Tantalising twists—creating perfect pesto swirl bread
This delectable Pesto Swirl Bread is visually stunning with its mesmerising swirls and packs a punch of flavour that will leave you craving for more. Bread baking can be slightly intimidating for those who don’t do it regularly or those who haven’t been taught how. There are many wonderful bread recipes out there, though with bread baking, you will also need to use your intuition and learn how yeast, sugar and flour work together to create this wonderful staple.
Tips to create the perfect loaf of bread:
Using a bread baker—produces the same humidity as if you were using an actual bread oven. The Emile Henry range of bread bakers is my pick due to their effectiveness and quality. This bread baker features a clever design allowing for even heat distribution and temperatures of up to 270°C, perfect for use in any home oven—the even heat distribution results in a crispy on the outside and soft in the centre loaf. Stunning in appearance, the Emile Henry bread baker can also be served straight to the centre of the table and won’t scratch or chip over time.
Incorporate sugar—ensure when cooking bread with yeast, there is a form of sugar in the recipe. Sugar helps yeast, the raising agent to multiply and grow. When the yeast feeds from the sugar, it will ensure its proper activation. Sugar also weakens the gluten structure to liquify and loosen the dough. Using sugar will improve the bread's overall texture, resulting in a soft, pillowy loaf and nicely browned. Alternatives to caster sugar include brown sugar, raw sugar, rice malt syrup, honey or pure maple syrup. Depending on what sugar you use, it will alter the flavour or colour to your liking or adhere to your dietary requirements.
Temperature—the environment that bread is cooked in plays a vital role in how your dough will rise. The hotter the temperature, the quicker the dough will rise; the colder the temperature, the slower the rising of the dough. This happens as yeast grows quicker in heat. Despite what your recipe says, keep an eye on your dough and leave it to rest for a longer or shorter period depending on how much it has risen. If the weather is warm, you may notice too many gas bubbles forming, if the weather is cold, your dough may appear flat and tough. To know if your dough needs more time, gently touch it to see if it is soft to the touch and make sure the size is almost doubling. In the cooler months, pop your covered dough in a warm place near the heated oven or outside in a sunny place. Always use warm water when activating the yeast.
Pesto Swirl Bread Recipe
Ingredients
For the pesto:
- 1 bunch Basil
- 125gm parmesan block
- 50gm pine nuts
- Juice of one lemon
- 2 garlic cloves
- 3-4 tbsp olive oil
For the bread:
- 250gm plain flour
- 2 tsp caster sugar
- 1 tsp dried yeast
- 150ml warm water
- Large pinch salt
- 2 tbsp olive oil
Method
- For the pesto, add all the ingredients to a small food processor. I used the Cuisinart Mini Prep Pro to blitz all the ingredients together until a textured paste is formed. Set it aside after.
- In a stand mixer bowl with the dough attachment, combine the flour and sugar, then make a well in the centre.
- Add the yeast to the centre of the well and pour the warm water over the top of it.
- Let the yeast and water sit for 10 minutes to activate.
- Once rested, add the salt and mix on low until the dough comes together and is smooth.
- Add the olive oil and continue to mix on low for 10-15 minutes.
- To cook the bread, I used the Emile Henry Round bread baker for the best results.
- Cover the dough by placing the baker’s platter base on top of the bowl and leave it to rise in a warm place for 45 minutes or until you can see the dough has risen and small gas bubbles have formed.
- Knead the dough again to remove the gas bubbles.
Roll out a piece of cling wrap onto a baking tray, such as the Anolon 26cm x 39cm medium baking tray and lightly flour the surface.
- Using a rolling pin, roll out the dough into a rectangle to fit the circumference of the tray.
- Spread the entire surface area of dough with the pesto and roll it up longways, tightly into a sausage shape, swirl the dough around itself into a circular shape.
- Flour the baker’s platter, place the dough swirl on the base and then place the lid of the bread baker over the top to cover.
- Preheat the oven to 230°C.
- Leave the dough to rest and rise for a further hour.
- Brush a small amount of water over the surface of the dough, optionally score the dough with a sharp knife and then sprinkle with a little flour and any left-over parmesan cheese.
- Cover with the lid and bake in the preheated oven for 20 minutes.
- Remove the lid and bake for five minutes until the dough is golden and the bread sounds hollow when you tap the surface.
- Cool on a wire rack and tear apart when ready to serve and enjoy!
