This Spinach Feta Wreath has the flavors of spanakopita, but made with a cheesy, delicious made from scratch dough! Perfect for a special brunch or dinner!
Let the baking season begin! At least for me. I’m ready, I’m so ready! Keep in mind I’m not a fancy baker, but I do love to bake savory baked goods, like this spinach feta wreath. This kind of baking is right up my alley.
The flavors in this wreath are really quite similar to a spanakopita, a popular Greek appetizer of phyllo pastry stuffed with feta and cheese. In this recipe, while the filling is similar, the dough is completely different. It’s a cheesy, buttery, delicious dough, that’s super easy to put together.
To make this delicious, savory wreath, you first have to make the filling which is simply made with onion, spinach and herbs such as rosemary and thyme. If you’re not a fan of herbs, you can simply omit these and it will still be delicious.
The dough is quite simple to make, it’s yeast free, with butter and buttermilk and my secret ingredient, some Parmesan cheese, because parmesan cheese. No explanation required.
Ingredients
Detail measurements and instructions can be found on the printable recipe card at the bottom of the page.
Filling
- Olive oil – We’re using this neutral tasting oil to cook down our onions as the base of our filling.
- Onion – I used both diced white onion and green onion for this dish.
- Spinach – I used frozen spinach for this recipe, if you’d like to opt for fresh I have information on substituting this ingredient below.
- Cheese – I’m using feta cheese which is what’s traditionally used in this. We will also be using some grated Parmesan cheese which is totally optional. I love to sprinkle some over the triangles but feel free to omit it.
- Herbs – Fresh rosemary and thyme, chopped up. If dried is all you have on hand just keep in mind that 1 teaspoon dried equals 1 tablespoon fresh.
Dough
- Flour – I used all purpose flour. If you’d like to use gluten free flour then be sure to include 1 teaspoon of xanthan gum per 1 1/2 cups of gluten free flour.
- Salt – So important in this recipe, as we need flavor and seasoning.
- Baking powder – This is the leavening agent in our dough, hence no need for yeast!
- Butter – It must be unsalted, it must be cold, and it must be chopped.
- Cheese – A bit of freshly grated Parmesan cheese to carry those flavors through from our filling to our dough.
- Eggs – Or 1 egg more specifically, this is the binder in our dough.
- Buttermilk – This will add tang and tenderness to our dough. If you don’t have any on hand I’ll include a section below detailing how to make your own.
Other
- Egg – Another large one, beaten for egg wash.
- Sesame – Sesame seeds sprinkled over top to form a beautiful and nutty wreath.
How To Make Spinach Feta Wreath
Filling
- Saute the sauteables: Heat the olive oil in a large skillet. Add the onion and cook until it softens, about 3 minutes.
- Cook the spinach: Add the spinach and cook, stirring occasionally, for an additional 2 minutes. If your spinach is watery, this is the time to squeeze out additional water, however, if you do it before adding it to the skillet, there shouldn’t be any excess water. Turn off the heat and add the rosemary, thyme and stir. Set aside and let cool.
Dough
- Preheat the oven to 400 F degrees and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Combine the dough: In a large bowl combine together the flour, baking powder and salt. Add the butter and using a pastry blender or 2 forks, mix it in with the flour. Stir in the Parmesan cheese. Make a well in the center and add the buttermilk and egg. Mix it until combined. It should be a soft sticky dough.
- Knead the dough: Flour your work surface well, place the dough on your work surface and knead it gently until smooth, adding more flour as necessary. I added another 1/4 cup of flour, until the dough no longer stuck to my hands. Keep in mind it’s a soft dough.
Assemble
- Combine dough and filling: Roll out the dough into a square until it’s about 1/2 inch in thickness. Spread the spinach mixture over the dough, leaving about 1/2 inch strip along the edges. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese and feta cheese over the spinach. Roll up firmly, and pinch the edges together.
- Form the wreath: Place the roll on the prepared baking sheet, seam side down. Using scissors or a sharp knife cut 1 inch slices, leaving about 1 1/2 inches from the end. Bring the two ends together to form a circle. You could place a small bowl or ramekin in the center to make this easier. Take each slice and turn it over on its side, and repeat with each one, slightly overlapping it with the previous one.
- Brush with egg wash: Brush the wreath with the beaten egg and sprinkle with sesame seeds.
- Finish the dish: Place the baking sheet in the oven and bake for 30 to 40 minutes or until golden. The loaf should sound hollow when tapped. Let it stand for 30 minutes before serving.
Wreath A Little Too Complicated?
Alternatively, you could cut the roll into 1 inch slices like you would bake cinnamon rolls and place them into a greased 9×13 inch baking pan and bake as instructed.
Frozen Or Fresh Spinach?
Whether you’re opting for fresh or frozen, the spinach must be cooked down to form our filling so be sure to saute it with onions as instructed above.
Fresh
If you’re using fresh spinach be sure to cut off the stems before incorporating. Wilt the spinach in a pan with some oil and drain after removing. Roughly chop the spinach and you’re good to go. You’ll want to use about 1 1/2 pounds of fresh spinach for this recipe.
