Stuffed Braided Bread with Moroccan Veg and Red Pepper Aivar
This spectacular – yet surprisingly simple – braided bread uses our handy frozen pizza dough as a base. Made with Pelagonia’s Aivar -, a smoky red pepper spread, it’s a great vegan option that looks stunning on the table. Don’t be daunted by the assembly – here's a handy video to show you how easy it is!
Ingredients
400g kūmara, peeled (about 2 medium)
1 eggplant
3 Tbsp olive oil
1 can chickpeas
1 onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 tsp sweet smoked paprika
1 tsp Moroccan seasoning
¼ cup Pelagonia Aivar chargrilled red pepper spread
2 spring onions, sliced
1 packet Farro pizza dough, defrosted overnight
1 Tbsp sesame seeds
Method
Preheat the oven to 180°C. Line a baking tray with baking paper.
Bring the dough out of the fridge about 2 hours before you plan on using it.
Cut the kūmara and eggplant into 2cm cubes and place in a large bowl. Toss with 2 tablespoons of oil, a sprinkle of salt, and ½ tsp each of the sweet smoked paprika and the Moroccan seasoning. Bake the vegetables for 30 minutes, or until tender. Set aside to cool.
Drain the can of chickpeas, reserving ¼ cup of the liquid from the tin (this is known as aquafaba). Rinse the chickpeas and set aside.
Meanwhile, fry the onion until soft, then add the garlic and the remaining smoked paprika and Moroccan seasoning. Stir until fragrant, then add the chickpeas and toss to coat in the spices.
Lightly mash the chickpeas, then combine with the aivar, eggplant, and kumara. Season with salt and lightly mash to bring together. Add the spring onions.
Combine the two balls of pizza dough into one and roll out to a rough rectangle, about 40x25cm. Transfer onto a baking paper-lined oven tray. Arrange the vegetable mix down the middle of the dough in a sausage shape.
Use a knife to make diagonal cuts from the filling down to the long edges at 2cm intervals. Fold the top edge down over the filling. Then, starting at the top and alternating from each side, fold each strip over the filling to the other side. Finally, fold in the bottom edge.
Place the loaf in a warm area and let the dough rise for 30 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 200°C.
Brush the bread with the reserved aquafaba and sprinkle with the sesame seeds. Bake for 25-30 minutes until the bread is golden. Sit for at least 5 minutes before slicing and serving with extra aivar.
Cook’s Tip: You could use vegan pastry in the place of the pizza dough. Simply defrost and wrap around the veg stuffing.