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Spinach, Sausage, Mozzarella & Ham

A filled bread or pastry with spinach, Italian sausage, ham, and mozzarella cheese
Print Recipe
Cook Time 50 minutes
Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients
  

  • 3 cup all-purpose flour for the dough
  • 1 egg at room temperature, for the dough
  • 2 tbsp unsalted butter melted, for the dough
  • pinch coarse salt for the dough
  • 1 oz compressed yeast or 2 pkg active dry yeast
  • 1/2 cup lukewarm water plus 1 to 2 tablespoons additional water if necessary
  • corn oil for oiling pan
  • 2 lb fresh spinach or 2 pkg (each 10 oz frozen spinach, for filling)
  • 3 tbsp unsalted butter for filling
  • coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper for filling
  • 7 oz boiled ham thinly sliced
  • 8 oz mozzarella cheese coarsely grated
  • 2 hot Italian sausages skinned, crumbled and cooked in 2 tablespoons water
  • 1 egg lightly beaten for painting crust

Method
 

  1. 1. Dough: Combine the flour, egg yolk, butter and a pinch of salt in a bowl. Dissolve the yeast in 1/2 cup warm water, and add to the other dough ingredients.
  2. 2. Stir with a wooden spoon until well mixed, adding 1 to 2 tbls water, if necessary to obtain a soft dough.
  3. 3. Turn out on a marble or wooden surface, and knead for a few minutes, until the dough is smooth and elastic.
  4. 4. Place in a floured bowl, cover with a tea cloth and put in a warm, draft free place until the dough doubles in size between 1 and 2 hours.
  5. 5. After the dough has doubled, remove from bowl, and knead for a minute or two. Return to bowl, and let rise a second time until double in bulk, 1 to 1.5 hours.
  6. 6. Meanwhile preheat oven to 375°F.
  7. 7. Filling: Sauté the spinach and salt and cook about 4 minutes. Drain and squeeze. Melt butter in a skillet and add the spinach, cook over med. heat for 3 min. Add season with salt and pepper.
  8. 8. Oil the bottom of a loaf pan 13 by 9 inches. Press the dough with 1/2 inch (not over all the way).
  9. 9. Spread at 3 inches around the center edge of the dough, place the filling of the spinach and half the remaining slices of ham.
  10. 10. Sprinkle on the mozzarella as follows: Arrange half the ham slices over top of the ham crust. Arrange half the grated mozzarella, then place half the spinach on top. Take all of the sausage meat and any juices of the mozzarella and place over the spinach.
  11. 11. Add the spinach and ham remaining. Now press the dough over the filling to seal.
  12. 12. Bake 40 to 50 minutes. After 30 minutes remove from oven and paint top crust with beaten egg, and finish baking.

Notes

Some portions of the handwriting on page 2 were difficult to read as the page appears to be written in reverse/mirror image. The assembly instructions may need interpretation. Total baking time is 40-50 minutes at 375°F, with an egg wash applied after the first 30 minutes.

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