pesto bread

It's super easy to make this Pesto Star Bread. A simple, soft dough with both red and green pestos and a little cheesy goodness.&nbsp; You can also swap out the pesto for other savory or sweet fillings.

Red and Green Pesto Star Bread Recipe - video tutorial

C whole milk

active dry yeast

sugar

butter

C all purpose flour

sea salt

C italian blend cheese

Egg (slightly beaten)

salt (optional)

In in your mixing bowl with a dough hook add yeast, sugar and warm milk (about 40 seconds in the microwave to get it to 110 degrees), let sit for 10 mins.

then add the butter, salt and 2 C flour and mix until the dough comes together and starts to clean the sides - add more flour if needed just 2 Tbsp at a time, don't add too much flour - you'll end up with tough dough.

Place the dough in a lightly oiled bowl and flip to coat both sides, then cover and let rise until doubled in size, about an hour.

punch down and divide into four equal balls.

Roll each ball out to 10-12 inches and use a plate cut circles.

spread the 1/3rd of the pesto onto a circle then 1/3rd of the cheese, repeat leaving the 4th final circle blank

place a 2 inch cutter or glass in the center of the circle - this is to mark where your NOT going to cut. cut the circle into 16 wedges

twist every two wedges the opposite direction then pinch together - repeat around

let rise 15 mins

preheat oven to 400

brush with the beaten egg, sprinkle on salt if desired

bake 15-18 mins

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yJ5-I5G438o

The dough for this bread is super easy to make and it's easier than you think to create the beautiful star pattern.  My kids love the pesto star bread best but the sweet is always a fun treat too!
_↓↓↓↓↓↓ CLICK "SHOW MORE" TO GET RECIPE ↓↓↓↓↓↓↓↓ _
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The filling for this are endless - you could do melted butter, cinnamon and sugar or cookie butter or marinara or pretty much anything you can spread! 

STAR BREAD RECIPE
ashleemarie.com/red-green-pesto-star-braid-recipe-video-tutorial/
Dough
1 C whole milk
2 1/2 teaspoons active dry yeast
1/2 teaspoon granulated sugar
1/4 C butter softened
2 1/4 C all purpose flour
1 teaspoon sea salt
Savory Filling
Pesto - 1 of each to use both red and green
1/2 C Italian blend cheese
Sweet Filling
Nutella
Peanut butter
Coating
1 Egg slightly beaten
Course salt optional
In in your mixing bowl with a dough hook add yeast, sugar and warm milk (about 40 seconds in the microwave to get it to 110 degrees), let sit for 10 mins.
then add the butter, salt and 1 1/2 C flour and mix until the dough comes together
Keeping adding more flour 1/4 C at a time until the dough starts to clean the sides - don't add too much flour - you'll end up with tough dough.
Once the sides are clean keep kneading the dough until the dough has a nice stretch
Place the dough in a lightly oiled bowl and flip to coat both sides, then cover and let rise until doubled in size, about an hour.
punch down and divide into four equal balls.
Roll each ball out to 10-12 inches and use a plate cut circles.
spread the 1/3rd of the pesto (or nutella/peanut butter - tip microwave the nutella/peanut butter a little to make it easier to spread) onto a circle then 1/3rd of the cheese,
repeat leaving the 4th final circle blank
place a 2 inch cutter or glass in the center of the circle - this is to mark where your NOT going to cut. cut the circle into 16 wedges
twist every two wedges the opposite direction then pinch together - repeat around
let rise 15 mins
preheat oven to 400
brush with the beaten egg, sprinkle on salt if desired
bake 15-18 mins

MORE BREAD VIDEOS
Rosemary Bread https://youtu.be/AsTz5FyHat0
Hawaiian sweet rolls https://youtu.be/wC9fJUxQHZI
5 types of cinnamon rolls https://youtu.be/_6QUNu-OXLw
LIVE - crescent rolls https://youtu.be/Ao4jBvgtklU
LIVE - 60 min breadsticks https://youtu.be/S5JhiSOtvlg
Sausage and cheese kolaches https://youtu.be/94MLUkNoJx4
Kouign Amann https://youtu.be/uubfn_WxE-o
Flour Tortillas https://youtu.be/VZLkoR5heq0

ASHLEE MARIE - I'm all about from scratch recipes, cake decorating tutorials and fun themed foods.  I believe anyone can cook with the right tips and tricks.  I love creating delicious food at home and enjoy sharing my recipes with you.  I'm self taught and if I can do it you can do it! I hope that my videos help you learn to make the dishes and desserts you've always dreamed of making

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ashlee@ashleemarie.com

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How to make Star Bread - both savory and sweet!

