BAKING BREAD IN RED BELL PEPPERS

Leia em PORTUGUÊS

Congratulations to Barbara of Cucina di Barbara! She is celebrating the achievements on her blog, which reflects her dedication and wonderful job. She is the one who deserves an award, but instead, she's promoting the most fantastic contest, in collaboration with KitchenAid, "Get an Aid in the Kitchen", where participants have to present a recipe that involves the color RED. The prize will be a red KitchenAid stand mixer with a glass bowl. Beautiful!!! I promptly put on my thinking cap and came up with this idea:

Since the beginning I knew I wanted to make something that involved red bell peppers. They are fantastic. They are slightly sweet, milder than green peppers, and get along with many of the most incredible spices and herbs. When cooked or baked they don't lose their vivid red color. What's not to love about this vegetable?

I have wanted to roast red bell  peppers for quite a while now and because they don't lose their color and don't get watery in contact with heat, I thought they would be suitable as edible bowls for baking bread. The results did not disappoint. You can use the same basic bread recipe for different shapes and flavors such as...

Garlic and Olive Swirls,

Parmigiano Reggiano pull-apart bread,

and Mini Focaccias (little chubby perhaps, but delicious!)

Shapes, flavors, and filling options are endless!

All using one simple bread recipe which is my contribution to the contest "Get an Aid in the Kitchen"@ Cucina di Barbara". 

Thanks Barbara!!

FOR THE BREAD DOUGH:

1 cup (240ml) water at room temperature

1 tbsp sugar

2 tsp active dry yeast

1 tsp salt

1 tbsp olive oil (or butter at room temperature)

2 ½ cups bread flour (approximately) 

In a medium bowl dissolve the sugar and yeast in the water and set aside for a few minutes, covered with a tea towel, until foamy. 

Add salt and olive oil (or butter) and 1 cup of flour. Stir well with a wooden spoon. 

Add more flour, ¼ cup at a time, stirring well after each addition until it starts getting difficult to mix with the spoon. 

Transfer the dough to a floured surface and start kneading the dough. As you fold the dough into itself while kneading, it will gradually incorporate the flour from the counter. You might not need all the 2½ cups of flour suggested, or you might need to add a little more. 

When the dough is no longer sticky and forms a soft and elastic ball, put it back in the bowl that has been previously brushed with a little oil. Turn the dough around to coat it. Cover with plastic and leave it to rise for about an hour or until tripled in size.

Punch the dough down with your fist and turn it onto a floured surface. Knead it for a couple of minutes to help remove air bubbles. 

Let it rest to relax the gluten for about 15 minutes before shaping or rolling it out . 

SHAPES AND FILLING SUGGESTIONS:

(the amounts given here for the fillings are  enough for one whole bread recipe)

For garlic and olive swirls:

4-5 medium or 3-4 large red bell peppers

Wash the bell peppers, dry them well and cut them in half. Remove stems and insides like this:

In a small bowl combine:

½ cup pitted olives, green or black or your favorite kind (I used pimento stuffed green olives), finely chopped (measured after chopped and packed firmly in the measuring cup)

2 tbsp butter, softened (or olive oil)

3 to 4 large cloves of garlic, finely chopped (or minced) 

Roll out the dough into a rectangle about ½" thick (it will get thinner after filling and rolling) and spread the mixture evenly. Roll it up like a jelly roll and cut slices about 1½'' thick  (or proportional to the size of the pepper). Place each one inside half of a bell pepper. 

Arrange them on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, cover with plastic and leave it to rest until doubled in size. 

Bake in preheated oven at 190°C (375°F) for about 20 minutes or until golden brown.

It will look like this inside:

For the pull-apart parmesan bread:

4-5 medium or 3-4 large red bell peppers

Wash the bell peppers, dry them well and cut them in half, leghthwise. Remove insides. You may keep the stem for decorative purposes.

½ cup finely grated Parmigiano Regianno

2 tbsp butter, softened (or olive oil)

Roll out the dough into a rectangle about ¼" thick. Spread the butter evenly on the whole surface of the dough. Sprinkle with the parmesan. With the help of a pizza cutter, cut 1½" slices like this:

Stack them like this:

Then cut them into rectangles. The stacks of dough should be proportional to the size of your bell peppers.

Arrange slices vertically inside the pepper halves.

It will look something like this. The photo was taken after it had risen.

Arrange them on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, cover with plastic and leave it to rest until doubled in size. 

Bake in preheated oven at 190°C (375°F) for about 20 minutes or until golden brown.

It will look like this inside:

Mini Focaccias

4-5 medium or 3-4 large red bell peppers

Pimento stuffed green olives cut in half

fresh rosemary

sea salt

olive oil

Wash the bell peppers, dry them well and remove stems and insides. Cut them into ½" slices  like this:

Divide the dough into little balls about the size of walnuts (or bigger if your peppers are big).

Coat a ball of dough with olive oil and press it inside the bell pepper ring that has been arranged on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Repeat with the remaining dough and peppers. 

Cover with plastic and let rest. Before it is doubled, make indentations on the surface of the dough and press the olives and rosemary in the little holes.

Sprinkle (very slightly) with sea salt.

Bake in preheated oven at 190°C (375°F) for about 20 minutes or until golden brown.

It will look like this inside:

I was pleasantly surprised at the wonderful combination of bread and red bell peppers. I'm sure you will be, too :o)