Elsa’s Plait

I love savoury dishes much more than sweets, so I always make sure to have a few savoury options at parties as I know kids will need something more than sugary treats.  I made this bread plait for Victoria’s Frozen party, to simulate Elsa’s long plait.  It’s a soft bread filled with ham and mozzarella.  For the bread, I used a traditional Sicilian recipe that is often used to make savoury dishes like this.  I love it as it is easy to make and very forgiving and it tastes delicious as it is just slightly sweet.  I find that it goes very well with any filling (check out my Ravazzate recipe for a Bolognese-like filling) and ham and cheese is a classic of Italian cuisine.  It turned out delicious!  Try it and let me know!  Enjoy!

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Elsa’s Plait

Elsa's Plait - a savoury bread plait filled with ham and mozzarella for my daughter's Frozen party!

Course: Bread

Cuisine: Italian

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Cook Time: 40 minutes

Total Time: 1 hour

Author: Manuela Zangara

Ingredients

• 500 gms – 1 lb. flour
• 250 ml – 1 cup lukewarm water
• 50 gms – 1.75 oz. lard
• 50 gms – 1.75 oz. sugar
• 10 gms – 2 tsp salt
• 7 gms – ¼ oz. dry yeast
• Ham sliced and chopped
• Mozzarella/Bocconcini chopped
• 4 tbsp béchamel sauce optional
• 1 egg beaten
• Sesame seeds to garnish

Instructions

1. Dissolve the yeast in the lukewarm water together with 1 tbsp of the sugar. Set it aside to activate.
2. In the meantime, put the remaining sugar, flour, salt and lard in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a dough hook. Once the yeast and water mixture has become frothy, add it to the bowl. Knead well until you obtain a smooth and pliable dough.
3. Let it rise in a warm place for 1 hour or until it doubles in size.
   
4. Roll the dough in a 1.5 cm – ½ inch thick rectangle. Mark the rectangle into three equal sections.
5. Fill the centre section with some chopped ham, followed by the chopped bocconcini and béchamel sauce (if using). The quantities are up to you, fill it as much as you can but remember it needs to be closed!
6. Now make diagonal cuts at a 45 degree angle from the top corner of the dough to the filling on each side, each 2.5 cm – 1 inch apart.
7. Fold the dough strips over diagonally, starting from the top-left then top-right. Make sure the strips overlap to make a plait. Tuck the last strips under the loaf to seal it.
8. Transfer to a baking sheet lined with baking paper. Brush with beaten egg and sprinkle the top with sesame seeds.
   
9. Bake in a preheated oven at 180°C – 355°F for 40 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack and allow to cool completely before slicing it.