Pesto Pull Apart Bread

 Another old recipe that I found when reorganizing. I guess being organized has its benefits. I don't think I have made this bread in close to twenty years and I'll have to check with Brian to see if the time frame is true.  If he remembers it, it is less than 20 years since I made it, otherwise, its been over 2 decades.  The good thing is that a good recipe remains the same over time, unlike most everything else!


I made this the night we had Italian Garden Soup, pesto being a common ingredient in both. I did use a square pan and some prepared pesto I had purchased for a last minute recipe that I had to whip up and I didn't have time to make homemade. If I use prepared pesto again, I will definitely use closer to 1/2 cup...or the pesto I used didn't have enough flavor. My batch had little to no pesto flavor, so I think I will try to stick to the original recipe in the future since I have always loved the results.


Ingredients:
1 clove garlic
1/2 t salt
1/2 c firmly packed basil leaves
1/2 c grated romano cheese
1/4 c olive oil

    OR 1/4-1/2 cup prepared pesto
pinch sugar
1 package yeast
1/4 c warm water
3 c flour

Directions:
Mince basil with garlic. Add romano. Place in bowl and gradually add oil, whisking constantly. Set Aside.
Place generous pinch of sugar, yeast and 1/4 c warm water in bowl of mixer, set until foamy.

Mix 2 cups flour with 1/2 t salt. Add to yeast mixture along with  basil mixture and 1 c water. Stir and add 1 cup flour gradually. Knead with dough hook. Place in greased bowl, cover, rise for 1 hour. Punch down,knead briefly. Divide into 14-16 balls. Fit around edge of 14 inch greased cake pan, leave room for rising. Rise 30 minutes. Bake for 35-40 minutes at 375F

Print Page