Stuffed Bread Ring With Meatball, Ricotta, And Spinach Fillings

Bread is one of those basics we couldn't live without. Slicing into a freshly baked loaf, straight out of the oven and topped with some delicious spreads, or even just butter – there's nothing quite like it! That being said, bread tends to get taken for granted, served as a side dish, or used as a base for another dish most of the time. Well, not today! This recipe for a stuffed bread ring will show you a stunning technique for baking and serving bread that puts all of the loaves, buns, and rolls out there to shame! Loaded up with meatball and spinach & ricotta fillings, this stuffed bread ring will be the main attraction at your next dinner party or family meal. In fact, we think that this this might actually be the 1 ring to rule them all!

Yield: 1
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cooking Time: 50 minutes
Inactive Time: 15 minutes
Difficulty Level: Easy

You'll Need:

For the dough:

  • 4⅓ cups flour
  • 1 egg + 1 egg white
  • ¾ cup milk, lukewarm
  • 2 tsp sugar
  • 2 tsp dry yeast 
  • 2 tbsp vegetable oil
  • 1 tsp salt
  • whisked eggs for the egg wash

For the meatball filling: 

  • ½ lb ground beef
  • salt & pepper to taste
  • 4 mozzarella pearls
  • 2 cups tomato puree
  • 1 onion, diced
  • 1 handful of parsley, chopped 
  • 1 garlic clove, minced
  • vegetable oil for frying

For the spinach & ricotta filling:

  • 5 oz fresh spinach
  • ⅓ cup ricotta cheese
  • 3 tbsp heavy cream
  • 1 garlic clove, minced
  • nutmeg
  • salt & pepper to taste
  • vegetable oil for frying

Here's How:

1.Preheat the oven to 375°F. For the dough, knead all of the ingredients together until a smooth dough forms, then cover it and let it rest for 15 minutes.

2. Heat some vegetable oil in a skillet and season the ground beef with salt & pepper. Roll the ground beef into small balls and fry them in the skillet. For the tomato sauce, heat a new skillet with some vegetable oil in it and sauté the garlic and onions until the onions become translucent. Pour in the tomato puree, then chop the parsley and add it to the tomato sauce. For the spinach & ricotta filling, heat a third skillet with some vegetable oil on the stove, sauté the garlic, then add in the heavy cream, ricotta cheese, and fresh spinach. Season with salt, pepper & nutmeg. Roll the dough out into a circle on a baking tray, then place a large mixing bowl upside down in the center of it. Trace the mixing bowl with a knife in order to cut out a large circular piece of dough.

3. Divide the leftover dough on the outer edge into 8 equal segments.

4. Roll the 8 segments of dough into balls and place them around the edge of the circular piece of dough at even intervals.

5. Cut the interior of the dough into 8 slices as if you were cutting a pizza, but be sure to stop the cuts once they reach the balls of dough.

6. Fold the slices up from the center and flip them over the balls, then press the tips down into the balls of dough.

7. Press the bottom of a small glass into the balls of dough so that they form the shape of a donut.

8. Fill 4 of the wells with 1 mozzarella pearl, a few meatballs, and some tomato sauce. Spoon the spinach & ricotta filling into the remaining wells.

9. Whisk an egg and brush the egg wash over the surface of the dough. Transfer the baking tray to the oven and bake the stuffed bread ring at 375°F for 35 minutes.

This delicious stuffed bread ring will change the way you eat bread! Feel free to get creative and switch up the fillings to fit your taste preferences.

Get the recipe for the Stuffed Baklava Donuts featured in the bonus video.

Comments

Also hefty