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Braided Savory Spinach, Feta, and Pine Nut Pastry
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by Jeff, December 3, 2008
Filed Under Recipes | 67 Comments
This started out as a dessert post, but then I looked out the window, and it’s December in Minnesota. My family needs something warming tonight, so I dropped the almond cream and raspberry idea (page 231 in the book), and jogged to the store for spinach and imported feta to go with the pine nuts I already had in the house. Not only is this thing delicious, but I stashed gobs of spinach into it and it was super kid-friendly anyway.
First, start preheating the oven to 350 degrees F for about a half-hour. Saute a pound of fresh spinach in a tablespoon of olive oil, until it’s well-wilted and has given up a good amount of liquid, which you need to discard or the pastry will be soggy. I peppered but didn’t salt the spinach, because my feta cheese is very salty–taste it first; if it’s bland go ahead and salt the spinach to taste. Set aside the sauteed spinach while you prepare the dough.
Roll out your favorite enriched dough from the book, like challah (page 180), or for a really decadent treat, the brioche (page 189)– the goal is 1/8 of an inch thick. It took a little less than a pound to get a rectangle about 8 by 18 inches (a small grapefruit-sized piece of dough). I bought some really nice imported feta and crumbled a little less than a half pound in a line down the center of the rectangle:
Then, layer the drained spinach over that:
Now sprinkle a generous handful of pine nuts as the last layer before you start the braid (you won’t actually have to braid…):
Using a pizza wheel, make 1/2-inch wide strips down each side.
Now, fold the strips, one side after the other over the filling, creating the illusion of a real braid:
I’m not quite as artful about this as Zoe is, I’ll admit. But it basically got the job done and through the magic of gauzy photography, who’s going to be able to tell? Allow the braid to rest for 40 minutes at room temperature. Egg wash and black sesame seeds completed the effect, which is something like a Turkish spinach pie This goes into your pre-heated oven for about a half-hour and a complete meal is done. If you can sell this filling, the kids won’t need any other vegetable tonight.
So, 30 days to deadline for “Healthy Bread in Five Minutes a Day” or whatever we end up calling it. Follow our progress on Twitter.
Comments
Doreen said...
December 3, 2008 at 6:07 pm
this looks and sounds delicious and healthy… too bad I don’t have any spinach or feta in the house or I’d make this tonight using light wheat dough which is what I’ve got in the fridge right now
jeff said...
December 3, 2008 at 6:22 pm
Thanks Ethan and Doreen.
Doreen, good eye–you caught me. This is actually whole wheat challah dough from the new book. I won’t be able to release exactly what we did (still working on it, actually). Jeff
Joannie said...
December 3, 2008 at 6:46 pm
I’m really looking forward to the whole-grain recipes in that new book. In the meantime, this looks healthy and tasty and elegant!
sara z. said...
December 3, 2008 at 7:01 pm
That looks FANTASTIC. Let’s hear it for gauzy photography!
Judy L. said...
December 3, 2008 at 7:49 pm
That looks so good! I think I’ll start a batch of challah tonight so I can make this over the weekend. So glad you’re doing another book!
Kelly said...
December 4, 2008 at 6:19 am
Wow! That looks amazing. I definitely need to try that. I have pine nuts languishing in the refrigerator, begging to be put to good use. I think I’ll join Judy L and mix up a batch of challah tonight.
Olga said...
December 4, 2008 at 7:05 am
This looks absolutely gorgeous…and the flavors must work really well together!
Lu said...
December 4, 2008 at 7:26 am
W.O.W. Can’t wait to make this, Jeff!
The Food Hunter said...
December 4, 2008 at 10:27 am
that looks delicious. I love anything with feta and spinach.
Dana Zia said...
December 4, 2008 at 3:58 pm
You have inspired me! I think I will make this to take to a wine tasting tomorrow night. I also ordered “the Book.” Come by and check out my blog if you get a chance. Love your pictures!
http://danazia.wordpress.com/
Dana Zia
jeff said...
December 4, 2008 at 4:08 pm
Thanks Dana– off to Baltimore right now to be on WMAR-TV (ABC-2), so no time to take a look, will check in when I get back! Jeff
katie said...
December 4, 2008 at 6:23 pm
I love your blog and your book!
Deborah Mele said...
