A Continued Winter Carb Bender: Braided Pesto Parmesan

Carbs are the wind beneath my wings.

And here we go again with the bread. This time, a savory loaf for dipping in delicious blended winter soups. I came across this recipe, and with a jar of pesto standing idly by in the fridge, was immediately sucked in. This is a very simple recipe that makes nice basic white bread. I followed this recipe and loved it, but also, being who I am, experimented a bit as well. The bread itself is a nice foundation to incorporate things other than pesto and parmesan. I tried the sweet route and sprinkled with a cinnamon/sugar mixture and used raisins instead of pesto and parmesan. (And obviously forgot to take pictures. Ugh.) Delicious.

Pesto Bread

2c. warm water

2T. olive oil

2T. sugar

1/2c. skim milk powder

1T. salt

1T. yeast

5-5.5c. bread flour

2/3c. pesto

1c. parmesan

Combine water, olive oil, sugar, milk powder, salt, and yeast in a large bowl. (Bowl of the mixer if you are copping out and using that method instead of hand kneading.) Add flour 1 cup at a time until dough pulls away from sides of bowl or forms a nice ball. Knead for 8-10 minutes. Place in an oiled bowl and turn to coat. Cover and let rise for 60 minutes - or until doubled - in a warm place. (Remember my hint that I used with the Challah... it works wonders!) 

Divide the dough in half. With one half, roll the dough out to a large rectangle - approximately 8x12". Spread pesto and parmesan on dough leaving a half-inch border. Starting on the long side, roll the dough up into a log and pinch to seal. Place the sealed side down and gently cut down the center into two pieces. Join the pieces on one end and weave them together, pesto side up. Repeat with other section of dough. 

Place loaves in pans and cover to let rise for 30-45 minutes or until they double in size again. Bake in a 375F oven for 35 minutes.