Sourdough Savory Danish Crown

The November Bread for the Bread Baking Babes is a Sourdough or Wild Savory Danish Crown, meaning it is leavened with wild yeast.  Filled with onions and cheese, this butter-rich ring of bread reminds me of a big croissant filled with onions.

Although this bread crown is not quite as flaky as a croissant, it does have some lovely buttery layers and a delicious flavor.

I am the host kitchen for November and I found this Savory Danish Crown recipe when I was searching through one of my favorite bread books. I converted the original recipe to sourdough and added some wholegrain flour.

The first time I made this bread, I used some rye flour, and made it without any eggs.  I substituted ground flax seed meal for the egg in the dough, gelatinized chia seeds for the binder in the filling, and a cornstarch wash instead of an egg wash.

I think the eggless version turned out fine, but I had a little trouble shaping the crown the first time.

I enjoyed the flavor of the eggless crown, but I decided to make it again using eggs.

The next time I made the bread ring, I used spelt instead of rye, and eggs instead of flaxseeds, chia seeds, and cornstarch wash.

I also placed the log in the refrigerator for an hour before braiding into a crown.  This made the dough much easier to handle.

I didn’t have any sesame seeds so I used sunflower seeds for both versions.  I enjoyed the crunchy texture of the sunflower seeds.

The recipe called for 3/4 cup of butter which is equal to 1 1/2 sticks.  I ended up using 1 stick and 3 tablespoons for both loaves, and I thought that was plenty. The butter is used for laminating so you don’t want to skimp too much, but you could reduce it to 1 1/4 sticks.

I enjoyed the version with eggs, but it was just a wee bit too eggy. I think having eggs in the dough is good, but you could probably omit the egg wash and use a cornstarch wash instead. Perhaps you could even omit the egg in the binder for the filling.

Recommendations:

• Make fresh bread crumbs if you can.  Refer to the process below:
• You can use all dried ingredients, but fresh Parmesan and bread crumbs taste much better.
• I recommend placing the dough in the refrigerator to help with braiding. After the log is cut, it opens up to reveal the onions and Parmesan cheese.  It can be tricky to braid if it’s too warm.
• Parchment paper is your friend for this bread ring.  If you have some, use it to shape, proof, and bake the crown.  I used two pieces during the shaping of the crown, and it worked well to keep the braids and crown intact.

About using fresh bread crumbs:

Let me clarify what I mean by fresh bread crumbs. The “fresh” terminology was confusing to me since they aren’t fresh, but they aren’t the dried crumbs you would buy at the store either.

When I researched how to make fresh bread crumbs, the process I found was to slice stale bread into 1/2-inch cubes and then toast the cubes until golden brown.

Then you smash/roll them with a rolling pin to make smaller pieces.  I found that pounding them with the rolling pin worked well.  I didn’t pulverize them. I left some bigger pieces for texture.

Making bread crumbs is a good way to use up old bread.  I spent an evening cubing and toasting several loaves of old sourdough bread.  I used some in this bread and froze some for later.

Sourdough Savory Danish Crown

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• Author: Bread Experience

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Description

This Soudough or Wild Savory Danish Crown is a butter-rich braided ring of bread filled with golden onions and cheese.

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Ingredients

Units USM Scale 1x2x3x

Dough:

• 300 grams unbleached all-purpose flour + more for sprinkling
• 65 grams whole grain rye, spelt or other whole grain flour
• 1 tsp sea salt
• 3 Tbsp + 1 stick butter, softened
• 50 grams sourdough starter, recently fed, active (100% hydration) or 3/4-ounce fresh yeast *
• 1/2 cup lukewarm water
• 1/2 cup lukewarm milk (I used almond milk)
• 1 egg, lightly beaten or 2 1/2 tsp / 8 grams ground flaxseed meal + 3 Tbsp / 40 grams water (whisk; allow to gelatinize)

Filling:

• 2 Tbsp oil
• 2 medium onions, finely chopped
• 3/4 cup fresh bread crumbs or 1/2 cup dried (fresh is better)
• 1/4 cup ground almonds or almond meal
• 1/2 cup freshly grated or dried parmesan cheese (fresh is better)
• 1 egg, lightly beaten, divided or 1/2 Tbsp. chia seeds + 1 1/2 – 2 Tbsp water (stir; allow to gelatinize)
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Topping:

• 1 Tbsp. sesame seeds (I used sunflower seeds)
• 1 Tbsp. freshly ground parmesan
• 1/2 beaten egg from above or 1 tsp. corn starch + enough water to make a thin glaze

