Savoury Whole Wheat Hungarian Kalács … Delicious cheesy comfort food

“The smell of good bread baking, like the sound of lightly flowing water, is indescribable in its evocation of innocence and delight…”
M.F.K. Fisher

Savoury Whole Wheat Hungarian Kalács … it was a few months ago that I discovered the magic of bread art! That was thanks to the Daring Bakers and I was led into this fascinating world. Until then, bread to me meant rustic, moorish, artisan breads. From then on, Hungarian Kalács became one of our firm favourites. Mine to bake, and ‘theirs’ to eat!

Going back to the bread art challenge {pictured above}, that was one of my most enriching experiences, and a most delicious one at that. Soon after making the vegetarian version of the Hungarian Kalács, I made a non vegetarian one too for the carnivores at home. In went chicken, walnuts, bell peppers and rocket! It’s taken me some time to share it, but here I am, better late than never!

That version was a plain all purpose flour and vegetarian one. These Savoury Whole Wheat Hungarian Kalács are part whole grain as the name suggests. I had to experiment with the dough given my shift to whole grains. The dough worked brilliantly and the bread was gone before we knew it.

Few things to keep in mind. My dough was a little soft though very pliable. Every flour type absorbs liquid differently, so bear that in mind. It’s always better to add the last 1/4 cup a little at a time. Gloopy dough makes me weep!! Another thing worth considering is the weather. Hot summers mean really quick dough rising and often an unmanageable dough. Try and chill the dough slightly before use, and work quick. Try keep the dusting flour to a minimum as it takes away from the end product.

  I made some twisted buns too like I did with the vegetarian version. Any bread art is mesmerising. You can see more visuals on the Vegetarian Savoury  Hungarian Kalács & Twisted Buns. And oh yes, there is a divineSweet Yeasted  Nutella, Marmalade & Almond Praline Skillet Bread on that page too.Savoury Whole Wheat Hungarian Kalács are a nice meals in themselves, and a versatile recipe at that. Fill it as you like. Just remember not to over-stuff it as then it will not hold.I really like the idea of stuffed breads, and this is a fine example.

Use this dough and go vegetarian with it. I’d see cottage cheese, walnuts, jalapenos, olives, spinach or rocket, maybe sun dried tomatoes in my vegetarian version. Cheese of course, lots of it!!

Just writing about it makes my mouth water. I think I just might be headed off into the kitchen to make some dough! I love how nicely it comes together, and how easy it is to serve. Makes for great finger food too and a nice centre piece for the party table! Always nice to have an eye catching item of food which gives folk something more to talk about and devour! This bread, art and all, is one of those things!!

Other stuffed or filled breads on PAB {sweet/ savoury, vegetarian}

Povitica – Croatian Sweet Walnut Chocolate Bread
Savoury Cheese & Garlic Olive Oil Pull-Apart Bread {vegetarian}
French Fougasse with Roasted Red Bell Pepper & Garlic, Walnut & Mozarella
Millet & Whole Wheat French Fougasse … rustic bread with caramelised onions, walnuts, dehydrated tomatoes and mozzarella
Apple Cranberry Almond Olive Oil Pull-Apart Loaf & Popovers
Nutella, Walnut & Orange Rolls
Ricotta and Spinach Roulade
Sweet Orange, Roasted Strawberry & Chocolate Buttermilk Rolls

This post is headed for Bloggers Tuesday at Home Bakers Guild.

[print_this]Recipe: Savoury Whole Wheat Hungarian Kalács

Summary:These Savoury Whole Wheat Hungarian Kalács make great party of finger foods and are bursting with flavour. Use fillings of your choice to play around. This savoury bread is sure to please! The Twisted Buns are another variation using the same dough and filling. Serves 4-6
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour
Ingredients:# 1

• Savoury dough
• 150g whole wheat flour
• 150g all purpose flour
• 2 tsp instant yeast
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 25g Parmesan
• 3-4 cloves garlic, minced
• 200g buttermilk, tepid
• 30 ml extra virgin olive oil
• Filling
• 50g cheese spread
• Small bunch rocket, chopped
• 1 small red bell pepper, chopped
• 1 small yellow bell pepper, chopped
• 2 small chicken breasts, cooked, chopped
• 1 tsp red chili flakes
• 50g walnuts, finely chopped
• 75g mature cheddar, grated
• 15ml low fat cream {or 1 beaten egg} for wash
• 10g melon seeds {or sesame, pumpkin etc}

Method:

1. Savoury wholewheat dough
2. Place both the flours, Parmesan, yeast and salt in the bowl of food processor and pulse on high speed to mix.
3. Add the buttermilk,cloves, olive oil and garlic and knead to a smooth dough.
4. Place the dough in a well oiled bowl, seal with cling wrap and leave in a warm place for dough to double, about 1 hour.
5. Assemble
6. Once the dough has doubled, preheat the oven to 200C.
7. Line a baking tray with parchment paper.
8. Divide the dough into two.On a lightly floured surface {or on parchment paper}, roll one half into an 10″ circle.{My tray wasn’t big enough, so I kept reserved some dough to make twisted buns with the same filling.
9. Transfer the circle to the baking sheet and spread the cheese spread uniformly. Sprinkle over chopped rocket, bell peppers, walnuts and red chili flakes, followed by the finely chopped chicken, and finally grated cheddar.
10. Roll the other half of the dough to another 10″ circle and place over the first half, pressing down gently.
11. Place a glass in the centre and cut the remaining dough 4 times, then divide each into a further 4. You will get a total of 16 spokes {refer pictures}
12. Gently lift each spoke and twist it 3 times. Brush over with cream gently and sprinkle melon seeds over the centre. {You can always brush with a beaten egg to get a beautiful glow.}
13. Bake for 30-35 minutes until light golden brown and firm to touch.
14. Cool on tray for 5 minutes, then transfer to rack. Serve warm or room temperature.
15. For Twisted buns, please see this images. Divide the remaining dough into 2, and roll into balls, then flatten. On a lightly floured surface, roll one ball into a long elliptical oval about 4″ across and 8-10 inches long.
16. Spread with cheese spread and remaining toppings as above {since I made smaller circles for the kalac, I had some filling left.}
17. With a sharp knife {I used a pizza cutter},cut diagonal strips leaving a 1/2″ border from the edge. Roll into a long cylinder, then into a circle. Pick up and place in a parchment lined pie tin. Brush the top with low fat cream, sprinkle over melon seeds, and bake at 200C for 30 minutes.
18. Allow to cool in the tins for about 30 minutes, then remove to a cooling rack gently with an offset spatula.

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