Garlic Bread Wreath with Baked Brie | Simple Bites

Garlic Bread Wreath with Baked Brie

Simple and celebratory, this Ukrainian garlic bread wreath with baked brie makes a sensational appetizer or side dish.

In the Simple Bites kitchen, bread baking is synonymous with fall. The cooler temperatures practically require a cozy baking project to warm up the house.

Now that the pace of life has slowed down, I can realistically see a batch of bread through to completion without having to dash out the door. It’s the best time of the year.

Today’s recipe for Garlic Bread Wreath with Baked Brie is the ultimate fall comfort food. Whether it’s an appetizer to your spaghetti dinner or an accompaniment to a pot of autumn soup, this is one baking project everyone is guaranteed to love.

Garlic Bread Wreath with Baked Brie | Simple Bites

Pampushky: Ukrainian Garlic Bread

I’ve been cooking, baking and learning from Ukrainian-British food writer Olia Hercules’ cookbooks for a few years now. (Her latest ‘Home Food‘ is so heart-wrenchingly beautiful, I have to read it in spurts as I get overcome with emotion.) I cannot recommend her work enough.

Just as a reminder, I have a personal connection to the cuisine of Ukraine, as I wrote about when I shared my recipe for Paska: Ukrainian Easter Bread.

Pampushky Ukrainian garlic bread

Earlier this year, our family fell in love with the plump Pampushky from Olia’s cookbook ‘Mamushka‘.

Indeed, it seemed that half of the culinary world was baking this Ukrainian Garlic Bread in solidarity with those afflicted by war. It graced our table at Easter, and it was then I had the thought to bake it with a wheel of brie.

Today’s recipe is another way of honouring my heritage as we head into the holidays. This Garlic Bread Wreath with Baked Brie will definitely have a place at my Thanksgiving table this weekend.

Garlic Bread Wreath with Baked Brie | Simple Bites

Garlic Bread Wreath with Baked Brie

We all love comforting sides like cornbread and sweet potato biscuits, but there is something about a soft garlic roll is completely irresistible. For years I made these darling individual dinner rolls baked in a jar, but todays recipe is even more simple. No jars, for one thing!

Garlic Bread Wreath with Baked Brie is my appetizer version of Olia’s beloved Pampushky. Here’s why we love this wreath:

  • Small, two-bite size buns that are soft and spongy
  • A literal pool of melted cheese for dipping or spreading
  • Aromatic parsley and garlic oil infusion that tops everything off
  • An aroma of fresh baked bread that perfumes the whole house
  • A do-ahead dish: the bread sponge is made a day or two in advance
Garlic Bread Wreath with Baked Brie | Simple Bites

Kids in the kitchen

One more reason to love this dish: is so much fun to make with little kitchen helpers!

This garlic bread was also inspired by Jonathan’s Baked Brie and Bread Wreath – a more beautiful holiday creation you. will. not. find. Note that his wreath is perfectly circular, with all the rolls touching, while mine looks more like a wonky chemical compound lol.

Both are delicious, so don’t worry if your ‘wreath’ doesn’t come out looking perfect. No one is going to complain about looks when presented with hot homemade buns and melty brie cheese.

So go ahead, follow my example, and invite the kids to join in the shaping and decorating of this bread wreath.

Garlic Bread Wreath with Baked Brie | Simple Bites

Appetizer and Side Dish

The choice is yours! This recipe yields eighteen little buns that can serve a group of up to 10 people as an appetizer. Alternatively you can feed 4-6 people is you serve the bread wreath as a side dish to accompany soup, stew or pasta.

Personally I’d serve a Garlic Bread Wreath with Baked Brie with a Skillet Lasagne supper or alongside a pot of my rustic Sausage Vegetable Soup. There’s also my Classic Beef Stew with Root Vegetables that begs for a side of warm bread.

Garlic Bread Wreath with Baked Brie | Simple Bites

Make it Festive

The winter holidays certainly provide a few opportunities get fancy with our food. While the focus of this blog has always been simplicity, I definitely don’t hold back over Christmas time. (Who can forget the 12 Days of Baking Projects!)

Garlic Bread Wreath with Baked Brie is exactly the kind of kitchen play I love to bake up and serve guests. This year I intend to tie in my Cranberry Baked Brie with Toasted Walnuts in the very best of recipe mashups.

Rest assured you can make this appetizer with your favourite baked brie recipe and all will be well. Balsamic and figs? Quince and Honey? I don’t think you can ever go wrong with melted cheese and warm bread topped with seasonal fruits.