Frozen
Now my recipe calls for frozen spinach that has been completely thawed. Thawed frozen spinach can bring a lot of liquid to this dish so be sure that it’s been completely drained before incorporating.
Make Ahead
This spinach feta wreath is best served on the day it’s made, however if you’re having it the next day, it’s best when warmed up, place it on a baking sheet and heat it up in the oven.
How Else Can I Cook With Spinach?
- Spanakopita
- Spinach Ricotta Brunch Break
- Baja Spinach Dip
- Spinach Artichoke Pasta
- Creamy Avocado And Spinach Pasta
- Creamed Spinach
- Minestrone Soup
- Cheesy Chicken Pasta
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Spinach Feta Wreath
Equipment
Ingredients
Filling
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 small onion chopped
- 5 oz frozen spinach thawed, water squeezed out
- 1 tbsp rosemary fresh, chopped
- 1 tbsp thyme fresh, chopped
- ½ cup Parmesan cheese grated
- 3 oz feta cheese crumbled
Dough
- 2 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tbsp baking powder
- 1 tsp salt
- 3 tbsp butter unsalted cold, chopped
- ½ cup Parmesan cheese grated
- 1 cup buttermilk
- 1 large egg
Other
- 1 large egg beaten
- 1 tbsp sesame seeds
Instructions
Make the filling
- Heat the olive oil in a large skillet. Add the onion and cook until it softens, about 3 minutes.
- Add the spinach and cook, stirring occasionally, for an additional 2 minutes. If your spinach is watery, this is the time to squeeze out additional water, however, if you do it before adding it to the skillet, there shouldn’t be any excess water.
- Turn off the heat and add the rosemary, thyme and stir. Set aside and let cool.
Make the dough
- Preheat the oven to 400 F degrees and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- In a large bowl combine together the flour, baking powder and salt. Add the butter and using a pastry blender or 2 forks, mix it in with the flour. Stir in the Parmesan cheese.
- Make a well in the center and add the buttermilk and egg. Mix it until combined. It should be a soft sticky dough.
- Flour your work surface well, place the dough on your work surface and knead it gently until smooth, adding more flour as necessary. I added another 1/4 cup of flour, until the dough no longer stuck to my hands. Keep in mind it’s a soft dough.
- Roll out the dough into a square until it’s about 1/2 inch in thickness. Spread the spinach mixture over the dough, leaving about 1/2 inch strip along the edges. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese and feta cheese over the spinach.
- Roll up firmly, and pinch the edges together.
- Place the roll on the prepared baking sheet, seam side down. Using scissors or a sharp knife cut 1 inch slices, leaving about 1 1/2 inches from the end. Bring the two ends together to form a circle. You could place a small bowl or ramekin in the center to make this easier. Take each slice and turn it over on its side, and repeat with each one, slightly overlapping it with the previous one.
- Brush the wreath with the beaten egg and sprinkle with sesame seeds.
- Place the baking sheet in the oven and bake for 30 to 40 minutes or until golden. The loaf should sound hollow when tapped.
- Let it stand for 30 minutes before serving.
Video
Recipe Notes
- Alternatively, you could cut the roll into 1 inch slice and place them into a greased 9×13 inch baking pan and bake as instructed.
- This wreath is best served on the day it’s made, however if you’re having it the next day, it’s best when warmed up, place it on a baking sheet and heat it up in the oven.
- Please keep in mind that nutritional information is a rough estimate and can vary greatly based on products used.
I REALLY liked this recipe! I actually was going to bake cheesy biscuits and saw this playing in the inset video so tried it!. I doubled the recipe since there are 6 in my family. I used half whole wheat/half all purpose. And instead of spinach I used sweet potato leaves since I have that growing in my garden. I also added diced bacon and mushroom. I didn’t have feta so I used a mix of Parmesan and cheddar. I used salted butter since it’s what I had. And made my own buttermilk by adding 1 Tbsp vinegar to the cup of milk. And since I did two rolls, I made two crescents To fit my tray instead of a wreath!
It’s delicious and so pretty! A lovely presentation dish. Thanks!
We’re so glad you love the recipe! It’s quite the centerpiece 🙂
Is there an alternative to homemade dough?
Give it a try with some store-bought pizza dough.
Hey Jo, I LOVE your recipes! I always get good results and rave reviews when I try them! Can you please tell me if this recipe uses salted or unsalted butter. I notice you often use unsalted, is there a particular reason for this? Thanks for sharing your gift with us!
Hi Vicky! I always use unsalted butter because that way I can control the salt myself, plus this recipe there’s a lot of saltiness from the feta cheese. 🙂
this is such a fun recipe for entertaining with a small group of friends, thank you for this recipe, love all of these flavors and so creatively made into a wreath!
It is fun, and much easier to do than you’d think. 🙂
I’ll never try this in a million years, but I wanted to tell you that I think it’s fabulous!
What a beautiful bread!
Looks delicious! Can this be made gluten free?
If you use gluten free flour and some xanthan gum, yes.