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Chimichurri Bread {Braided Wreath Bread & Bread Rolls}

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Chimichurri Sauce Braided Bread Wreath

I’ve been in love with chimichurri sauce ever since I discovered it a while ago. Tangy and fresh, with a hint of spice, I love it as a dip, slathered on toasts and sandwiches, tacos, grilled meat, or anything really! A little voice in my head kept saying that it would be amazing stuffed into a loaf of bread as well.

Chimichurri Braided Bread

And, the little voice was right. This turned out to be my most successful and delicious bread baking endeavors ever. Chimichurri bread is in one word – simply amazing. Okay, that’s two words; but you get my point, don’t you? It checks off all the right boxes. Once you have the dough sorted out, chimichurri bread is really easy to make, pretty to look at and very very delicious. I used a simple bread dough. I doubled the recipe in fact, trying out one batch with all-purpose flour and the other with part whole-wheat flour. Both balls of dough rose beautifully, was super soft and easy to work with. One was made into a chimichurri sauce stuffed and braided bread. With the rest of the dough, I made little bread rolls stuffed with chimichurri. A muffin pan helped stuffing and shaping the rolls super easy, though you could do it in a regular baking pan as well.

Chimichurri Sauce Stuffed Bread Wreath And Rolls

This was my first attempt at doing something as elaborate as a braided wreath bread. But I found that there really was nothing much to it. Once you roll out dough, slather it with the prepared chimichurri sauce and some parmesan, it is time to get rolling, cutting and braiding.

How To Make Bread Wreath

You really cannot go wrong with a braided wreath bread. Look how absolutely stunning it looks!

Chimichurri Bread Wreath

The bread rolls are even easier. Cut the rolled dough into squares or rectangles, place it in a muffin pan, spoon some sauce in the middle and fold the dough sealed. A quick bake and you get bite-sized chimichurri bread rolls.

How To Make Stuffed Bread Rolls

These tiny little bread pockets were a super hit with the little one. These were made with the whole-wheat flour dough and I couldn’t be happier letting him have it for evening snack and breakfast over the next couple of days. The bread doesn’t need any accompaniments along with it. And even with the filling inside, this dough recipe doesn’t make the bread dense or soggy. Both the bread wreath and rolls turn out super soft and fluffy. While baking bread, just remember to do a quick and hot bake, around 20-25 minutes on 400 degrees is perfect.

Chimichurri Bread Rolls

The recipe given below is in fact two recipes in one, detailing the methods to make both the braided wreath bread and the bread rolls. Feel free to halve the dough and sauce recipes if you are planning to make only either one.

