Italian Spinach Braid

Ingredients

1 loaf (1 lb.) frozen whole wheat bread dough, thawed
1 lb. ground beef
1 package (10 oz.) frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
2/3 c. mozzarella cheese, shredded 
2 Tbsp. Romano cheese, grated 
3/4 tsp. dried minced garlic
3/4 tsp. fennel seed
3/4 tsp. dried oregano
1/2 tsp. salt
1 egg white, beaten
Pizza sauce, optional

Directions

1. Roll dough into a 12″ x 9″ rectangle. Transfer to a 15″ x 10″ x 1″ baking pan coated with cooking spray. Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 1 hour.
2. Meanwhile, in a large skillet, cook beef over medium heat until no longer pink; drain. Transfer to a large bowl; add the spinach, cheeses, garlic, fennel seed, oregano and salt.
3. Spread beef mixture lengthwise down the center of dough. On each long side, cut 1″-wide strips 3″ int the center.
4. Starting at one end, fold alternating strips at an angle across filling. Pinch ends to seal. Brush with egg white. Bake at 350 for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown. Serve with pizza sauce if desired. Yield: 6 servings.

From the kitchen of St. Croix Farm Bureau member Amy Shafer. We featured this recipe in the April/May 2013 issue of Wisconsin Farm Bureau Federation’s Rural Route.