Thursday, March 13, 2008

Pesto Bread

I had some leftover pesto to use up so decided to whip up a batch of Pesto Bread. I looked up recipes on the internet and there were 2 variations. One was a French Bread with pesto rolled into it and the other recipe used milk and olive oil. I decided to go for a soft bread instead of a crusty one and ended up using this recipe.

Pesto Bread
Tastes great fresh out of the oven. Also works well as leftovers, but this loaf didn't last long.

Dough
  • 1 1/2 t yeast
  • 4 c bread flour
  • 1 1/2 t sugar
  • 1 1/2 t salt
  • 5/8 c milk
  • 2/3 c water
  • 2 T olive oil
Filling
  • pesto
  • pine nuts
  • mozzarella
  1. Add dough ingredients to bread machine in order according to manufacturer's directions using dough cycle.
  2. When the dough is finished place on a lightly floured surface and let rest 10 minutes.
  3. Roll out to a rectangle 10 inches long and about 3/4 inch thick. Spread pesto sauce over dough leaving a 1/2 inch border. Sprinkle pine nuts and cheese.
  4. Roll lengthwise jelly roll fashion and tuck ends under. Place in a greased 10x4 inch loaf pan (or what have you, in my case an 8x8 on the diagonal). Cover and let rise 45 minutes.
  5. Brush olive oil over the top and with a sharp knife score the top with four diagonal cuts. Repeat the cuts in the opposite direction. Sprinkle with sea salt.
  6. Bake at 215C or 425F for 25 to 30 minutes, until the bread is golden and sounds hollow when tapped on the bottom.
  7. Turn onto a wire rack to cool.


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