Braided Basil Pesto Bread Recipe

15 Aug Braided Basil Pesto Bread Recipe

Last Updated on December 5, 2021 by blessmyfoodbypayal

Braided Basil Pesto Bread Recipe | braided bread with pesto recipe | twisted pesto bread with step wise pictorial and video recipe.

WHAT IS BRAIDED PESTO? 

If you explain the word BRAIDED in a very basic way, you can call it “twisted.”

Generally the word applies to one of the way how hairs are tied. Three or more layers are weaved or laced together by twisting one with another signifies the word braided.

WHAT IS PESTO?

According to Wikipedia, Pesto is an Italian sauce traditionally consists of crushed garlic, European pine nuts, coarse salt, basil leaves, and cheese, all blended with olive oil.

So a Braided pesto bread is a bread made with pesto sauce and designed by braiding the bread dough.

DO’S & DON’T’S

1. Instead of all purpose flour, you can use whole wheat flour or both the flours in the ratio of 50:50.

2. How yeast is to be added depends on what yeast you are using. Instant and active yeast, both have different handling. Instant is added directly whereas Active yeast needs prior activation.

3. We have covered the bowl carrying dough with a moist towel and a lid thereon. You can wrap the bowl with cling film too.

4. Proofing time of dough may very depending on whether conditions. Summers ferment the dough faster than winters. Where in Summers, it may take 1.30 hours, in winters it may go up to 2:30 to 3 hours.

5. It’s been suggested to place the bowl at some warm place in the kitchen. So you can opt for some almirah or shelf corner. We usually place the bowl in (switched off) oven.

6. For making pesto sauce, we added all ingredients together and then churned. By doing this, we realised that almonds were facing difficulty in getting crushed. So you begin with blending almonds first & then add rest of the ingredients. However you may have different experience in blending all things together.

7. Generally Parmesan cheese is used in making pesto bread but mozzarella too goes wonderfully. You can make your own choice.

8. If you have a small oven, so as baking tray, that it cannot accommodate one full log, then divide the log into 2 by cutting from the center.

9. Also cheese is blended with other ingredients while making pesto but have spreaded the cheese over the bread layer immediately before folding.  So both methods make no difference.

Also see

• 100% whole wheat bread
• Whole wheat bread from leftover cooked moong dal
• Bread without yeast and curd recipe
• Bread with homemade yeast recipe

Step wise pictorial recipe Braided Basil Pesto Bread Recipe

MAKING OF DOUGH

1. In a bowl, take all purpose flour.
2. Add sugar, salt, oil and yeast. As it is instant yeast, so added directly. But if it would have been active yeast, it need to be activated first. Click here to know how to activate yeast.
3. Start kneading it into a dough using water.
4. Knead the dough for good 10 minutes.
5. Grease the bowl and dough with oil and cover the bowl with moist kitchen towel.
6. Put a lid on the bowl.
7. Place the bowl carrying dough at some warm place in the kitchen for proofing for about 1:30 to 2 hours.

MAKING OF PESTO

Add all the ingredients mentioned for making Pesto in a blender and blend to a paste. Keep aside.

MAKING OF BREAD

1. After the said time is over, remove the lid and towel from bowl. Dough must have been doubled by now.
2. Pinch the dough and release the air.
3. Knead it for a minute.
4. Put the dough on a clean shelf dusted with flour.
5. Roll it into a big flat disk giving it a possible rectangular shape.
6. Spread the pesto over the flat dough.
7. Also spread cheese generously.
8. Now roll the dough into a log beginning of from wider end till the last. Consult video given in this post for better understanding.
9. Mark a cut from the middle turning log into two parts.
10. braid both the logs with the cut sides facing up.
11. Place it in a baking tray lined with greased butter paper.
12. Baking in a preheated oven @180°C for 35 to 40 minutes or until bread attains a good golden colour.
13. Bring it out and your bread is ready.

Enjoy the way you want. It can be served hot or cold.

Braided Basil Pesto Bread Recipe – Recipe Card

Braided Basil Pesto Bread Recipe

blessmyfoodbypayal

Braided Basil Pesto Bread Recipe is a bread dough filled with pesto sauce made of fresh basil leaves and twisted into a beautiful braided loaf.

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Prep Time 20 minutes mins

Cook Time 40 minutes mins

Resting time 2 hours hrs

Total Time 3 hours hrs

Course Bread

Cuisine American

Servings 1 Loaf

Ingredients

  

FOR DOUGH

1 cup = 200 ml

• 2.5 Cup all purpose flour
• 1/2 tbsp instant yeast
• 1 tbsp sugar
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 2 tbsp + for greasing oil
• Water as per need

FOR PESTO SAUCE

• 1 Cup basil leaves
• 4-5 garlic cloves
• 1/4 cup almonds
• 2 cloves
• 1 tsp whole black pepper
• 5 tbsp oil
• Salt to taste

FOR MAKING BREAD

• All purpose flour for dusting
• 1 cup mozzarella cheese
• Dough recently kneaded and proofed
• Pesto sauce recently made

Instructions

 

MAKING OF DOUGH

• In a bowl, take all purpose flour.
• Add sugar, salt, oil and yeast. As it is instant yeast, so added directly. But if it would have been active yeast, it need to be activated first. Click here to know how to activate yeast.
• Start kneading it into a dough using water.
• Knead the dough for good 10 minutes.
• Grease the bowl and dough with oil and cover the bowl with moist kitchen towel.
• Put a lid on the bowl.
• Place the bowl carrying dough at some warm place in the kitchen for proofing for about 1:30 to 2 hours.

MAKING OF PESTO

• Add all the ingredients mentioned for Making Pesto in a blender and blend to a paste. Keep aside.

MAKING OF BREAD

• After the said time is over, remove the lid and towel from bowl. Dough must have been doubled by now.
• Pinch the dough and release the air.
• Knead it for a minute.
• Put the dough on a clean shelf dusted with flour.
• Roll it into a big flat disk giving it a possible rectangular shape.
• Spread the pesto over the flat dough.
• Also spread cheese generously.
• Now roll the dough into a log beginning of from wider end till the last. Consult video given in this post for better understanding.
• Mark a cut from the middle turning log into two parts.
• braid both the logs with the cut sides facing up.
• Place it in a baking tray lined with greased butter paper.
• Baking in a preheated oven @180°C for 35 to 40 minutes or until bread attains a good golden colour.
• Bring it out and your bread is ready.
• Enjoy the way you want. It can be served hot or cold.

Keyword basil bread, Braided bread, pesto bread, pesto sauce, twisted bread