December 4, 2008 at 8:19 pm
Looks Delicious. I think I’ll tackle it over the holidays when the whole family is here but I’ll put a more Italian spin on the ingredients. Maybe spinach, oven roasted tomatoes, and goat cheese?
YUM!
jeff said...
December 4, 2008 at 10:08 pm
Thanks Katie and Deborah: The italian spin is going to be great, let us know how it comes out. Try to drain some of the liquid from the tomatoes or it might get the bottom crust a little soggy, but that depends on how well-roasted the tomatoes are. Jeff
Jody said...
December 5, 2008 at 9:19 am
I would like to know if you use your baking stone when you make bread or buns in a pan or the small brioche tins? I want to make a traditional dutch currantbread with my own amandelspijs (like marzipan) and I am not sure how I should go about it or which recipe to use. Another question I would like to ask pls….I had a delicious lightly sweet bun that had chocolate in it (I even bought some of the chocolate stiks from the bakery cause it was so good). It was quite airy but it wasn’t like pastry. How could I recreate that…any suggestions I would appreciate. Thanks and luv the book.
Saundra Shaver said...
December 5, 2008 at 1:40 pm
I have done this same idea but with fresh mozzarella and cut up meatballs. Delish!
And the braid looks great!
No worries!
Betsy said...
December 5, 2008 at 6:14 pm
Jeff, this looks heavenly – I’m going to try it for dinner tomorrow night. I just got your book this week and I am SUCH a fan girl of you and Zoe now! What an amazing innovation, especially for harried moms like myself. ♥
jeff said...
December 5, 2008 at 7:37 pm
Hi Betsy: You’re so sweet to all all this… glad the recipes are working for you. Jeff
alexandra’s kitchen said...
December 6, 2008 at 8:56 am
Oh my this looks delicious and perfect for this time of year, even in sunny SoCal. I wish I had the dough on hand to make this this evening — I’m cooking tonight for some kids. Alas, i’ll treat myself to it sometime this week. yum!
Kevin said...
December 6, 2008 at 1:19 pm
That looks good and the filling sounds tasty!
wingerz said...
December 8, 2008 at 1:45 am
Sounds awesome – I’m always looking for new ways of sneaking vegetables into my wife’s diet.
Beth said...
December 10, 2008 at 11:22 am
I saw this first via Tastespotting in my RSS feeder, so no context as to the original source… and my first thought was, “Oh, that would be nice with Five Minute brioche, and I have some in the freezer.” When I clicked through and saw the orange banner, I laughed out loud!
The raffle book has arrived and been catalogued and has already checked out twice. I predict lots of new fans around here by the time the new book comes out. Thank you so much!
jeff said...
December 10, 2008 at 11:36 am
Beth: You were so generous to donate your raffle-winning book to the library. Thanks for getting out the word. 23 days to next-book manuscript due-date. Jeff
Petra said...
December 14, 2008 at 11:47 am
I just made this for my work holiday party tonight. It looks great, but I can’t try it until the party. Bummer! I did have a heckuva time transferring the finished braid to the cookie sheet though. It came apart a bit and I had to patch it up. Is there a secret to this?
jeff said...
December 14, 2008 at 4:13 pm
Petra: I’m a bit chagrined to admit that I probably should have said to assemble it on parchment paper, a silicone mat, or a greased cookie sheet, so whatever it was built on can just be dropped into the oven without disturbing the braids.
Sorry about that! Let us know how it tasted if you have time. Jeff
Petra said...
December 14, 2008 at 8:09 pm
Jeff–thanks for the tip! It tasted very good. In retrospect, I would’ve salted the spinach a tad more, but it was very good spinach and the flavor did show! And the whole loaf was gone! I only had one little slice! So, a success and a keeper recipe!
jeff said...
December 15, 2008 at 8:07 am
It’s tricky with the salt because feta can be so salty that you need hardly any more. Thanks for letting us know!
Margot said...
December 20, 2008 at 5:44 pm
So right after you finish the braid you can put it straight into a preheated oven…no resting time?
Margot said...
December 20, 2008 at 5:48 pm
oh, and if it matters…I used brioche.
jeff said...
December 20, 2008 at 5:50 pm
Margot: the recipe, adapted from page 231 of our book, calls for a 40 minute rest time before hitting the oven, I’ll add that in. Jeff
Margot said...
December 20, 2008 at 6:19 pm
Yay! You saved my braid, since I had it sitting here, almost in the oven.
jeff said...