Chimichurri Braided Wreath Bread & Rolls
 
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A stunning braided wreath bread and fluffy bread rolls, all stuffed with a delicious chimichurri sauce.
Author:
Recipe type: Breads, Breakfast, Snack
Cuisine: American, South American
Serves: 1 wreath bread and 12 rolls
You will need:
For the dough (makes 1 braided wreath bread and 12 bread rolls)
  • Water - 2 cups, very warm (around 110 deg.F)
  • Active dry yeast - 4 tsp
  • Sugar - 1 tsp
  • Flour - 5 cups, plus more for dusting (use all-purpose flour or a combination of APF and whole-wheat flour in any ratio)
  • Salt - 2 tsp
  • Olive oil - 2 tbsp
For the chimichurri sauce
  • Fresh flat leaf parsley – 1 cup
  • Fresh cilantro – ½ cup
  • Garlic – 2 large cloves
  • Dried oregano – ½ tsp
  • Ground cumin – ½ tsp
  • Red chili flakes – ¼ tsp (or more as per heat desired)
  • Vinegar – 1-2 tbsp (white, rice or red wine vinegar)
  • Olive oil – ¼ cup
  • Salt – ½ tsp or to taste
For the braided wreath bread
  • Dough - ½ the above quantity, well-risen
  • Chimichurri sauce - ½ cup
  • Parmesan cheese - 3 tbsp, grated
For the bread rolls
  • Dough - ½ the above quantity, well-risen
  • Chimichurri sauce - ½ cup
  • Parmesan cheese - 3 tbsp, grated
How to:
  1. Prepare dough: Take water in a medium-sized bowl. Stir in yeast and sugar. Keep undisturbed for 10 minutes to allow yeast to proof. Once the water is frothy and has a distinct yeasty smell, proceed with the rest of the steps. (See notes if this doesn't happen).
  2. In a large mixing bowl, add the flour and salt and mix together. Add olive oil and mix it with your fingers coarsely. Tip in the yeast solution and mix together to form a dough.
  3. Once the dough comes together, tip it out onto a clean, lightly floured work surface and knead well for 5-8 minutes. The dough should be smooth and elastic.
  4. Divide dough into two equal parts. Place each part in a bowl, lightly smear oil over the dough, cover with a clean kitchen towel and allow to rest until doubled in size, around an hour.
  5. Prepare Chimichurrri Sauce: While the dough is resting, prepare chimichurri sauce. Blend all the ingredients together till fairly smooth in a blender or food processor. Remove to a clean jar and set aside.
  6. Braided Wreath Bread: Pre-heat the oven to 400 deg.F.
  7. Use one portion of the dough for this recipe. Turn the risen dough out onto a sheet of parchment paper which is roughly 18"x12". Gently roll the dough out to cover the parchment, i.e, a rectangle of 18"x12".
  8. Spread ½ cup of sauce all over the rolled dough, keeping a 1" border on all four sides. Sprinkle 2 tbsp parmesan cheese on top.
  9. Roll the dough along the long side to form a log. Pinch the seam with your fingers to seal. Cut the dough in half down the length of the dough. Pinch the top ends together, and start braiding the two pieces, taking care to keep the cut sides facing upwards (this gives the finished product a cool braided effect). Form the braided dough into a circle and pinch the ends together to seal. Sprinkle the remaining parmesan cheese over the wreath.
  10. Transfer the parchment paper holding the formed wreath to a large baking sheet. Rest for 30 minutes.
  11. Bake for 20-25 minutes or till crust is golden brown. Remove from oven and cool briefly on a wire rack. Serve bread warm. Store completely cooled leftovers in an airtight container.
  12. Stuffed Bread Rolls: Pre-heat the oven to 400 deg.F.
  13. Use one portion of the dough for this recipe. Turn the risen dough out onto a sheet of parchment paper which is roughly 18"x12". Gently roll the dough out to cover the parchment, i.e, a rectangle of 18"x12".
  14. Cut the dough into 12 pieces (roughly 2.5"x3", or simply score the rolled dough into four portions lengthwise and 3 portions along its width).
  15. Place each portion of dough into the cups of a 12-cup muffin or cupcake pan.
  16. Spoon ¾ tbsp chimichurri sauce into each portion. Top with a little parmesan cheese. Close the dough by folding and sealing the opposite ends together. It is perfectly alright to see a few gaps when dough is sealed. Rest for 30 minutes.
  17. Bake for 20-25 minutes or till crust is golden brown. Remove from oven and cool briefly on a wire rack. Serve bread rolls warm. Store completely cooled leftovers in an airtight container.
Notes:
1. The dough recipe given above yields 1 braided bread wreath (roughly 9" diameter) and 12 muffin-sized bread rolls. Halve the dough recipe to make only either one of these recipes.
2. Proofing the yeast is important to make fail-proof bread dough. Only proceed if the yeasty water is frothy and has a distinct yeasty smell. If this doesn't happen, either the water was too hot that it killed the yeast or the yeast has expired and you may need to start over with a fresh batch.
3. I actually liked the dough made with all-purpose and whole-wheat flours in a 1:1 ratio. If dough seems too sticky, sprinkle a little more flour and knead. You can make the dough in a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook attachment as well.
4. The prep time given here does not reflect dough resting times.
5. The same dough recipe and method can be used to make pesto bread.

With just a bit of patience and skill, you too can make these beautiful braided wreath bread and cute bread rolls!

Chimichurri Bread

This savory bread makes for an excellent snack, breakfast or even party appetizer. Serve it plain or with more chimichurri sauce and cheese on the side. It never hurts to have more cheese or chimichurri!!

Chimichurri Stuffed Bread Rolls

So, tell me, have you tried savory stuffed breads? Do you like chimichurri sauce? Do give this recipe and try and let me know how it goes!

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I am sharing this over at Fiesta Friday, FoodieFriDIY and Saucy Saturdays.

Comments

  3. I have never tried Chimichurri sauce at home. The first thing is that I’m going to try out this sauce recipe. Can I use fresh oregano and dry parsley for this recipe or is fresh parsley a’ must’?

    Reply

  6. Your bread looks fantastic! I seriously drool (just a little) looking at your photos! You could sell these and charge a fortune! Happy Fiesta Friday! 🙂

    Reply

  13. This is sheer torture Anjana!! Uff! Love those mini muffin parcels more…no actually the braided bread is more gorgeous….argh…no comparisons…they both are so good!!! One is pretty and one is cute!! ❤️

    Reply

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