June is wending its way to July, and the greens, they are a-comin. But don’t panic. This week’s Greens-Stuffed Bread recipe uses four cups of greens—spinach, Swiss chard, Kale, or a combination of the three—and you could even squeeze in a fifth cup if bags of greens are bulging in your refrigerator. So, slam! Five cups of greens gone. Just like that. And the Greens-Stuffed Bread is so good you’ll want to make it several times during peak-green season. (Many thanks to my friend Alice Johnson for helping me with this recipe.)

Here are some pictures of the process:

Greens-Stuffed Bread
Adapted from a recipe by Alice Johnson

Ingredients

• 1 (20-ounce) package of pizza dough, thoroughly thawed if frozen. (Note: I used pizza dough from Portland Pie Co., but any frozen pizza dough that’s about 20 ounces will work just fine.)
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/4 teaspoon of nutmeg
• 1/4 teaspoon of salt
• Pepper, to taste (A few twists of the pepper mill will do.)
• 1 tablespoon of olive oil for sautéing and a little more for brushing on the bread
• 4 cups of chopped and de-stemmed spinach, Swiss chard, or kale, or a combination thereof
• 2 cups of shredded cheese: cheddar, mozzarella, or smoked Gouda or cheddar (I used the delectable smoked cheddar from Pineland Farms.)

Directions

1.  In a skillet, sauté the garlic in the 1 tablespoon of olive oil for 30 seconds. Add the greens, nutmeg, salt, and pepper. Sauté until the greens are wilted, a minute or two. Put in a bowl and let cool.
2. On a lightly floured surface, roll and stretch the dough into a 14-inch by 10-inch rectangle. (Note: Sometimes the dough is springy and stubborn, and the stretching and rolling takes a bit of effort.)
3. Brush the dough with olive oil. Spread the cooled greens mixture to within 1/2 inch of the edges. Sprinkle with cheese. Roll up jelly-roll style, starting with the long side. Pinch seam to seal. Place the roll on a greased baking sheet. Pinch ends and tuck under the roll.
4. Cover the roll with a light cloth, preferably linen, and let it rise in a warm place for an hour or so, until the roll is puffy. (It doesn’t have to double in size.) I usually put a pan with hot water on the bottom rack in my oven and put the dough on the middle rack. This gives the dough a warm, moist environment.
5. Bake at 350° for 30 to 40 minutes until the roll is golden brown. Remove the roll from the pan to a wire rack. Let stand for 10 minutes before slicing. Serve warm or at room temperature. Yield: 6 servings.

Happy eating!