Pesto Swirl Bread

With our recent basil harvest (over a pound of just leaves!), I'd made quite a bit of pesto. After seeing and hearing about various pesto pull apart breads, I thought I'd make some pesto bread too. However, I wanted something I could eat relatively neatly on the go. I thought about the swirl biscuits. Why not make a pesto swirl bread? And thus, a recipe was born! You just take a basic bread recipe, and instead of forming it into a loaf, you roll it out and spread pesto on the inside. I used about 3/8 cup per loaf. Then, simply roll up the dough and place it in a loaf pan, seam side down, for the final rise. 45 minutes at 350F, and you'll surely smell the wondrous scent of pesto wafting through the air.

What's your favorite way to use pesto?

Pesto Swirl Bread

by CJ Huang

A savory pesto swirl bread with loads of flavor.

Prep time: 15 minutes + rising time
Cook time: 45 minutes
Total time: 60 minutes + rising time
Yield: 1 loaf

Materials:

Mass	Weight	Volume	Number	Material	Notes
106 grams		1/2 cup		sugar
		2 teaspoons		yeast
480 grams		4 cups		flour	I used half whole wheat and half white.
			1	egg
		1.25 cups		milk
		1 cup		pesto

Methods:

	1. Gather all materials.
	2. Sprinkle yeast over milk.
	3. Combine all materials except pesto, and mix until dough formed.
	4. Allow dough to rise until doubled in volume.
	5. Gently roll out dough, and spread pesto on top, making sure to leave a small margin around the borders.
	6. Roll up dough, and seal seam. Place seam side down, and bake at 350F for 45 minutes.