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Plaited Pesto Bread

23rd April 2020 By Louise Leave a Comment

Pesto Bread

Plaited Pesto Bread

Looking for the perfect bread to serve with soup or salad ? Or make this plaited white loaf to serve at barbecues, picnics and at family gatherings.  It’s most definitely a crowd pleaser.  You can vary the pesto ingredients to suit your taste and what’s in your fridge and larder.

* Best eaten on the day it’s baked however it does freeze well.

 

Pesto Bread
Print Recipe

Plaited Pesto Bread

Prep Time30 mins
Cook Time35 mins
proving time1 hr 20 mins
Total Time2 hrs 25 mins
Course: Appetiser
Servings: 8 people

Equipment

  • 23cm cake tin and parchment paper

Ingredients

  • 500 g Strong white bread flour
  • 8 g sea salt
  • 12 g fresh bakers yeast or 7g fast action
  • 350 g water 37C
  • 2 Tbls olive oil
  • 220 g Pesto of your choice I used wild garlic and rocket

Instructions

  • Measure the flour in a large bowl, mix in the salt on one side of the bowl. Now on the other side rub in the fresh yeast, as you would butter into flour when making crumble. If you’re using fast action just scatter it in. Weigh the water as this is far more accurate. Then add the oil. Pour into the flour, with one hand bring the dough together.
  • Once the dough has formed, tip the whole lot onto the work surface and proceed to work the dough. Knead for 5-8 minutes until it’s smooth and elastic. (You can do this in a free-standing mixer with a dough hook attached). Place the dough back in the bowl and cover with a tea towel. Prove for 30 minutes.
  • After Proving tip the dough out onto a floured work surface. Knock the dough back and form into a rectangle. Begin to roll, making sure it’s not sticking underneath. if it is lift the dough and scatter a little more flour under the dough. Roll until it's approximately 50 x 30cm in size.
  • Spread the pesto all over the surface of the dough. Then proceed to roll into a fairly tight sausage.
  • Now take a serrated knife and cut all the way down the centre as shown below. Twist the halves and then roll into a tight ball, tucking the end underneath. Place into a 23cm cake tin lined with baking parchment. Prove from anything between 45-90 minutes, depending on your room temperature. It should be almost double in size.
  • Preheat the oven to 220C fan. Place in the oven and bake at this temperature for 6 minutes, then reduce the temperature to 200C and bake for a further 25-30 minutes, depending on your oven. Serve warm if you can, it’ll be gone in five minutes flat!

* You can find a video on how to make this on my instagram highlights.

Cut with a serrated knife.
Make sure it’s fully cut through.
Start overlapping the halves.

make sure it’s not too loosely twisted.
Roll up into a tight ball.
Tuck the end under.

Tips:

  • I’ve used yeast for speed in this recipe, alternatively use an active sourdough starter, you’ll need 110g
  • Add chopped olives or capers.

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Filed Under: Baking, Bread & Buns, Lunch, Snacks, Starters, Vegetarian Tagged With: baking, Bread, family food

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About Louise

Hej, I'm Louise, a food enthusiast living in Marlow, Bucks, UK. Welcome to my culinary adventures in my Nordic Kitchen. Read More

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I’m almost there on the method, it needs a little tweaking but I’m pretty pleased with the result.
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This was served for dessert, so was filled with a seasonal gooseberry and elderflower compote then coated in Lemon Swiss Meringue Buttercream.
That’s it for wedding cakes, for now at least 😅
A dish that works for any summer gathering and a g A dish that works for any summer gathering and a great Midsummer alfresco meal. Easy to BBQ too.

Have a great weekend friends.

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800g Salmon fillet (or sea trout)
1.5 tsp Malden salt
1.5 tbls white, red & green peppercorns
1 tsp fennel seeds
1 tsp Demerara sugar 
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Oven 180C fan.

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and lay the salmon fillet on the top.
Place the salt, peppercorns, fennel seeds & sugar in a mortar. Wash the lemons then zest 1 1/2 and place in the mortar. Pound together so that everything is mixed well (if you do not have a mortar, you can mix in a small bowl). Spread the spice mixture over the salmon and rub it in thoroughly. Drizzle over oil. Slice the lemon in thick slices and place around the salmon. Leave out for 1 hour. 

Green salsa
Chop the leaves of a bunch of parsley finely, then finely chop a small clove garlic and place in a bowl. Zest the remaining lemon half a add the lemon juice, 50ml EVOO, salt and pepper to the bowl of parsley. Mix together to a smooth sauce. You can also use a hand mixer.

Bake the salmon for 20-25 minutes or until just cooked through. Serve with roasted new potatoes a seasonal salad. And quick pickled red onions.
Glad Midsommar🇸🇪 I love where I live but Sw Glad Midsommar🇸🇪

I love where I live but Sweden is the place to be on Midsummer’s Eve. 

Always celebrated on the Friday (between 19-25 June and a National holiday)  A day filled with flower crowns (midsommarkransar), dancing, singing and a sun that never sets. 

And of course there’s plenty of food, cold beer and schnapps, preferably spiced. 
Apart from pickled herring, new potatoes & sour cream there’ll be a main course.
Watch out for my next post in a few hours…
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I have made a video to show you exactly how to make this cake on stories, which I’ll save to highlights.

🍓Swedish Midsummer Berry Cake🍓

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edible flowers and herbs to decorate.
I can hardly believe that it’ll be midsummer at I can hardly believe that it’ll be midsummer at the end of the week, we’ll be celebrating as a family on Sunday. 

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Hope you’ve had a lovely weekend.

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