The other day, I made brie rye baguettes. I was just about to add apricots to the recipe when my wife came into the kitchen and suggested that maybe the flavors would be too much together. The rye was pretty strong and I think she was probably spot on.
Since then though, I’ve been thinking about those apricots. So, yesterday, I finally took the leap and added them to this recipe – and it was a winner right out of the gate. Just the right combination of crisp crust, creamy brie marbled throughout and the occasional chewy apricot to make your mouth happy. Becca gives it her “I could eat another slice” seal of approval!
Apricot Brie Boule
What could be better than apricots soaked in ginger beer? I'll tell you what... nuthin. This recipe rocks - I know because my wife Becca gave it her "I could eat another slice" seal of approval!
Ingredients
- ½ cup warm ginger beer (the alcoholic kind) about 110 degrees
- ½ cup diced dried apricots
- 1 teaspoon active dry yeast
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 1¼ cup warm water about 110 degrees
- ½ cup sourdough starter
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 4½-5½ cups unbleached flour
- 6-8 ounces brie cheese
- cornmeal or semolina flour
Instructions
-
Note: this recipe uses a bread cloche.
-
Soak the diced apricots in the ginger beer.
-
In a small bowl, stir yeast and sugar into the water to soften.
-
Combine the starter, flour, and salt in a large bowl.
-
Add the yeast mixture, the apricots, and the ginger beer. Mix well adding more flour or water as necessary.
-
Turn dough out onto a floured work surface. Knead until you have a smooth, elastic dough.
-
Place the dough in a well-oiled bowl, cover with plastic wrap and let rise until doubled, about one hour.
-
Remove from the bowl and press the dough out into a large flat circle. Cube the brie into dice-sized pieces and place evenly across the dough. Roll up the dough and gently knead the dough so that the cheese is marbled throughout.
-
Place the dough in a well-floured proofing basket, cover with a tightly woven towel and let rise until almost doubled, about 45 minutes.
-
About 30 minutes before baking, place the cloche base in the oven and preheat to 450 degrees.
-
When ready to bake, take the cloche base out of the oven and place it on the stove. Sprinkle the cloche base with corn meal or semolina flour. Gently turn the dough onto the cloche base and score the top of the loaf in fancy patterns with a sharp knife.
-
Place the cloche base with dough into the oven. Cover with the cloche lid and bake for 15 minutes and then turn the temperature down to 400 degrees. Bake for 30 minutes or until the crust is golden brown.
-
Remove the cloche lid for the last 5-10 minutes of baking. The internal temperature of the loaf should be about 190 degrees. Immediately remove bread from the cloche base and cool on a rack.