A stuffed bread that I make every winter is the wonderful sukkar bi tahin or Beruit tahini swirls. Now, some pizza purist or bloggers (yea, I’ve been getting crap from other pizza blogs about having bread on the goon,) may say that this has nothing to do with pizza but they are wrong. I figure if you took a pizza topped with sweetened tahini and rolled it up then hung it to let gravity stretch it then coiled it up, baked it, then inserted a poached pear into it, then it has merit in a pizza blog. Believe me, this wonderful stuff belongs pizza blog, especially since a real pizza guy made it.
Here I used a nine ounce dough ball from the easy dough recipe. Take a jar of tahini and add enough sugar to your liking, (you’ll be floored by the taste and soon be licking your utensils, fingers and bowl like a cat in a tuna fish can.) Add some raisons and you have your filling.
I like to poach bosc pears from Neal Cherry’s orchards in water, honey, vanilla, cinnamon and a little nutmeg. It’s very easy, just bring the mix to a low simmer and throw in the peeled, halved pears until a fork easily penetrates the flesh, (about 10 to 20 minutes depending upon the ripeness.) let cool and refrigerate.
Here is the video of how to assemble the sukkar be tahin. Just remember that this was taken at 4a.m. and I am reaching my ugly and surly stage of baking.
After you’ve coiled the sukkar snake, let proof for 15 minutes to enforce a bond of gluten, then eggwash (80 percent egg and 20 percent water,) then put the parchment papered tray into a pre-heated 375 degree oven for 20 minutes. Check doneness by inserting a knife into the bottom to check the breading next to the tahini- it should be flaky as opposed to doughy.
Slit the top with a sharp knife or razor blade and stick the poached pear in like the captain of a submarine. USS Sukkar be Tahin has arrived in port with a boatload of flavor, just don’t forget a cold glass of milk with this baby!
