I love pizza in every form. Round, wood-fired, Neapolitan, thick and fluffy baked in a pan, homemade… I love them all. But have you ever tried a filled pizza braid like this one? It’s super soft both outside and inside and is served sliced. We like it stuffed with spinach and spicy salami, but of course, you can fill it with whatever you like!
To prepare this pizza braid, I used La Speziata type 2 soft wheat flour from Molino Merano, which is particularly aromatic and rich in fiber. Moreover, thanks to its high protein content, it is perfect for long-leavening doughs, in combination with EVA dried sourdough, also from Molino Merano, it is perfect!
If you like savory yeasts, try these recipes of mine too:
- Difficulty: Medium
- Rest time: 13 Hours
- Preparation time: 35 Minutes
- Portions: 1 braid (4 people)
- Cooking methods: Oven
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: All seasons
Ingredients
- 4 cups La Speziata type 2 soft wheat flour (Molino Merano)
- 2 tbsp EVA dried sourdough (Molino Merano)
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- 1 1/3 cups water (warm)
- 1 1/2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 2 tsp salt
- 8.8 oz fresh spinach (or 10.6 oz frozen)
- 1 spring onion
- 1 clove garlic
- 4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- to taste salt
- 2.6 oz spicy salami
- 8.8 oz mozzarella for pizza
- 5 tbsp tomato sauce
Steps
To prepare the pizza braid with sourdough, place the flour in the mixer bowl along with the EVA sourdough, oregano, and warm water. Start the mixer and add the salt. Once you have a homogeneous dough, add the extra virgin olive oil and continue kneading until the dough is bound, meaning it is detached from the bottom and sides of the bowl and wrapped around the hook. This will take about 20 minutes in total. Form a ball, put it back in the bowl, and let it rise covered with plastic wrap in a warm place (80-82 degrees Fahrenheit), for 10-12 hours, until doubled.
Wash the fresh spinach and let them drain or thaw the frozen ones.
Thinly slice the spring onion and garlic clove. Heat a pan with the extra virgin olive oil and gently fry the spring onion and garlic for 2-3 minutes. Then add the spinach and a pinch of salt. Cook everything, stirring occasionally, for a few minutes, until the spinach wilts. Remove from heat and set aside.
Cut the spicy salami into thin strips and the mozzarella into cubes.
Once the rest time has passed or when the dough has doubled in volume, roll it out on a lightly floured surface to form a rectangle of about 14 x 16 inches.
Spread the tomato sauce over the entire surface, then distribute the cooked spinach, spicy salami, and mozzarella over the entire surface. Roll everything on the long side and transfer to a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. With a sharp knife, cut the roll in half lengthwise. Separate the two halves and turn them with the filling facing up. Now join the two upper ends and then twist the two roll halves around each other. Finally, join the two lower ends so that the braid doesn’t open during baking.
If any filling comes out while forming the braid, no problem, just put it back on the braid.
Let it rest, covered, for another 60-90 minutes in a warm place.
Before the rest time is up, preheat the oven to 392 degrees Fahrenheit (static).
After the rest time, bake the braid at 392 degrees Fahrenheit for about 35 minutes, until golden brown. Remove from the oven, slice, and serve.
