Campanian 'Danube' savoury brioche

When thinking about this 'Danube' brioche, what immediately springs to mind is the famous sweet version, namely a brioche stuffed with apricot jam. Today we were inspired by the sweet Danube to create its savoury 'cousin'. We are thus going to make a delicately savoury brioche, stuffed with ham and smoked cheese, perfect to be enjoyed at a buffet with friends or as part of a birthday party spread.

Ingredients

Information
150 minutes Total time
30 minutes Active time
Serves 8 persons
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Preparation

To make the dough for this sweet bread, you could just mix everything together in a mixer or food processor. If you make it by hand, dissolve the yeast in some lukewarm milk and add the sugar. Arrange the flour with a well in the middle, pour in the milk and yeast mixture, add the eggs and mix little by little with a fork. Add the butter and salt and mix until it forms a dough. Now cover the dough with a cloth and store in a warm, sheltered place to rise. Meanwhile, dice the ham and cheese. Now take the risen dough and roll it out. Cut it into many squares about 8 x 8 cm. Place a little ham and cheese in the centre of each square, then seal up the squares to form little balls. Arrange all the balls in a baking tin lined with parchment paper, nicely spaced out. Let the dough rise for another half hour, until the balls are just touching one another. Brush the surface of the brioche with some milk, then bake at 170°C for 30 minutes.

Tips
Bear in mind that, both in the sweet and savoury versions of this bread, the Danube is a brioche: it's important that the dough is neither too sweet nor too savoury
Trivia
The origin of the Danube brioche is Neapolitan, where it is also known as 'babà al pizzico'. Its name derives from the river Danube which, when the wind makes it choppy, its surface takes on a wavy appearance similar to that of the finished bread.

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