Braided Pesto Bread
Braided pesto bread - soft, fluffy, and light with beautiful swirls of pesto running through! Easy, vegan, no-knead recipe!
Servings: 8 Servings
Calories: 277kcal
Ingredients
- 1 cup Almond milk You can use any milk of your choice
- 1/4 cup Olive oil
- 2 tsp Sugar
- 1.5 tsp Active dry yeast
- 1 1/4 cup All-purpose flour
- 1 cup Wholewheat flour
- 1/4 cup All-purpose flour
- 1/4 tsp Baking powder
- 1/4 tsp Baking soda
- 1/2 tsp Salt
Pesto
- 1.5 cup Fresh basil leaves
- 2-3 cloves Garlic
- 1/4 cup Pine nuts
- 2-3 tbsp Extra virgin olive oil
- Salt & pepper to taste
- Olive oil and sea salt for topping Optional
Instructions
Bread Dough
- Heat milk, oil, and sugar in a small saucepan. Don't let it come to a boil. Take off the heat and cool.1 cup Almond milk, 1/4 cup Olive oil, 2 tsp Sugar
- When this mixture is just warm, sprinkle over the yeast. Set aside for 5-10 minutes until the mixture is bubbly.1.5 tsp Active dry yeast
- Whisk in both the flours. Cover and place in a draft-free place for 1 hour or until the dough doubles in size.1 1/4 cup All-purpose flour, 1 cup Wholewheat flour
- Now add in the extra 1/4 cup of all-purpose flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.1/4 cup All-purpose flour, 1/4 tsp Baking powder,1/4 tsp Baking soda,1/2 tsp Salt
- Mix well. The dough is now ready for use immediately. You can refrigerate it for 30 minutes or up to 2 days. I always prefer to refrigerate the dough for at least 30 minutes.
- Preheat your oven to 200 C / 400 F Keep a greased 9"*5" loaf pan handy.
- Sprinkle flour on your work surface. Gently deflate the dough. Roll out the dough into a rectangle, approximately 15" x 9". I like to keep the thickness around 1/8".
- Spread 3-4 tbsp of pesto evenly on the surface. Try to leave a 1/4" border around the edges. It will help you make a neater roll.
- Starting with a long side of the rectangle, start rolling the dough tightly. Pinch the seam together and make sure the seam is facing down.
- Using a sharp knife, cut it in half lengthways.
- Braid the two pieces. Make sure the filling side is facing the top.
- Pinch the two ends of the braid together and carefully place it in the prepared pan.
- Let this rest for 15 minutes.
- Brush with olive oil and sprinkle some sea salt on top. This step is completely optional.
- Bake for 25-30 minutes or until golden brown. Mine was done in 25 minutes.
- Let cool in the pan for 10 minutes before turning out on a cooling rack.
- Cool for 30 minutes or until barely warm. Slice and serve. Enjoy!
Pesto
- Combine all the ingredients for the pesto in a food processor and blitz until you get a smooth paste. Taste and adjust for seasoning.1.5 cups Fresh basil leaves, 2-3 cloves Garlic, 1/4 cup Pine nuts, 2-3 tbsp Extra virgin olive oil
- You will get more pesto than you will need for the recipe.
Notes
- If the milk mixture is too hot, it will kill the yeast. You should be able to dip a finger in and feel it just warm. The ideal temperature is 40.5°C/ 105°F.
- If the yeast doesn’t foam, it may be inactive. Start over with fresh yeast so your bread rises beautifully.
- A switched-off oven with the light on is a perfect cozy spot for dough to rise. My dough doubled in less than an hour because it’s still fairly hot here. It may take more time for you.
- Once the extra flour has been mixed in, the dough can be used right away. But I recommend refrigerating it for at least 30 minutes (and up to 2 days). Letting it rest again makes it easier to handle, and it's always good to have this dough ready in the fridge for easy and quick baking!
Nutrition
Serving: 1 Serving | Calories: 277kcal | Carbohydrates: 33g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 14g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 9g | Sodium: 236mg | Potassium: 90mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 243IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 62mg | Iron: 2mg