Goats Cheese, Garlic, Parma Ham and Thyme Couronne

When it comes to savoury bakes I immediately turn to bread. I'd seen Paul Hollywood make a sweet version of this couronne (crown) with mincemeat and marzipan on The Great British Bake Off Christmas Masterclass and it just looked so fun and inviting to make, with the cutting and twisting (it's really quite easy) but looks impressive enough to be straight out of an artisan bakery. 

So I've mixed it up a bit by using Paul's enriched dough recipe but instead filling it with all my favorites! 

There's this technique that I do (which I mention in the method) called tacking. Tacking is where you simply push the edges of one of the long sides onto your work surface, using your fingers so that the edge is temporarily 'stuck'. This helps to seal the edge when you have rolled it up into a log. 

Ingredients

For the couronne:

250g strong white bread flour

5g salt

8g instant yeast

50g unsalted butter, softened 

135ml whole milk

1 egg, lightly beaten

For the filling:

3 garlic cloves

130g goats cheese (rind on)

90g parma ham

a large handful of fresh thyme leaves

black pepper

Method

For the couronne, tip the flour into a large mixing bowl, then add the salt and the yeast. Add the butter, milk and egg and stir the mixture with your fingers until it comes together as a dough. Continue mixing until the sides of the bowl are clean and the dough is soft. (It will be very sticky.)

Turn out the dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead for 5-6 minutes, or until the dough has stopped feeling sticky and has a smooth, silky exterior. Equally, you could do this all in a free standing mixer with the dough hook attachment, just bring it togther and then leave on a low speed to knead for 5-6 minutes.

Return the dough to the bowl, cover with cling film and set aside to prove in a warm room for at least 30 minutes and up to one hour.

Now prepare your filling, peel and grate your garlic to a paste consistency. Then crumble up the goats cheese into small pieces with your hands. Finely chop up the thyme leaves and add a good grind of black pepper.  

Preheat your oven to 210°C / 425°F/ Gas 7. 

Once the dough has risen, flour your work surface and rolling pin and turn out the dough onto the worktop. Without knocking it back, roll out the dough into a rectangle 33x25cm/13x10in in size.Turn the dough rectangle so that the long edge is facing you. Spread the garlic paste over the dough, next scatter the goats cheese over and then place the parma ham on. Finally sprinkle with the chopped thyme and black pepper. 

Tack one of the long edges to your worktop (see my notes above). Roll the dough tightly like a Swiss roll, then cut the roll in half lengthways, all the way through. Twist the two lengths of dough together in a spiral using your hands at either end, then join the ends to form a ring.

Flour your baking tray then place the couronne onto it and set aside to prove again for a further 30-60 minutes, or until the dough springs back quickly when lightly prodded.

Bake the proved couronne for 20-25 minutes, or until risen and golden-brown. Transfer to a wire rack to cool. Nice served hot or cold, but best eaten on the day.