The Savory Danube with ham and smoked cheese is an incredibly soft brioche and very scenic. It is a rustic dish typical of the Campania tradition.
Made up of many balls placed next to each other. During baking, they come together in a soft and delicious embrace for a wow effect!
The Danube is a soft brioche cake. Once ready, the tasting moment is really fun! Everyone can pick a ball and enjoy its tasty filling!
I filled the Savory Brioche with ham and smoked scamorza. On the surface, I decorated each ball with black sesame seeds.
This leavened savory cake is mainly prepared in Campania for the Easter holiday. However, we can enjoy it all year round.
The filling, in fact, can be customized in a thousand ways with seasonal ingredients. There is both a sweet version and a savory one.
The Savory Danube is perfect for a picnic! Great to bring to the table during holidays, for a birthday, or an appetizer!
It is not difficult to prepare, and it is not essential to use a stand mixer. I, for example, prepared it without one, and the result is a tall, soft, and very tasty brioche cake!
Let’s see the procedure together with step-by-step photos!
At the end of the article, you will find other useful tips. A small gift awaits you too ❤️
Other recipes that might interest you!
- Difficulty: Medium
- Cost: Medium
- Rest time: 4 Hours
- Preparation time: 30 Minutes
- Portions: 15-20 people
- Cooking methods: Electric oven
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: All seasons
Ingredients
- 550 g all-purpose flour (or 275 g all-purpose flour + 275 g Manitoba)
- 230 g milk (warm)
- 50 g olive oil (or seed oil)
- 1 egg (medium whole)
- 2 teaspoons sugar
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 packet dry yeast (7 g or 25 g fresh)
- 300 g cooked ham
- 300 g smoked scamorza (or cheese of choice)
- q.b. black sesame seeds (only if you like)
Tools
- Bowl
- Ladle
- Kneading Board
- Rolling Pin
- Baking Pan
Steps
In a large bowl, pour the sifted flour, dry yeast, sugar, and mix.
If using dry yeast, read the instructions for use because in most cases it should not be dissolved like fresh yeast.
Break the egg inside and pour the milk at room temperature. Finally, add the olive oil (or seed oil).
Mix with a fork inside the bowl until the dry ingredients have absorbed the liquid ones.
Then start working the dough with your hands, still inside the bowl.
As soon as it starts to gain strength, add the salt, only at this point, please.
Turn everything onto a kneading board and knead the dough vigorously for at least 5 minutes.
Only if necessary, sprinkle the kneading board with a little flour, just enough to work better.
When the dough has reached a nice elastic consistency, place it in the bowl greased with a little oil at the bottom.
Make the classic cross incision, which is used to monitor the leavening.
Cover with a cloth and let rise for at least two hours or, in any case, until doubled.
The times can vary depending on the ambient temperature. The warmer it is, the faster the leavening will be!
Anyone wishing can reduce the yeast dose and extend the leavening time further.
Once the dough has doubled in size, transfer it to the kneading board and divide it into four parts.
Take small portions from each piece, each weighing about 50 grams.
Roll out each portion with the rolling pin to obtain a disk and place the ingredients in the center.
We can use either sliced cooked ham to break into pieces by hand or diced ham.
For a vegetarian version, replace the cooked ham with mushrooms or other vegetables.
Once filled, close each disk, shaping it into a ball and sealing it well.
Place, in a 30 cm pan lined with parchment paper, a ball next to the other without sticking them together.
IMPORTANT: put the closure side of each ball on the bottom, so it does NOT open during cooking.
Brush all the balls with a bit of olive oil (or, if you like the golden effect, with an egg yolk).
A nice sprinkle with poppy seeds (or sesame) and then cover with a cloth for the final leavening.
After about one/two hours your stuffed Danube will be doubled in size!
Soft, very tall, and very inviting! All that remains is to bake it in a preheated static oven at 170°F for about 30-35 minutes.
Cooking time varies depending on the oven, be careful not to dry them out too much, or the inside will be too dry.
Once ready, remove from the oven, let it cool slightly, and then place on a wire rack to dry out from moisture.
Finally, we can enjoy this beautiful, fragrant, and delicious savory Danube stuffed with ham and smoked cheese!
I hope you enjoyed this recipe! Enjoy your meal and see you for the next recipe!
Photo Gabry © copyright – all rights reserved
With these doses, you will get a nice big Danube. The smaller the balls, the wider it will be. You can also use two small pans to get two. Or double the doses to make two large ones.
FAQ (Questions and Answers)
How can I replace the cooked ham?
Those who are not vegetarian can use mortadella, salami, speck, or wurstel. For a vegetarian version, choose vegetables that we like most (they must be cooked in a pan first). So zucchini, peppers, spinach, mushrooms, eggplants. An important tip is to let the cooked vegetables drain in a sieve so as to lose excess liquids without “soaking” the dough.
Can I use mozzarella instead of scamorza?
We can use any cheese we like. For mozzarella, the same discussion applies as for vegetables. It is preferable to use pizza mozzarella, this way it will release less liquid during cooking.
Can I decrease the yeast dose?
Certainly! While respecting the doses of all the other ingredients, it is possible to decrease the yeast dose. 8 grams if using fresh, 4 grams for dry. In these cases, the leavening time doubles. If the ambient temperature is around 78°F, it takes about 4 hours. If between 82-86°F, the leavening will be faster. In winter, times extend further.
How to store the savory Danube?
It remains soft and fluffy for about three days. The important thing is that it is covered with a glass dome or food wrap. If stored in the fridge, before consuming it, put it back in the microwave for a few moments, and it will seem freshly made!
Can I freeze the Danube?
The Danube can be frozen both before and after baking and can stay in the freezer for about three months, up to six.
Freezing before the final leavening: Once we have formed the Danube and placed the filled balls next to each other, we can freeze it. In this case, it would be more practical to use a disposable pan that will remain in the freezer for as long as we want. When it is time to bake the Danube, it must be taken out of the freezer at least a couple of hours before for the second and final leavening. The time of the second leavening varies depending on the temperature, so adjust accordingly.
Freezing after baking: you can freeze the savory Danube after baking. In this case, whether it’s a Danube or another preparation (brioche, sandwiches, croissants, etc.), before placing the product in the freezer, it must be COMPLETELY COLD, otherwise you will jeopardize the proper freezing. Subsequently, to thaw it, it must be left out at room temperature, and only once thawed can you heat it just a few minutes in the oven or a few moments in the microwave. It is not recommended to use the microwave for defrosting; it is preferable to leave it at room temperature slowly.
IMPORTANT: when we freeze and then thaw a product, it cannot be refrozen. Furthermore, a product can only be frozen if we have used fresh ingredients to make it, not those already frozen and thawed.