December 20, 2008 at 6:43 pm
Part of me wonders whether it might have been more or less OK, depending on how thin it was. Better to wait a bit though.
Margot said...
December 20, 2008 at 7:34 pm
That was my first brioche and may I say it turned out delicious. That dough is so rich and flaky. When I looked at the recipe I wondered if I was seeing things right…EIGHT eggs? THREE sticks of butter? Now I know why. Wow! What a great way to eat spinach.
jeff said...
December 20, 2008 at 8:53 pm
I’m afraid so. Maybe not for every day, but it’s an incredible pleasure once in a while!
teresa said...
December 27, 2008 at 3:56 pm
well I made this twice over the holidays, it was the first thing to go both times ( I also made the sticky buns, and regular cinnamon rolls with the dough). While it looks like an appauling amount of butter it’s not so much if you think how much one batch of dough makes (i.e. 3 sticks of butter and 8 eggs + two braids and two pans of rolls) Or maybe it’s just my way of justifying it, it’s so delicious!
jeff said...
December 27, 2008 at 3:58 pm
Teresa: Thanks for letting us know. You can do this stuff with the leaner doughs, like the challah if you like…
Renita Cipriani said...
January 1, 2009 at 8:23 am
I LOVE you concept. Thank you. I have a question. Over the holiday a tradition is to make nut rolls and poppy seed rolls. Can I use your dough method to make those items ? and If so what dough recipe would you recommend?
Best of luck to you both on the sale of your book. ( I bought 3 more for family members for the holiday)
jeff said...
January 1, 2009 at 9:27 am
Renita: I’d use an enriched dough for what you’re describing, probably the one on page 180– it’s really a multi-purpose enriched dough. If you want something really rich, use the brioche (page 189).
Lara said...
January 11, 2009 at 7:30 pm
Made this today!!! It was awesome, thanks for the great idea! I’ll be posting pics to my blog soon and can I link you as well?
jeff said...
January 11, 2009 at 8:47 pm
Thanks Lara— look forward to your pix.
Pamela W. Mahan said...
January 16, 2009 at 11:43 am
Hello All. I cannot wait to try the Spinach feta!! I just found you all in the Mother Earth News and I love the idea of storing the dough and making it every few days! Do you have any Rye recipes that can be made the same way. I live in Arkansas and have not yet found a baking stone or board. I may have to find one online. I am your newest fan!! I will look for your book!! Thanks, Pamela
jeff said...
January 16, 2009 at 1:02 pm
Pamela: The rye recipe in our book is one of my favorites. It’s a classic deli rye with caraway seeds. Online’s a good option, on our homepage (www.artisanbreadinfive.com) is a set of links (on the left-hand side) to amazon, where you can get most of the products we reference in the book and on this site. You can also buy the book, by clicking on the picture of the book’s cover just above the amazon “store.” Jeff
Marilyn said...
January 24, 2009 at 8:56 am
Had the Spinach bread made with the Challah dough last night — it’s delicious. The dough was very easy to work with. I have Earth Balance sticks sitting out now softening to use for Pecan Sticky buns. Used oil in the Challah dough as my husband and I both have tendency to high cholesterol.
I want to try a dough adding wheat germ and soy flour to one of your doughs that already uses milk – something on line of Cornell Bread. have you done anything using soy flour?
jeff said...
January 24, 2009 at 12:17 pm
I haven’t, but readers have tried it. Seems that if you keep the proportion of soy relatively low, it works. No more than a cup in a recipe would be my guess. You may want to experiment with vital wheat gluten to lighten up the result: http://www.artisanbreadinfive.com/?p=142
Marilyn said...
January 24, 2009 at 3:05 pm
Thanks for your quick reply. The pecan sticky buns were awesome – looked just like the picture in the book. Couldn’t believe I had made them! I’ll try the soy with some vital wheat gluten. I usually add one tbsp soy, 1 tbsp dry milk, and 1 tsp wheat germ in bottom of each cup of flour, so would be a little under 1/2 cup soy per recipe.
Love your book and this site. Being able to “see” the recipes and read about other people’s problems and solutions is great. I’m anticipating the second book.
Marilyn
jeff said...
January 24, 2009 at 3:18 pm
Thanks Marilyn! 2nd book out in less than 11 months.
Lara said...
January 29, 2009 at 8:05 pm
The blog is updated! I put pictures of this as well as some amazing empanadas!
Nina said...
