Tuna Crescent Ring with Lemon Dill Sauce

tunacrescentring This cheesy Tuna Melt Crescent Ring is stuffed with super delicious high quality tuna packed with healthy and flavourful ingredients. Perfect for a party or as an elegant appetizer or meal. Impress your friends deliciously.

Filling:
2 tsp. extra-virgin olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, grated
⅓ cup celery, chopped
1 cup grape tomatoes, chopped
⅓ cup Kalamata olives, chopped
2 Tbsp. capers
¼ cup fresh basil, chopped
¼ cup fresh parsley, chopped
4 cans tuna, packed in water
½ tsp. black pepper, freshly ground
sea salt
2-3 cups gouda or fontina cheese, freshly shredded

Crescent Ring Dough:
1 cup milk, warm (120-130°F)
1 pkg dry yeast, fast acting (1 Tbsp.)
1 tsp. sugar
½ cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 Tbsp. pure honey
2 large eggs
4 cups flour (2 parts bread flour + 1 part white whole wheat flour)
1 tsp. sea salt
2½ Tbsp. wheat bran or oat bran, optional
bread flour, for dusting
2 Tbsp. egg whisked

Lemon Dill Sauce:
½ cup Greek yogurt
½ cup sour cream
⅓ cup dill fresh, chopped
1½ Tbsp. lemon juice, freshly squeezed
1 clove garlic, grated
1 tsp. lemon zest, freshly grated
¼ tsp. sea salt

Garnish:
extra-virgin olive oil
red pepper flakes

For the Filling:
Heat the olive oil in a pan. Add the onions and sauté until translucent. Then add the garlic and sauté a few minutes.

Next add the celery and sauté 2-3 minutes. Then add tomatoes and sauté until they start to soften.

Add the olives, capers, herbs and stir. Turn off the heat.

Drain tuna meat from the cans very well and break it up.

Add tuna meat to the sautéed mixture. Season well with pepper and salt as per taste and combine the mixture.

For the Crescent Ring Dough:
Scatter the yeast over warm milk. Then sprinkle sugar on the top. Let it stand for 10 to 15 minutes in a warm dark place until the yeast foams up on the surface.

Then add olive oil, honey, 2 eggs and about 3½ cups of the flour, salt and mix gently.

When the mixture is loosely combined let it stand for a few minutes to help the flour to absorb the moisture. Then add the bran and mix it in.

Next add another half cup flour or more, making sure to add as needed to make a dough.

Knead it well for about 5 minutes. It is okay if it is a little sticky. It is important to make sure that the dough is not very dense. So try to use as little flour as possible to make this dough.

I use KitchenAid Stand Mixer to make this dough but you can also make it by hand.

Let the dough rise and double in size in a dark warm place. The time required for this rise may vary between 1-2 hours or more.

Assembly:
Preheat oven to 400°F (200°C/180°C fan, Gas Mark 6).

After the dough has doubled in size, punch it down to release the air spaces. Divide the dough into 2 portions and let it rest.

On a floured surface, roll out one portion into a 12” diameter circle.

Let it rest for a few minutes, as this will help the dough relax and prevents it from springing back in the next step when cutting.

Then using a pizza slicing wheel cut out 12 triangles. If they spring back just make sure to flatten them out.

Line a 16” pizza baking pan with parchment paper and place a bowl in the center that has a 5” diameter base.

Carefully arrange the triangles forming a ring, with the wide ends of triangles placed around the 5” bowl, making sure to overlap the triangles a little.

Once all the triangles are placed around the bowl it should look like a sun with the pointed ends of the triangles toward the outer edges of the pan.

Scatter ¼th of the shredded cheese all around the bowl and over the wider portion of the triangles, where they overlap.

Then place half the tuna filling mixture over the cheese and all around the bowl.

Cover another ¼ of the cheese over the tuna filling.

Bring each pointed end of the dough triangle over the filling and tuck it under the wider side of the triangle in the ring. Secure it well.

Repeat the above step all around the ring covering the filling. Remember that some filling will show between the gaps.

Bake for 20-25 minutes until the dough is golden brown and baked well.

Repeat the steps with the other half of the dough and filling to make a second Tuna Melt Crescent Ring.

Allow to cool for 5-10 minutes before serving.

To Serve:
Carefully transfer the crescent ring to a serving platter using the help of a wide and long serving utensil or a flat cake lifter if needed.

Mix all the ingredients for the lemon dill sauce and adjust the seasoning as per taste.

Transfer the dill sauce to a little serving bowl and place it in the center of the ring. Slice and enjoy.

Makes 24 servings.

Cook’s Notes: The tuna melt crescent ring can be refrigerated for 3-4 days. These crescent rolls can also be frozen in freezer safe bags for up to 2 months. Thaw and reheat in oven.