Savory Braided Pesto Bread Recipe from Scratch

4.87 from 15 votes

Total Time 2 hours hours 35 minutes minutes

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This savory braided pesto bread recipe is made from scratch. Light and fluffy, this homemade bread is braided with bright green basil pesto for a tasty, beautiful side dish.

This post was originally published in February 2020 and has been updated for content.

Making homemade bread can sometimes seem intimidating, especially one that is braided. Even though this pesto bread requires a little bit of time, my easy to follow step by step instructions make it easy to create.

This savory braided pesto bread would be delicious alongside stuffed calamari, white lasagna, or chicken piccata.

🥖 Ingredient notes

• Dough - The dough for this pesto bread is adapted from my favorite homemade french bread recipe. It takes just a few simple ingredients and comes together in no time. Bread flour will give you the best flavor and texture to the bread dough. Use all purpose flour as a substitute if necessary. Use either dry active yeast or instant yeast for the dough. Dry active yeast needs to sit in warm water, whereas instant yeast can just be mixed right in.
• Pesto - Homemade pesto is quick to whip up and is delicious in this savory braided bread. Instead of making your own pesto, use ½ cup or a 6-ounce jar of store-bought pesto.

📋 Substitutions and Variations

• Tomato - Add a ¼ cup of chopped sundried tomatoes to the pesto or substitute with sundried tomato pesto.
• Cheesy - Add ½ cup of shredded mozzarella cheese and ½ cup of grated parmesan cheese on top of the pesto before rolling.
• Pan - For a more structured loaf, bake the bread in a loaf pan instead of on a sheet pan. Place the braided loaf in the pan before the second rise and follow the remaining directions.

🥣 Step by step instructions

Mix the warm water, yeast, and sugar in a large bowl or bowl of a stand mixer, and then let it activate for a few minutes. Add the olive oil, bread flour, and salt to the yeast mixture and then mix to form a ball. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead until you have a smooth, soft dough.

Add the bread dough to a clean bowl greased with olive oil and roll it around to coat the dough. Cover the bowl with a tea towel or plastic wrap and let the dough rise until it doubles in size.

Punch down the dough and roll it into a large rectangle that is one inch thick. Spread the pesto over the dough, leaving a half inch border.

Starting on the longest side, tightly roll up the dough. Use a sharp knife or bench scraper to cut down the middle of the roll, separating it into two long ropes.

Pinch the two ropes at the top to secure them, then twist them together, pinching them again at the bottom. Bring the ends of the pieces up to form a U shape.

Next, twist both sides of the U to form a large braid, then tuck the end pieces under to secure them. Place the braided loaf on a sheet pan lined with parchment paper. Cover and let it rise in a warm place for the second time, till it doubles in size.

Bake the pesto bread in a preheated oven for about 20-30 minutes until golden brown. Cool for 5-10 minutes before slicing the loaf of bread for serving.

⭐ Expert tips

• The dough is done kneading when it is smooth in texture and springs back when you press your finger into it.
• Add a bit of flour to the dough during kneading, if it's too sticky. It should be tacky to the touch, but not stick to your hands.
• When rolling up the pesto bread dough, pull it towards you and tuck it in while rolling. Make sure to secure the "ropes" at the top and after braiding. This will make sure it rolls up tightly and stays secured.

🥡 Storage suggestions

Store the cooled loaf of pesto bread in airtight container or bag at room temperature for 2-3 days. To freeze, wrap tightly in plastic wrap and store in a freezer bag for up to 2 months.

🍞 More homemade bread recipes

If you loved this homemade braided pesto bread recipe, check out these other homemade bread recipes that I know you will love too!