January 31, 2009 at 1:57 am
This looks sooooooo good Jeff. How many will it serve as a main course?
If there is anything left over, what is the best way to keep it?
jeff said...
January 31, 2009 at 7:51 am
Depends on how much dough you start with. A one-pound ball of dough, rolled out and filled? Six people?
I refrigerated the leftovers because of the cheese, in an airtight tupperware.
Nina said...
January 31, 2009 at 11:16 am
Thanks Jeff. Did you reheat the left overs in the oven or the microwave? Would the oven, maybe 350 degrees until it is warm, make the crust too dark? We are only two, so I guess I would cut the recipe in half.
jeff said...
January 31, 2009 at 2:27 pm
Oven’s better, but m-wave works too (but tends to get soft). 350’s fine, it shouldn’t over-brown at that temp.
Nancy said...
February 2, 2009 at 5:20 pm
Yum! Guess what I’m having for dinner tonight!
kimberly said...
March 21, 2009 at 3:42 pm
I’m drooling at the thought of this! Must I use challah or brioche, or can I use the master recipe or the 100% whole wheat bread? Those are the only two I have going right now. I can tell I’m going to need more buckets! 
zoe said...
March 21, 2009 at 3:55 pm
Hi Kimberly,
You can use any of the dough that you have on hand. It would be wonderful with either of the doughs that you mentioned!
Thanks, Zoë
kimberly said...
March 23, 2009 at 12:31 pm
Thank you zoe! 
Linda R. said...
May 20, 2009 at 12:22 am
Kia Ora (greetings from NZ) -
My 5 year old son and I made this for dinner tonight with an herbed light wheat dough – delicious! He loved helping braid the dough. Thanks so much for putting these recipes on-line… I’m looking forward to your new book (and returning home to the states to my copy of your original book). Cheers! Linda
jeff said...
May 20, 2009 at 7:51 am
Awesome! Gotta put those kids to work.
Beth said...
May 26, 2009 at 7:01 am
Made this yesterday for a party. Very good. I did add garlic to the spinach. Wish I had tried this earlier. Thanks for all the great recipes.
jeff said...
May 26, 2009 at 7:18 am
You’re welcome! You may also like a related recipe, the roasted red pepper fougasse (http://www.artisanbreadinfive.com/?p=609)
Beth said...
May 28, 2009 at 12:45 pm
I already have. It’s wonderful.
Dani K. said...
June 8, 2009 at 9:45 pm
Made this, shaping like the fougasse, with the “master recipe” dough and it was a total hit. Loved it! Used my first harvest of spinach from my garden!
zoe said...
June 9, 2009 at 5:04 am
Hi Dani,
Your loaf made with spinach from your garden sounds absolutely wonderful. I have garden envy now! I am another week from Harvesting anything!
Enjoy, Zoë
Rosalina Wong said...
July 5, 2010 at 2:05 pm
Hello Jeff and Zoe,
I really love your book, have been making bread from ABin5min for almost a year now, and I am making 4 pounds of bread everyday, it is our main source of carb. My husband could not even function without your bread!! So THANK YOU!
Anyway, my question is that why do you need to preheat the oven for 1/2 hour for this particular bread? It seems like Zoe’s strawberry danish didn’t need that much preheat time, and to me this is the savory version. Thanks in advance for your answer.
jeff said...
July 5, 2010 at 6:00 pm
Rosalina: So glad to hear…
In the second book, we switched to 30 minutes, bec a lot of people complained that the bottom crust wasn’t browning nicely. In some ovens, you do just fine at 20 min. See what you think, and do whichever works well for you. It’s kind of arbitrary on the website, which doesn’t get as carefully proofread as the books. Jeff
Rosalina Wong said...
July 5, 2010 at 8:44 pm
Thank you for the explanation and quick response, Jeff. Does that mean you guys made the deadline for the third book?
This web site is so great, I learned so much techniques from it. It makes the book so much more valuable than its face value.
jeff said...
July 6, 2010 at 5:36 am
Thanks Rosalina, that’s what we were hoping for, and we’re planning on continuing this for the 3rd bk. Pretty sure no one else is doing this.
We’re in good shape, we’ve met all the interim deadlines for the pizza book…
Ethan Dutton said...
December 3, 2008 at 5:10 pm
Great idea!. I just used up my challah dough making buns for pulled pork sandwiches, so looks like I have an excuse to start another batch.