Rustic Stuffed Bread

The dreary snow, has us seeking warmth and comfort indoors. Comforting smells that take me back to our tiny town in Portugal, where cloudy brisk days meant the smell of cracking wood ovens, and freshly baked bread. Traditionally, we save enough dough to make a few stuffed loaves, either with chorizo and presunto, codfish and onions, and sautéed tuna and red peppers, which I’ve made over this snowy weekend.

This dough is so wonderfully easy, because the Portuguese like things simple and don’t have the patient to wait for bread to rise. This is a pile ingredients into a bowl, stir with your hands, fill and bake situation.The dough may be on the drier side but allowing it to rest while you make the filling, will help infuse the moisture back in and create a smoother dough. It will be alive and bubbly ready to bake into a crisp, doughy and salted rustic loaf of bread. 

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Stuffed Bread with Sautéed Tuna & Red Peppers

Ingredients

Dough

2 3/4 cups – Bread Flour

1 cup – Whole Wheat Flour

2 1/2 teaspoons {1 small pouch} – Active Dry Yeast

3/4 teaspoon – Salt

3/4 teaspoon granulated sugar

1 1/2 to 1 3/4 cups – Warm Water

Tuna Filling

2 tablespoons – Extra Virgin Olive Oil

1 medium – Onion {chopped}

1 medium – Red Pepper

2 cloves – Garlic {minced}

1/4 cup – Tomato Paste

2 large cans {15 oz each} – Tuna {solid white, in water – use an organic brand}

Salt, Ground Pepper, Red Pepper Flakes – To taste

Handful Fresh Parsley, chopped

Recipe

To make the dough, whisk the flour, yeast, salt, and sugar in a medium bowl  Add warm water all at once, stirring with a fork until the mixture comes together. I found it easier to finish mixing the dough with my hands, which will be slightly sticky, and not smooth. Cover the dough with plastic wrap and a clean kitchen towel, allow to rise at room temperature for at least 2 hours.

Place the rack in the upper third level of the oven and pre-heat oven to 500 degrees.

To make the filling, heat a medium saute pan over medium-high heat, add the olive oil, red pepper and onions. Saute  until onions become slightly transparent {about 6 to 7 minutes}, then saute the garlic for about a minute and stir in the tomato paste. Stirring for a minute, add in the tuna, seasoning to taste. Allow tuna to cook through, and sauce to thicken slightly {about 8 to 10 minutes}.

After resting, place the dough out onto a lightly floured baking sheet. With your hands and knuckles press the dough into a rectangle almost the size of the baking sheet, making sure to not rip the dough. Place the filling in the center, then bring the outside edges of the dough and pinch together in the center, again making sure that the filling is tightly secured.

Bake until dark golden brown, and crust is baked through, rotating halfway {about 45 to 50 minutes}. Check the bottom of the loaf after 40 minutes to make sure it’s not burning. Allow to rest for a minute or two, and serve.