Bread Wreath in skillet with Baked Spinach and Artichoke Dip

Patri, author of Sabores&Momentos, brings us a recipe to enjoy dipping: an easy-to-make skillet bread recipe, paired with a cream of cheese, spinach and artichokes, a combination that's perfect for dunking bread (literally!)

Now fully into this beautiful season of autumn, flavors and textures become warm to comfort us… But we still want recipes that are easy and impressive.

This week was very rainy for us, so instead of going out to dinner on the weekend, we invited some friends over for appetizers and wine at home. I wanted to surprise them with something simple and, look what a beauty I ended up winning with that night…. A freshly baked bread crown with a gratinated spinach and artichoke cream in the center for dipping!!

Le Creuset skillet pan

You might think it's very elaborate but not at all!!! I can promise it has no complication, the bread dough is made in the morning and left to rise. Then you shape the dough balls and you'll get a delicious pull-apart of individual rolls, crispy on the outside and incredibly soft inside. The dip cream likewise, you make it in the morning, chill it in the fridge and just assemble and bake a little before your guests arrive.

Spinach, as I mentioned in the last recipe I shared here with you for Creamed Spinach, prepared any way, is an excellent vegetable. And the artichokes, in this case, some high-quality jarred artichoke hearts are a true delight. A few whizzes in the blender along with a few pantry ingredients and we'll have the cream ready. We assemble in our fantastic Le Creuset cast iron Skillets and no one will resist: I love the thousand possibilities they offer and how fun it is to serve our dishes straight from the oven to the table, with that rustic touch I adore.

Bread wreath in a skillet with gratinated spinach and artichoke dip

NOTES:

• This recipe yields enough both of the bread dough and of the spinach and artichoke dip to fill two medium skillets or one large one.
• Above all, let the skillet just out of the oven cool slightly before serving it, and always wrap the handle with a cloth to avoid burning yourself.

Ingredients (for 8-10 people)

For the dough:

• 475gr all-purpose flour
• 1 packet of dry yeast (7g)
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 240ml hot milk (but not boiling)
• 2 tablespoons vegetable/sunflower oil

For the spinach and artichoke cream:

• 200gr fresh spinach leaves
• 180gr jarred artichoke hearts, drained and chopped (high quality)
• 150gr Philadelphia cream cheese
• 120ml sour cream (or alternatively 100g cottage cheese and 1 natural -Bio- fat-free yogurt)
• 4 heaping tablespoons mayonnaise
• 1 ½ tablespoons sifted flour
• 1 small garlic clove without germ (optional)
• A few drops of Tabasco sauce
• Salt and pepper
• 2 heaping tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
• 50g grated Emmental cheese
• Grated mozzarella for gratin

Preparation

To make the dough:

1. In a large bowl, or the bowl of the Kitchen Aid (with the dough hook), put half of the flour and the salt.
2. In a measuring jug heat the milk (in the microwave) without letting it boil and then add the yeast, stir and let rest a few minutes.
3. Pour the milk with the yeast into the flour bowl and add the vegetable oil. Begin mixing (by hand or with your mixer). Add the remaining flour and continue kneading for about 7-8 minutes, until you get a smooth, homogeneous dough.
4. Move to an oiled bowl, cover with cling film and let rise for at least an hour and a half or two.

Meanwhile, take the opportunity to prepare the cream:

5. Put the cleaned spinach leaves in a glass bowl with a couple of teaspoons of water and seal with cling film. Microwave for 1-2 minutes depending on your microwave’s power. Remove and leave covered to rest for about 15 minutes to cool.

6. Squeeze them well and put in the jar of a blender. Add the rest of the ingredients and blend everything until you obtain a smooth, lump-free cream. Pour into a bowl, cover with cling film and reserve in the refrigerator.

Tokyo Design Fleur de Ligne porcelain bowl and skillet pan Le Creuset

We continue with the dough and finish with assembling and baking:

7. On a lightly floured surface, slightly knead the dough to release all the gas, shaping it into a log to cut into equal slices. With a dough cutter or a very sharp knife, cut portions until you obtain 16, shaping them into balls. The best way is to start by cutting in two equal parts, then each of those into two equal parts, and so on until you have 16, using a small scale to make them roughly the same weight so the crown will be leveled.
8. Generously butter the skillet pans (orbaking spray) and also some plating rings (or oven-safe bowls upside down to mark the circle) and place the balls around them. Always press so they fit snugly.
9. Melt a bit of butter and with a kitchen brush brush them all so they brown nicely when baking. Cover with cling film and let rest another 30 minutes.
10. Preheat the oven to 180º with the rack in the center.
11. Remove the cling film from the skillets, take out the plating rings (or the bowls you used) and generously fill the centers with cream. Remember there must be enough cream for dipping!!
12. Top with grated mozzarella and some Parmesan if you have any left and bake for 30 minutes until the rolls start to brown and when tapped with a fingernail sound hollow. Then remove the skillets from the oven, add a bit more cheese on top, move the rack to the upper position and return the crowns to brown for 5 minutes under the grill.
13. Once ready, carefully remove without burning yourself and let cool a few minutes until they start to warm slightly.

And ready to serve and amaze your guests!! I hope you liked it.

Note: Recipe adapted from the blog Seasons and Suppers