and bake 45 minutes, or until well cooked.
- Remove from the oven and serve in wedges with the chutney.
