Camembert Christmas Tree
Soft, golden rolls arranged in a tree shape with melty Camembert baked at the center
Dry Ingredients:
900g SNK Unbleached Bread Flour
1 tbs SNK Dry Active Yeast
3 tsp SNK Natural Bread Improver
3 tsp fine salt
2 x 250g round Camembert cheeses
½ a bunch of fresh rosemary (15g)
3 cloves of garlic
Liquid Ingredients:
Up to 750mls quite warm water (35-45°C) try blending 1⁄3 boiling with 2⁄3 cold water.
1 tbs SNK Cold Pressed Sunflower Oil
*Hint when measuring water, mls and gms are equal, so it is great to measure using digital scales.
Method
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Using a deep bowl (plastic is great) mix together the flour, yeast, improver and salt.
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Add in approx. 650mls of the water and oil.
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Mix thoroughly using a cutting and turning action, until all the flour is incorporated, adding small amounts of the remaining water if needed. The dough should be firm and slightly tacky.
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Either spray your bench with water or spread a few teaspoons of oil on it.
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Using your plastic dough scraper, tip the ball of dough out onto the dampened bench.
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With damp hands (oil or water), flatten the dough into a bit of a square, lift one side of the dough up and allow the weight to stretch the dough. Fold that edge into the middle and press in place. Repeat with the other 3 sides of the dough.
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Oil your bowl and place the dough back into the bowl, smooth side up.
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Cover your bowl with something dense like a thick towel, a lid or heavy chopping board. This will hold the warmth AND moisture in the dough.
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Leave the dough in a warm place for about 20-30 mins, then repeat the set of “S & Fs”, return the dough to the bowl again and leave to rise until fully doubled in size.
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Line a large baking tray with greaseproof paper and dust with flour. Lightly draw the outline of a Christmas tree in the flour with your finger. Remove the box base from one Camembert and place it in the centre of the tray.
- Clean your bench and dust generously with flour, tip the dough out onto the flour and flip the dough over, this ensures your dough is coated and won’t be too sticky.
- Divide the dough into three pieces, then each of those into 12, giving you 36 in total. One-by-one roll each piece into a ball and place on the tray, building out from the Camembert box to create your tree shape. Cover with a damp tea towel and leave to prove for another hour.
- Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F/gas 4. Cut the rind off the top of each Camembert leaving a 1cm rim (reserving the boxes for baking). Pick the tips off three rosemary sprigs and poke into the soft cheeses, then peel and finely slice the garlic, drizzle with olive oil and poke those in too. Sprinkle each cheese with a pinch of sea salt and black pepper, then pop one in its box in the centre of the tree, and another on a separate tray.
- Strip the remaining rosemary leaves and dot between the dough balls. Sprinkle with a good pinch of salt from a height, and drizzle with olive oil. Place the bread tree in the oven with the second cheese on the shelf below and bake for 30 to 35 minutes, or until the Camemberts are gooey and the bread is risen and golden.