Best Braided Pesto Bread Recipes

BRAIDED BREAD WITH PESTO

Steps:

• Combine basil, lemon juice, and garlic in a food processor. Process until smooth. Gradually pour in olive oil and process until pesto thickens. Add Parmesan cheese, walnuts, and salt; process for 20 seconds more. Refrigerate for 1 hour to allow flavors to combine.
• Meanwhile, sprinkle yeast over warm water in a large bowl. Let sit until frothy, about 10 minutes.
• Mix flour and salt together in a bowl. Gradually add to the yeast mixture along with olive oil. Stir until just combined. Add more flour if dough is sticking to the sides of the bowl. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth and elastic, about 5 minutes.
• Form dough into a ball and place in a lightly oiled bowl. Turn dough over so both top and bottom are oiled. Cover with aluminum foil and let rise until doubled, about 1 hour.
• Lightly flour your work surface. Gently stretch and elongate dough into a rectangle roughly 12x18 inches. Spread the pesto over the dough, leaving a 1/2-inch border. Gently roll up into a 'snake', starting from 1 long side. Pinch the seam closed.
• Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C). Dust a baking sheet with cornmeal or line with parchment paper.
• Transfer rolled dough onto the prepared baking sheet. Use a pastry cutter or sharp knife to cut the roll in half lengthwise. Turn dough so cut edges face up. Gently crisscross the dough, keeping cut edges facing up. Pinch ends together to form a wreath. Let rest for 30 minutes.
• Bake in the preheated oven until golden brown, 20 to 25 minutes. Let cool slightly before serving.

BRAIDED PESTO BREAD

Steps:

• 1. Proof yeast: Dissolve the sugar and yeast in warm water, and let stand for 5-10 minutes until mixture is frothy. 2. Add salt, olive oil, 1/4 c. of pine nuts and 2 cups of flour. 3. Mix dough by hand. Once the dough is sticking together and slightly tacky turn out onto floured surface and begin kneading, adding remaining 1 cup of flour, 1/4 cup at a time, until the dough is smooth and not sticky. (I used about 2 1/2 cups of flour in total.) 4. Knead for 5-10 min. until dough is elastic. 5. Place dough in a large lightly greased bowl, cover and let rise in warm spot for 1-1.5 hours until doubled. Check to see if dough is done rising: push into it with two fingers, 1″ deep. If the dough springs back it isn't done rising, if it essentially stays indented then it is done. 6. Shape dough: roll dough out into approximately a 9″ x 13″ rectangle. Spread pesto in thin layer over dough. Sprinkle more pine nuts here if you would like. Roll dough along short-edge to get a roll that is about 9″ long. With sharp knife, cut roll in half lengthwise, all the way through. Gently, leaving cut side open, twist two long halves together by draping them over each other. Place shaped dough in 8 x 4-in loaf pan. Put any pesto that might have dripped out during shaping in crevasses on top. Sprinkle pine nuts for garnish over the top. Let rise for about 1 hour or until doubled in size. 7. Preheat the oven to 350 ºF, bake for 30-40 minutes until the crust is a golden brown.