This cheesy pesto bread tastes like summer! It&#039;s made with an easy homemade pesto, and I pinky promise it&#039;s easier to braid this loaf than you&#039;d think!

Cheesy pesto bread

all purpose flour

(¼ oz) packet instant yeast

milk

egg (room temperature)

avocado oil

salt

basil ((packed))

garlic

pine nuts ((toasted))

extra virgin olive oil

Parmesan ((grated))

egg (whisked)

mozzarella

Add the flour and yeast to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with hook attachment and mix on low speed until blended. Add all remaining dough ingredients, then mix on low speed for 30 minutes. Check after a few minutes to make sure all ingredients have been incorporated. If not, stop mixer, scrape down sides, then continue mixing.  Meanwhile, make the pesto.

To make the dough:

Place garlic and pine nuts in the bowl of a food processor with blade attached. Pulse until finely chopped. Add basil and pulse until well blended.

With the motor running, slowly drizzle in olive oil until a smooth sauce forms. Stir in Parmesan and set aside.

To make the pesto:

Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface, pushing down on the down to release any bubbles. Gently pull the top of the dough down onto the bottom. Next, pull the right side of the dough over towards the left side. Pull the bottom of the dough up over to the top. Finally, stretch the left side of the dough over towards the right.

Turn the dough over so the seams are underneath. Smooth out the dough into a round ball, then transfer to a bowl sprayed with nonstick oil. Cover with plastic wrap and let sit for 20 minutes.

Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Use a rolling pin to roll dough out into a roughly 16&quot; x 10&quot; rectangle. Spread the pesto into a thin layer across the dough, leaving only a ½” border along the bottom. (Add shredded mozzarella on top, if using.)

Dip your finger in water, then run it along the bottom exposed part of the dough. Roll the rectangle from top to bottom lengthwise.

Leaving about 1-2" in tact at the top, take a sharp knife and cut the dough in half lengthwise. Turn the dough cut side up, then twist to form a braided pattern. Place rolled dough into a loaf pan (10 ½” x 5 ½” x 3″) lined with parchment paper. If the dough is too large, tuck the ends underneath. Cover with plastic wrap and let sit for 2 - 2 ½ hours.

When ready, preheat oven to 375 F. Brush loaf with egg wash. Bake for 45-50 minutes, or until dough is browned and slightly crispy on the outside and fully cooked on the inside.

To assemble:

https://content.jwplatform.com/videos/Qofb9qJi.mp4

This braided pesto bread tastes like summer! It’s made with an easy homemade pesto, and I pinky promise it’s easier to braid this loaf than you’d think!

Braided Pesto Bread

These herby tear-and-share bread rolls have mozzarella and sun-dried tomatoes baked into them - perfect for a picnic or for dipping into soup

Cheese & pesto whirls

strong white bread

sachet fast-action dried yeast

golden caster sugar

tbsp olive oil,

tub fresh pesto

tub semi-dried tomatoes, drained and roughly chopped

grated mozzarella (ready-grated is best

parmesan (or vegetarian alternative), grated

basil leaves

Combine the flour, yeast, sugar and 1½ tsp fine salt in a large mixing bowl, or the bowl of a tabletop mixer. Measure out 300ml warm water and add roughly 280ml to the flour, along with the olive oil, and start mixing until the ingredients start to clump together as a dough. If the dough seems a little dry, add the remaining water. Once combined, knead for 10 mins by hand on your work surface, or for 5 mins on a medium speed in a mixer. The dough is ready when it feels soft, springy and elastic. Clean the bowl, drizzle in a little oil, then pop the dough back in, turning it over and coating the sides of the bowl in oil. Cover with some oiled cling film and set aside in a warm place to double in size – this will take 1-3 hrs, depending on the temperature.

Line a baking tray with parchment. Uncover the dough and punch it down a couple of times with your fist, knocking out all the air bubbles. Tip out onto a floured work surface and dust the top with a little flour too, if it is sticky. Roll the dough out to a rectangle, roughly 40 x 30cm. Spread the pesto over the dough, then scatter over the tomatoes, both cheeses and the basil. Roll the dough up from one of the longer sides, into a long sausage.

Use a sharp knife to cut the dough into 12 even pieces. Place on the baking tray, cut-side up, in a 3-by-4 formation, making sure the open end of each roll is tucked in towards the centre on the arrangement – this will prevent them from uncoiling during cooking. Leave a little space between each roll as they will grow and touch as they prove. Loosely cover with oiled cling film and leave to prove for 30 mins–1 hr until almost doubled in size again. Heat oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6.

