Baked Brie and Fig Pull Apart Bread
I love a good appetizer dip; cheesy, creamy, citrusy salsa, it doesn't matter. If I ever opened my own restaurant I would have a dip bar complete with several dips and loads of chip options. Maybe not too practical but a girl can dream. This appetizer bread is a dip and chip all rolled into one. The bread is sturdy enough to hold up when dipping into the cheese yet fluffy enough to melt in your mouth. With a cheesy center surrounded by swirls of sweet figs and crunchy walnuts this appetizer is creamy, cheesy, sweet, crunchy, and super delicious; sure to be the hit of any party!
For this recipe you will need a wheel of french brie cheese, a cup of fig preserves, 1/2 a cup of chopped walnuts, and a pizza dough recipe. I made my own pizza dough however, a pre-made dough is available in the bakery section of most grocery stores. I use a 2 lb. dough ball and split into two rounds, as seen above.
The first step is to roll out each dough ball into a thin circle. The dough is quite tough and will need a strong arm and a floured surface to roll. As you can see, mine is not an exact circle. This does not matter since the circle will eventually be cut into wedges; just do your best.
After the dough rounds have been rolled out it is time to place the filling in the middle. I prefer to scrape the coating off the cheese first. It's not necessary, just a personal preference; I don't like the way it cooks. Place one round on your floured work surface. Center the brie on the dough. Spread the fig preserves over the brie and the dough evenly. Top with crushed walnuts.
Place the second dough round over the filling and secure the edges by pinching the dough tightly together.
Finally, using a pizza cutter divide the dough into even sections around the brie; I did 9. Technically, this is the technique you would use to make star bread. I have not been that exact when making this because this is more of a pretty design for an appetizer than a traditional Philippines' dessert. However, the same cut and twist technique is used and obviously you can make this way fancier than I have. Mine is the super easy short cut way, ha.
After the dough is evenly divided you are going to take each section individually and twist clockwise so that they all are twisted the same way. Continue twisting until the dough is tight and your filling is barely showing on the edges. Your finished product should look like the below picture.
Bake in a 400° oven for 20 minutes or until the tops are golden brown and crisp. Oranges, rosemary, and extra walnuts all make beautiful finishing garnishes if you want to pretty it up a bit. To eat just pull a piece of bread from the ends and dip into the cheese in the middle, no chips required!
Can’t wait to try this!! Would you be making pizza dough so we can learn how to make it too?!! ?
I will post a do it yourself pizza dough soon!! Hope you enjoy ?