This braided pesto bread is beautiful and full of flavor Ive made it with several different fillings It is crispy and flaky on the outside and filled with pesto on the inside
Prep Time
1 hr 40 mins
Dificult
Medium
Servings
2 hrs 30 mins
Ingredients
Instructions
Start the dough: Sprinkle yeast over warm water in a large bowl. Let sit until frothy
about 10 minutes.
Meanwhile
make the pesto: Process basil
lemon juice
and garlic in a food processor until smooth. Pour olive oil in slowly
with the processor running
until pesto thickens. Add Parmesan cheese
walnuts
and kosher salt; process for 20 seconds. Refrigerate for 1 hour to allow flavors to combine.
Finish the dough: Whisk flour and kosher salt together in a bowl. Gradually add flour mixture to yeast mixture
along with olive oil; stir until just combined. If the dough is sticking to the sides of the bowl
add more flour.
Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth and elastic
about 5 minutes. Form dough into a ball and place into a lightly oiled bowl. Turn dough over so all sides are oiled. Cover the bowl with aluminum foil and let sit until dough has doubled in size
about 1 hour.
Turn dough out onto a lightly floured work surface. Gently stretch and elongate dough into a 12x18-inch rectangle. Spread pesto over dough
leaving a 1/2-inch border. Starting at the long edge
gently roll dough around pesto. Pinch the seam to seal.
Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Place rolled dough onto the prepared baking sheet. Use a pastry cutter or sharp knife to cut the roll in half lengthwise. Turn dough so the cut edges are facing up. Keeping the cut edges up
gently crisscross the dough. Form into a round or oval wreath shape and pinch the edges to seal. Let rest for 30 minutes.
Bake in the preheated oven until golden brown
20 to 25 minutes.
Remove from the oven and let cool slightly before serving.
Tips
You can substitute Cheddar cheese for Parmesan and pine nuts for walnuts in the pesto. You can also substitute 1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons store-bought pesto instead of making your own.
Be creative with the filling. Finely chopped raw or sautéed onions
bell peppers
spinach
mushrooms
cilantro
parsley
jalapeños
and broccoli work well. If using cooked vegetables
drain any excess moisture. If the filling is too wet
the bread will not rise.
In Step 6
you can dust the baking sheet with cornmeal instead of using parchment paper.