Garlic Bread Wreath with Baked Brie | Simple Bites

Garlic Bread Wreath with Baked Brie

Simple and celebratory, this Ukrainian garlic bread wreath with brie makes a sensational appetizer or side dish. It's also a fun kitchen project to make with kids.
5 from 3 votes
Print Pin Rate
Course: Appetizer
Cuisine: Ukrainian
Keyword: Vegetarian
Essential Ingredient: Brie
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes
Overnight rise: 12 hours
Total Time: 12 hours 35 minutes
Servings: 6 people
Calories: 364kcal

Ingredients

  • 1 cup warm water
  • 2 1/4 teaspoons active dry yeast
  • 1 teaspoon granulated white sugar
  • 2 1/2 cups white bread flour
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons fine sea salt
  • 170 g wheel of brie
  • 3 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
  • 1/2 cup flat leaf parsley finely chopped
  • 1 clove garlic fresh
  • 1 egg beaten
  • 1/2 teaspoon flaky sea salt

Instructions

Make the Sponge

  • In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together the warm water, yeast and sugar. Let stand a few minutes to activate the yeast.
    1 cup warm water, 2 1/4 teaspoons active dry yeast, 1 teaspoon granulated white sugar
  • Using a wooden spoon, stir in 1 1/4 cups of the flour. Mix roughly to combine. Cover the sponge with plastic wrap or a reusable bowl cover and place in the fridge.
    2 1/2 cups white bread flour
  • Let the sponge develop in the refrigerator overnight or up to 3 days. I find the flavour develops with each passing day.

Make the Bread Wreath

  • When you are ready to shape you buns, remove the starter from the fridge. Dump in the remainder of the flour (1 1/4 cups) and the salt. Stir with a wooden spoon until the dough comes together, then turn onto a clean work surface.
    2 1/2 cups white bread flour, 1 1/2 teaspoons fine sea salt
  • Knead for dough until it is smooth and elastic, about 5 minutes. Cover with a towel and rest for 15 minutes.
  • Preheat the oven to 425°F. Line a 11 inch round pizza pan with parchment paper. You can also use a rimmed sheet pan. Unwrap the brie and place in the center of the pan.
  • Using a knife or dough scraper, divide the dough into three equal pieces. Divide each portion in 3 again, and then half in two. You should have 18 small portions of dough.
  • Shape the dough into small rolls. Add a dusting of flour if they get too sticky. Place 9 rolls in a circle around the brie on the pan. Add the remaining 9 in an outer circle.
    170 g wheel of brie
  • Cover the bread wreath loosely with a clean kitchen town (I will dust my towel lightly in flour first). Rise in a warm place for 45 minutes. They will rise and get puffy with little visible air pockets.
  • While the dough rises, combine the olive oil and parsley in a small bowl or jar. Crush the garlic clove, then finely mince. Add it to the herb oil to infuse.
    3 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, 1/2 cup flat leaf parsley, 1 clove garlic

Bake the Bread

  • Break the egg into a jar and beat with a fork. Gently brush the bread wreath all over with the egg glaze. Sprinkle with flaky salt.
    Spoon 1 tablespoon of garlic herb oil over the wheel of brie.
    1 egg, 1/2 teaspoon flaky sea salt
  • Place the wreath on the top shelf of the oven. Bake for 15-17 minutes until the top of the wreath is nice and golden. Remove from oven.
  • Brush the bread wreath and baked brie generously all over with the garlic herb oil. Serve immediately with a small knife for the cheese.

Notes

It’s worth it to seek out bread flour for these buns. All purpose can be used in a pinch, but bread flour gives a better rise due to the higher protein content.

Nutrition

Calories: 364kcal | Carbohydrates: 40g | Protein: 14g | Fat: 17g | Saturated Fat: 6g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 8g | Trans Fat: 0.003g | Cholesterol: 56mg | Sodium: 968mg | Potassium: 146mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 630IU | Vitamin C: 7mg | Calcium: 73mg | Iron: 1mg
Garlic Bread Wreath with Baked Brie | Simple Bites

Garlic Bread Wreath with no cheese

Want to skip the cheese or go dairy-free? I don’t bake these rolls with a wheel of brie every time. Instead I’ll place a jar or ceramic bowl in the center of the pan and shape the wreath as usual.

After baking, I’ll serve the garlic bread wreath warm from the oven with a dab of butter, vegan cheese spread or a drizzle of olive oil in the center bowl. There’s no milk or butter in the recipe, so by sticking to olive oil, you can enjoy a dairy-free appetizer or side.

Similar Posts

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




9 Comments

  1. 5 stars
    wonderful! a nice excuse to catch up on a favorite ingredient, brie with another, garlic bread and just in time for my day off of my diet tomorrow, thank you!

    1. I was wondering the same. And also if I should still do step 1 for the sponge if I do, as I’m not sure if an instant yeast will activate like that?