Hot Italian Pesto Bread Recipes

BREAD PESTO

Steps:

• In a large bowl, place flour, salt and mix until well combined.
• In a small bowl or jug, mix lukewarm water with yeast and sugar. Let it rest for a couple of minutes until foamy.
• Then pour the liquid into the dry ingredients, add the beating egg and olive oil, and stir with a fork until roughly combined.
• Trasfer the dough onto a work surface, and knead for a couple of minutes until smooth. You might need an extra Tbsp of water, trust your judgment here, but overall the dough should be easily pliable.
• Once you shape the dougn into a ball, place it back into its bowl, cover with a damp cloth (to prevent its surface from drying out) and let it rest in a warm place until it doubles in size (about 1 hour).
• Once the dough is ready, place it onto a large sheet of parchment paper.
• Stretch it out with your fingers into a rectangular shape (about 10 x 12 inches).
• Spread the pesto on half of the rectangle, then lift the other side of the parchment paper and fold the other half of the dough over the one covered with pesto. Gently flatten the rectangle with your fingers.
• Cut the rough edges, than with a pizza cutter cut the rectangle lengthwise into 4 large stripes. At this point, you can cut the 4 stripes crosswise in order to get 8 stripes in total. This will give you 8 smaller rolls rather than 4.
• If you keep the stripes long, wrap the dough around your fingers into a loose knot leaving space in the center. Wrap the left end of the dough up and over the loop. Wrap the right end down and under the loop. Try to squeeze into a nice rounded shape. If you cut the stripes shorter, you can easily shape them into spirals.
• Place each roll on to a bakin pan lined with parchment paper, brush them lightly with some egg wash (to keep them moist), and let them rest for about 30 minutes.
• Preheat the oven to 420°F/220°C.
• Before putting the rolls in the hot oven, brush them again with egg wash and sprinkle with seeds, and salt flakes if you wish.
• Bake them for about 15-20 minutes until golden.

ASIAGO PESTO BREAD

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• In a food processor, add the almonds and pulse until they are finely chopped. Add the basil, black pepper and cinnamon and process until incorporated. Add 1 cup of the cheese, pulse a few times, then with the machine still running, slowly add in the olive oil.
• Cut the bread in half, spread it with the pesto and bake on a cookie sheet for 7 to 10 minutes. At this point, remove the bread, sprinkle it with the remaining 1/3 cup of cheese and turn on the broiler. Broil the bread until the cheese has melted and starting to brown. Remove from the oven, cut it into 8 portions and serve immediately.