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Instructions

1. In a large bowl, whisk together the flours and salt. Rub in the 3 tablespoons of butter.
2. In a separate bowl, mix together the sourdough and milk/water mixture using a Danish dough whisk or wooden spoon.
3. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and mix using a Danish dough whisk or wooden spoon or spatula until thoroughly combined. Switch to a bowl scraper if necessary.
4. Cover the bowl and allow the dough to autolyse (rest) for 20 – 30 minutes before adding additional flour. After the autolyse, add 30 grams of flour, if necessary. The dough will be a little sticky, but resist the urge to add more flour until the stretch and fold stage.
5. Let the dough proof for about 4-6 hours at room temperature. Stretch and fold the dough every 45 minutes for the first 2.25 hours. To perform the stretch and fold, remove the dough to a work surface sprinkled with flour, and stretch and fold the dough onto itself from all corners. Do this 3 times.
6. After letting the dough proof at room temperature for about 4.25 hours, I covered the bowl tightly and placed it in the refrigerator to cold ferment. The dough can be rolled and baked after the bulk ferment on the counter, but I found it benefited from a cold ferment in the refrigerator. It can be cold fermented overnight or up to 2 days.
7. Remove the dough from the refrigerator and allow it to warm up slightly on a floured surface.
8. Roll out into an oblong about ½-inch thick. Dot half (½ stick) of the remaining butter over the top two-thirds of the rolled dough. Fold the bottom third up and the top third down, and then seal the edges. Turn the dough 90 degrees and repeat the process with the remaining ½ stick of butter. Fold and seal the dough as before. Cover the dough with plastic wrap, bees wrap, or a kitchen towel; let it rest for 15 minutes.
9. Turn the dough another 90 degrees. Then roll and fold it as before without adding any butter. Repeat the turn/fold process once more. Wrap the dough in lightly oiled plastic wrap or bees wrap sprinkled with flour. Place in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.
10. In the meantime, prepare the onions. Heat the oil over medium-high heat and cook the onions for 10 minutes until soft and golden. Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the bread crumbs, almonds, Parmesan, salt and pepper. Add half the beaten egg, if using, or all of the gelatinized chia seeds to the onion/bread crumb mixture and bind together.
11. Roll the dough on a floured surface into a rectangle measuring 22×9 inches. Spread the filling over the dough to within ¾ inch of the edges. Roll up like a Swiss roll from one of the long sides.(It is a little tricky braiding the two pieces if they are too warm so after rolling the dough into a log, I recommend placing the log in the refrigerator for an hour. Then proceed with cutting, braiding and forming the ring.)
12. Cut the dough in half lengthwise using a sharp knife. Braid the logs together with the cut sides up and shape into a ring.
13. Place on a parchment-lined baking sheet and cover with plastic wrap or bees wrap and let rise for 1-2 hours, depending on the temperature in your kitchen.
14. Preheat the oven to 400F.
15. Brush the remaining beaten egg or the cornstarch wash over the dough. Sprinkle with sesame seeds (or the seeds of your choice) and Parmesan cheese.
16. Bake for 40-50 minutes or until golden. Transfer the loaf to a wire rack to cool. Cut into slices.

Notes

*Using dried yeast instead of sourdough:
You can use dried yeast in this recipe instead of sourdough, just reduce the proofing time to about 1 hour for the bulk ferment in the bowl and 30 minutes for the final ferment. You may also need to reduce the milk/water mixture to a scant cup.

This sourdough bread ring is adapted from the Savory Danish Crown found in “Bread – the breads of the world and how to bake them at home” by Christine Ingram and Jennie Shapter

• Category: Bread Crown

Would you like to bake with us?

Bread Experience is the host kitchen for November, and I would love for you to make this Sourdough Savory Danish Crown with us this month!  You’ll get your own Buddy Badge!  Plus a beautiful bread ring to grace your dinner table.

Bread Submission Guidelines:

• Just bake your version of this bread ring and post about it on your blog (by November 30th).
• If you don’t have a blog, no worries, just post a photo in the Bread Baking Babes Facebook Group
• Mention Bread Baking Babes with a link to the Kitchen of the Month, that’s me – Cathy of Bread Experience.
• Then send an email to breadexperience (at) gmail (dotcom) with BBB Sourdough Savory Danish Crown, and I will send you your Buddy badge to display on your blog.