Red Onion Chutney & Parmesan Swirls

Deep, deep apologies to anybody that reads my blog regularly (anybody?!) - I haven't posted in about two weeks and there are few excuses for that. The bagels have taken off, but I can certainly sit down more than often and do a wee blog post - but I haven't so I hang my head in shame. Enough wallowing, however, and down to business. Recently, I've started doing the 'bread basket' for a restaurant in Edinburgh called Purslane, run by the excellent chef Paul Gunning. If you've ever been, you'll realise that the quality of food produced there is very, very high - so making bread for the restaurant is a real honour. This has led me to produce a few different types of bread, particularly small, dainty rolls with some decent ingredients through them, and this one is probably my favourite and it seems to be the restaurant's favourite as well, so I thought I'd share it with you.

Ingredients
Yield: 30 small bread swirls
Dough

• 650g strong white bread flour
• 325ml warm water
• 4 x tablespoons milk
• 2 x tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 1 x 7g packet dried yeast
• large pinch of sea salt

Filling and topping

• 2 x tablespoons red onion chutney
• thumb size piece of good quality Parmesan
• 1 x egg
• 2 x tablespoons milk
• freshly ground black pepper

Method

1. Typical start to a dough - mix the flour, yeast and sea salt in a large bowl and then add the milk and olive oil, making sure to mix well. Slowly start adding the warm water, making sure to stir with a wooden spoon as you do so. It'll eventually become relatively difficult to stir, so get in there with your hands. Knead the dough in the bowl until you've picked up all the loose bits of flour, and then tip out onto a lightly oiled surface. Knead for 5-10 minutes until smooth and elastic. Oil a clean bowl and place the dough in it, cover with cling film and leave for 1 hour, or until doubled. 
2. Remove the risen dough from the bowl onto, again, a lightly oiled surface and knock back. Divide into 3 (this isn't entirely necessary, I just find it easier doing the swirls in smaller batches for neatness) and roll the dough into a rectangle (roughly 20cm x 10cm). Using a sharp knife, cut the rounded edges of the rolled out dough to, again, make a neater roll. 
3. Empty your red onion chutney, preferably room temperature, onto the dough and spread it over the surface completely with the back of a spoon. Grate the Parmesan over this and grind some black pepper over it too. Carefully, start rolling the dough up into a roly-poly - making sure it's relatively tight and even as you go. Once rolled, using your sharp knife, trim the edges of the roll so you have a nice, even cross section. Divide the roll into 10 separate swirls and place them on a lined baking tray, making sure to leave plenty of room for them to prove and spread during baking (repeat with the rest of the dough). Leave these to prove for 30-45 minutes. While these prove, preheat your oven to 200C fan.
   
4. Whisk the egg and milk in a small bowl. Once the swirls have proved, lightly brush the egg mix over the swirls. Pop into the oven for 12 minutes, or until golden brown. Once baked, remove from the oven and place on a cooling rack for 20 minutes. 

And you're done! the smell will be quite spectacular, fresh bread mixing with the sweet onion chutney and the salty aromas of the cheese. Quite a dynamic little bread. Also, extremely versatile - this dough is quite sturdy and can be used with a number of other fillings. I'd highly recommend making your own olive tapenade and substituting that for the chutney. Or, if you're a cheese lover, make small Dunsyre cheese stuffed buns (as I have done in the picture below).

Mmmm.. cheesy bread. Can't beat it really. So give this recipe a go - or, if you fancy a good meal out, I'd highly recommend Purslane on St. Stephen's Street, even if it is just for the bread.