Spaghetti in a loaf

Ingredients for 4 servings:

• 250 g spaghetti, uncooked
• 400 ml sauce (Bolognese or Marinara)
• 250 g cheese, Gouda diced or grated (or other cheese)
• 360 g flour
• 6 g dry yeast (approx. 2 teaspoons)
• 1 tsp salt
• 3 tsp sugar
• 60 ml olive oil
• 360 ml water, warm
• 1 egg(s)
• e.g. Parmesan, grated
• e.g. parsley, dried
• e.g. garlic powder

Instructions

Working time approx. 20 minutes; Rest time approx. 20 minutes; Cooking/baking time approx. 30 minutes; Total time approx. 1 hour 10 minutes

In a larger bowl, mix the dry yeast, salt, sugar, warm water, and half of the oil and let stand for 5 minutes. Next, add the flour to the bowl and mix it in with a dough hook. Once it’s well-mixed, add the remaining oil and knead the dough vigorously for a few more minutes. Now the dough needs to rise! Cover and set it in a warm place. If you like, you can preheat the oven to its lowest setting and keep the bowl warm with the door slightly ajar. In the meantime, prepare the spaghetti according to the package instructions. When the pasta is ready, toss it with the sauce. Now preheat the oven to 175°C. Roll out the dough thinly into a rectangle on a floured surface, then place it on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. The rectangle should be large enough to fit the pasta with the sauce in the center, with about 1/3 of the pasta sticking out on either side. Spread the cheese over the pasta and sauce mixture. Now cut the long sides of the dough into strips, leaving individual strips that you can fold over the spaghetti sauce mixture. Starting at the top, fold the upper edge down onto the pasta, then alternately fold each strip over the mixture from one side at a time to create a nice “braided” loaf. Fold the end under accordingly. Brush with the beaten egg and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese, parsley, and garlic powder. Bake in the oven for about 30 minutes. Cut into pieces and serve.