Uncover the bread when it is puffed up. Bake on the middle shelf in the oven for 35-40 mins until golden brown and the centre looks dry and not doughy. Remove from the oven and leave to cool for at least 10 mins.

Homemade pesto, mozzarella cheese, and garlic butter infuse into this soft and flaky bread, making for a snack you truly cannot resist. Do not overthink the shaping; as long as it all goes into the loaf pan, it'll taste delicious.

Pesto Pull Apart-Bread

dry yeast

(180 grams/ml) whole milk, warmed to about 110°F (43°C)

Tablespoons (43 grams) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature

egg,

garlic powder

basil

(125 grams) basil pesto (I recommend my homemade pesto)

mozzarella cheese

Tablespoons (28 grams) unsalted butter, melted

Tablespoons (15 grams) cheese

pesto

Make the dough

Place the yeast and sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook or paddle attachment. Or, if you do not own a stand mixer, a regular large mixing bowl. Whisk in the warm milk, then loosely cover with a clean kitchen towel and allow to sit for 5-10 minutes. The mixture will be frothy after 5-10 minutes.

If you do not have a mixer, you can mix the dough together with a wooden spoon or silicone spatula in this step

Add the butter, egg, flour, salt, garlic powder, and dried basil. Beat on low speed for 3 minutes. Dough will be soft.

Knead the dough: 

Keep the dough in the mixer (and switch to the dough hook if using the paddle) and beat for an additional 5 full minutes, or knead by hand on a lightly floured surface for 5 full minutes. (If you’re new to bread-baking, my How to Knead Dough video tutorial can help here.) If the dough becomes too sticky during the kneading process, sprinkle 1 teaspoon of flour at a time on the dough or on the work surface/in the bowl to make a soft, slightly tacky dough. Do not add more flour than you need because you do not want a dry dough. After kneading, the dough should still feel a little soft. Poke it with your finger—if it slowly bounces back, your dough is ready to rise. You can also do a “windowpane test” to see if your dough has been kneaded long enough: tear off a small (roughly golfball-size) piece of dough and gently stretch it out until it’s thin enough for light to pass through it. Hold it up to a window or light. Does light pass through the stretched dough without the dough tearing first? If so, your dough has been kneaded long enough and is ready to rise. If not, keep kneading until it passes the windowpane test.

1st Rise

Shape the kneaded dough into a ball. Place the dough in a greased bowl (I use nonstick spray to grease) and cover with plastic wrap or aluminum foil. Place in a slightly warm environment to rise until doubled in size, around 60-90 minutes. (If desired, use my warm oven trick for rising. See my answer to Where Should Dough Rise? in my Baking with Yeast Guide.)

As the dough rises, grease a 9&#215;5-inch loaf pan and prepare the pesto.

Assemble &amp; fill the bread

Punch down the dough to release the air. Place dough on a lightly floured work surface. Divide it into 12 equal pieces, about 1/4 cup of dough or 50g each (a little larger than a golf ball). Using lightly floured hands, flatten each into a circle that&#8217;s about 4 inches in diameter. The circle doesn&#8217;t have to be perfectly round. I do not use a rolling pan to flatten, but you certainly can if you want. Spread 1-2 teaspoons of pesto onto each. Sprinkle each with 1 heaping Tablespoon of mozzarella cheese. Fold circles in half and line in prepared baking pan, round side up. See photos above for a visual.

2nd Rise

Cover with plastic wrap or aluminum foil and allow to rise once again in a slightly warm environment until puffy, about 45 minutes. Do not extend this 2nd rise, as the bread could puff up too much and spill over the sides while baking.

Adjust the oven rack to the lower third position then preheat oven to 350°F (177°C).

Bake until golden brown, about 50 minutes. If you find the top of the loaf is browning too quickly, tent with aluminum foil. Remove from the oven and place the pan on a cooling rack.

Make the topping

Mix the melted butter and garlic powder together. Brush on the warm bread and sprinkle with parmesan cheese. If desired, drop a couple spoonfuls of fresh pesto on top (or serve with extra pesto.) Cool for 10 minutes in the pan, then remove from the pan and serve warm.

Cover and store leftovers at room temperature for up to 2 days or in the refrigerator for up to 1 week. Since the bread is extra crispy on the exterior, it will become a little hard after day 1. Reheat in a 300°F (149°C) oven for 10-15 minutes until interior is soft again or warm in the microwave.

I made the bread yesterday and it was wonderful, but not the way Sally wanted. I managed to put the pesto and mozzarella in the dough. Not because of Sally's excellent recipe, I'll blame it on age. I baked it anyway and it turned out great! Thought I would share a mistake that turned out to be a good thing.

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