Gorgonzola & Toasted Pecan Sourdough Wreath

2018 is just around the corner, folks! This last recipe of the year goes out to all my peeps with a sourdough starter. I just love fancy-ing up my sourdough for celebrations, and this braided wreath has New Year's Eve cocktail party written all over it. If you don't have a sourdough starter, fear not. You can still make this lovely bread. Just see the directions at the bottom of the recipe.

Elevate your holiday cheese tray with this gorgeous Gorgonzola & Toasted Pecan Sourdough Wreath!

This Gorgonzola and Toasted Pecan Sourdough Wreath is so festive. It's packed with chunks of Gorgonzola and loads of toasted pecans. It's also gorgeous and delicious and perfect for that New year's Eve cheese board.




I started with the basic sourdough bread recipe I use to make bread. I mixed up the dough the night before and left it to ferment on the counter overnight.




The next day I punched down the dough, rolled it out into a large rectangle, and covered it evenly with half a stick of very soft butter.




Then, I sprinkled on the cheese and pecans and pushed them down into the butter and dough.




Now comes the fun part. Roll into a long log and pinch the seam closed.

Use a sharp knife to cut the roll in half lengthwise, exposing the goodies.




Gently braid the two halves trying to keep the filling in the roll as best you can and then twist into a wreath tucking the ends underneath. It's okay if stuff falls out. I just pushed stray pieces of filling back into the dough.




Set on your baking sheet and put it in a proofing bag or large clean garbage bag to prevent a draft from drying out the surface.

After the wreath has almost doubled in size (about 2 to 4 hours at room temperature) bake at 400 degrees for 35 to 40 minutes.




Wait about 15 minutes before you slice into your bread as the bread will continue to bake out of the oven.

Each slice of this Gorgonzola & Toasted Pecan Sourdough Wreath is studded with chunks of cheese and toasted nuts.

Packed with chunks of cheese and pecans in every slice, this show-stopping bread is bound to impress your new year's guests.

Gorgonzola & Toasted Pecan Sourdough Wreath

Ingredients
3 1/4 cups flour + about 1/2 cup more
1 tsp salt
1 cup sourdough starter
1 cup water
4 Tbsp unsalted butter, room temperature
6 oz crumbled Gorgonzola
2 cups toasted pecans, chopped

Directions
1. Mix 3 1/4 cups flour with the salt, sourdough starter, and water. Cover with plastic wrap and a clean towel and leave on the counter overnight.
2. The next morning, punch down the dough adding in more flour if your dough is too sticky. Roll out into a large rectangle and spread with butter leaving 1 inch of the length bare for the seam.
3. Sprinkle on the cheese and pecans and gently push them down into the butter and dough.
4. Roll into a long log ending at the bare edge and pinch the seam closed.
5. Roll log so that the seam is on the bottom and cut in half lengthwise using a sharp knife.
6. Gently braid the two halves trying to keep the filling in the dough. Then, twist into a wreath tucking the edges underneath.
7. Gently set on a baking sheet and place in a proofing bag or clean garbage bag to prevent a draft from forming a crust.
8. Proof 2 to 4 hours at room temperature or until almost doubled in size.
9. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes.
10. Allow bread to cool for 15 minutes before slicing.

* If you don't have a sourdough starter you can find ready-to-use bread dough in your grocery store's freezer section. Thaw according to the package directions and skip to step 2.