Nothing says Christmas like a wreath of garlic dough balls that are crisp on the outside, cheesy, chewy and bready in the middle, dipped in hot cheese with sweet cranberry sauce. This is the festive, tear-and-share crowd-pleaser that us gluten-free folks always miss out on.
Serves 5-6
garlic-infused oil for greasing and brushing
gluten-free self-raising flour 350g, plus extra for dusting
Greek yoghurt 365g
dried oregano 1 tbsp
extra-mature cheddar or parmesan 75g, grated, plus extra to sprinkle
salt a pinch
whole camembert in a wooden case 1 x 250g
parsley a handful, finely chopped
cranberry sauce 2 tbsp
Preheat the oven to 200C fan/gas mark 7. Lightly grease a 30cm ovenproof frying pan with garlic-infused oil.
In a large mixing bowl, combine the flour, yoghurt, oregano, grated cheese and salt. Start by mixing well with a spatula, then when it forms chunky breadcrumbs, get your hands in there to form a big ball of dough.
Split the dough in half.
Use your hands to roll one half of the dough on a large piece of lightly floured non-stick baking parchment into a long sausage shape, 2.5cm thick. Using a sharp knife, cut it into 13 or 14 small pieces of dough. Roll each piece in the palms of your hands into a smooth ball. Repeat with the other half of the dough.
Place the camembert (lid and packaging removed so only the wooden base remains) in the middle of the pan and place the dough balls all around the edge. Brush the dough balls with garlic-infused oil and sprinkle with extra cheese – as much or as little as you like.
Bake in the oven for 20 minutes or until the dough balls are golden on top, then cover loosely with tin foil and cook for a further 5-10 minutes. The timing may vary slightly depending on how big or small you made the dough balls; poke them with a skewer and if it comes out clean, they’re done.
To finish, brush with a little extra garlic-infused oil and scatter over the parsley. Add small dollops of the cranberry sauce on top before serving warm.
From Gluten Free Christmas by Becky Excell (Quadrille, £22)
