Spicy Spiral Bread

In honor of World Bread Day 2009 I decided to venture into the land of filled breads. I found this recipe for Spicy Spiral Bread on King Arthur's website and the idea of refried beans and cheese as a filling really intrigued me. Other than the adventurous filling ingredients this bread is made just like most other yeast bread recipes and calls for ingredients that are staples in most pantries.

When I tried to remove the bread from the pan, shortly after coming out of the oven, some of the bread stuck to the bottom of the pan and created a tear in the loaf. I think this happened because the filling was heavy and warm. I would suggest letting the bread cool about 25 minutes in the pan and then making sure to loosen around the edges before trying to remove the loaf of bread. The taste of this bread was a taste that was new and interesting to me. I tried the bread at room temperature and thought that the different textures from the beans and the bread made a nice match. I think it would taste even better warmed up and I plan on trying that tomorrow. This bread is something that I will definitely make again and I plan on playing around with different flavor combinations next time I make it. Happy World Bread Day 2009 to everyone!

Check out my past years entries into World Bread day.
2008 - English Muffin Bread
2007 - Italian Bread

If you love bread as much as I do you might also want to check out my collection of yeasted breads and quick breads. I am sure there is something there to satisfy every bread lovers craving.


Spicy Spiral Bread
Adapted from King Arthur Flour

Ingredients
Dough
2 1/2 cups King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
2/3 cup yellow cornmeal
2 teaspoons instant yeast
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon chipotle or hot chili powder or 1/4 teaspoon ground chilies
2 teaspoons sugar
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 cup + 2 tablespoons water
Filling
16-ounce can refried beans
8 ounces shredded Monterey Jack cheese
1 to 3 tablespoons taco seasoning or 1 tablespoon mild chili powder

*Optional filling add-ins include 1/2 cup diced raw onion, sliced black olives, diced jalapeño peppers, 1/4 cup salsa, chopped fresh cilantro, or 1/2 cup cooked and drained ground beef. If you use more than three of the preceding options, you'll probably have leftover filling (which is delicious served in taco shells or burritos). The filling should be firm, and should total around 2 cups altogether.

Directions
Dough: In a large bowl, combine the flour, cornmeal, yeast, salt, chili powder, sugar, olive oil and water. Mix until a rough dough forms, then knead: 10 minutes by hand, or about 8 minutes by. The dough is soft; work with it gently. Turn the dough into a greased bowl, cover it, and let it rise for 1 1/2 hours, or until it's doubled in bulk.
To prepare the dough in a bread machine, place all of the dough ingredients into the pan of your machine according to the manufacturer's instructions, and program the machine for Dough or Manual. Let the machine complete its cycle.

Assembly: Roll the dough into a long, 8 x 24-inch rectangle. Spread it with 1 1/2 to 2 cups of the filling, leaving a 1-inch margin along the edges. Fold in the two short ends, and roll the dough into a 24-inch log. Pinch the dough to seal it well.
Keeping the seam side down, ease the log, in a loose spiral, into a greased 9-inch round cake pan. Pat the spiral down so it's flat and even across the top. Cover the dough and let it rise till it's even with the top of the pan or slightly crowned above the lip of the pan, 1 1/2 to 2 hours.

Bake the bread in a preheated 350°F oven for 45 to 50 minutes, till golden brown. Serve warm, hot or cold, with a salad, if desired.