Keto Gouda Spinach Bread Braid
Indulge in this delicious Keto snack or appetizer. You can enjoy these cheesy slices in 2-3 pieces at a time as is or with your favorite Keto dipping sauce. Make a simple fathead dough in advance with mozzarella and cream cheese. Then, fill the dough with a thick and creamy spinach dip made with gouda cheese. Once the filling is layered down the middle of the dough, braid the dough over the top. A brush of egg wash gives the bread braid a crispy top as it bakes in your oven. Enjoy the buttery-textured outside and creamy, savory inside of this recipe whenever you want to impress.
How to Make It
Step 1
At least 2 hours before you want to make the bread braid, prepare the dough. In a large mixing bowl, combine the almond flour and baking powder. In a separate, microwave-safe bowl, melt the cream cheese and mozzarella cheese in 30-second intervals. After every 30 seconds, mix the cheeses together. When your cheeses are combined, stir the first amount of egg into the cheese. Once the cheese and egg are mixed into a lumpy, wet mixture, stir the cheese into the large mixing bowl of almond flour. Fold the dough until your dough comes together.
Step 2
Make sure you mix the dough either by hand or with a large spoon until the dough is free of large streaks. Transfer the dough to plastic wrap. You can use the plastic wrap to continue folding the dough if there is any loose almond flour. Wrap the dough and store it in your refrigerator for 2 hours. To speed up the process, store the wrapped dough in your freezer for 1 hour and then at least 30 minutes in your refrigerator.
Step 3
Before you prepare the dough for baking, make the spinach filling with enough time for it to cool down. Finely chop the spinach. Then, melt the butter in a large pan over low heat and add in the chopped spinach. Stir the spinach around in the butter until the spinach completely wilts. Then, pour in the heavy cream. Let the cream bubble over low heat for about 5 minutes.
Step 4
Stir the gouda cheese into the spinach filling until it melts. If there is excess liquid, let the filling simmer over low heat until it reduces. Then, take the pan off the heat and let the filling fully cool and thicken. You can speed up this process as well by either preparing the filling in advance with the dough, so it has enough time to cool or pour the hot filling into a new container to cool faster.
Step 5
When both your dough and filling are cooled, preheat your oven to 375 degrees. Roll the chilled dough out between two pieces of parchment paper into a 12×6” rectangle. Leave the dough on the bottom piece of parchment paper. Use a paring knife or pizza cutter to slice 10-12 incisions along the longer sides of the dough, each one about 2-inches from the center. In total, there should be 20-24 incisions, as pictured.
Step 6
Spoon the thickened spinach filling along the un-sliced center spine of the bread braid. Leave about 1-inch of empty space from the top and bottom of the braid. One by one, fold the sliced ribbons of dough diagonally across the spinach filling. Make sure the pieces overlap each other to ensure they don’t pop up during baking. Whisk together the final egg and brush it over the dough.
Step 7
Lift up the parchment paper and transfer the bread braid to a sheet tray. Set the tray in your freezer for 10 minutes. Then, transfer the sheet tray to your oven and bake the bread braid for 35 minutes, or until the bread braid has a golden crust. Let the braid cool for 5 minutes before slicing as pictured. The original recipe here makes about 8 slices.
Ingredients
- Almond Flour
1 cup
- Baking Powder
¼ teaspoon
- Cream Cheese
2 ounce
- Mozzarella Cheese
1 cup, shredded
- Raw Egg
1 large
- Spinach
6 ounce
- Unsalted Butter
1 tablespoon
- Cream Heavy Whipping
½ cup, fluid
- Gouda Cheese
¾ cup, shredded
- Raw Egg
1 large