• Crusty Italian Bread
• Honey Whole Wheat Bread
• Banana Bread with Greek Yogurt
• Italian Easter Bread
• Pizza Bread

📖 Recipe

4.87 from 15 votes

Savory Braided Pesto Bread Recipe from Scratch

Yield : 10 servings

Prep: 25 minutes mins

Cook: 25 minutes mins

Rising Time: 1 hour hr 45 minutes mins

Total: 2 hours hrs 35 minutes mins

This savory braided pesto bread recipe is made from scratch. Light and fluffy, this homemade bread is braided with bright green basil pesto for a tasty, beautiful side dish.

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Ingredients

  

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• 1 ¼ cup warm water, approximately 105-110˚
• 2 ¼ teaspoons dry active yeast
• 2 Tablespoons granulated sugar
• 1 Tablespoons olive oil, plus extra for greasing the bowl
• 3 ½ cups bread flour (affiliate link), or all purpose flour
• 1 ½ teaspoons kosher salt
• ½ cup basil pesto (affiliate link), homemade or store bought

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Instructions

 

• Combine the warm water, yeast and sugar in a large mixing bowl (affiliate link) or stand mixer (affiliate link). Allow the yeast mixture to sit for 5 minutes to activate.
• Add the olive oil, flour, and salt and mix with a spoon or on medium speed until the dough starts to form a ball.
• Turn dough out onto a floured surface and knead until a smooth ball is formed. If using a stand mixer, continue to mix on medium speed until the dough is smooth and elastic. The dough should spring back when a finger is pressed into it.
• Lightly drizzle a clean bowl with olive oil. Add the dough, rolling it around so it's coated completely. Cover with a tea towel (affiliate link) or plastic wrap and let sit in a warm spot until doubled in size, approximately 1 hour.
• Punch down the dough and turn it out onto a lightly floured surface.
• Roll the dough into a large rectangle, approximately one inch thick and spread the pesto over the dough, (affiliate link)leaving ½ inch border.
• Starting on the long side of the rectangle, roll the dough up tightly into a large roll, pulling the dough up and in to create a tight roll.
• Use a bench scraper (affiliate link) or sharp knife to cut the roll in half down the middle into two long ropes.
• Pinch the two pieces of dough together at the top to secure them, then twist the two ropes of dough all the way down, pinching at the end to secure.
• Take the bottom of the twist and bring it up to the top to form a U shape. Twist the two sides of the U together to form a larger braid, tucking the ends under to secure.
• Preheat the oven to 350° and place the braided loaf on a sheet pan (affiliate link) lined with parchment paper (affiliate link). Cover the dough with a clean towel or plastic wrap and let it rise for a second time till doubled in size, about 30-45 minutes.
• Once the bread has risen for the second time, remove the towel and bake in the preheated oven for 20-25 minutes until golden brown.
• Remove the bread from the oven and allow to cool for 10 minutes before slicing and serving.

Notes

Dough recipe has been adapted from Easy Homemade French Bread by Six Sisters.

• Dough - Bread flour will give the best texture to the dough. All-purpose flour can be used as a substitute. Either dry active yeast or instant yeast can be used. Dry active yeast needs to sit in the water with the sugar to activate, whereas instant yeast can just be mixed right into the other ingredients.
• Tomato - Add ¼ cup of chopped sundried tomatoes to the pesto or substitute with sundried tomato pesto. 
• Cheesy - Sprinkle ½ cup of mozzarella cheese and ½ cup of parmesan cheese over the pesto on the dough.
• Pan - Place the braided dough in a greased loaf pan before the second rise and follow the remaining directions for rising and baking.
• Storage - Store the cooled loaf in an airtight bag or container at room temperature for 2-3 days. To freeze, wrap tightly in plastic wrap and store in an airtight bag or container for up to two months.

Nutrition

Serving: 1sliceCalories: 238kcalCarbohydrates: 38gProtein: 6gFat: 7gSaturated Fat: 1gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 1gCholesterol: 1mgSodium: 469mgPotassium: 73mgFiber: 2gSugar: 3gVitamin A: 250IUVitamin C: 1mgCalcium: 28mgIron: 2mg

Author : Amanda Scarlati

Course : Side Dish

Cuisine : American: Italian

Tried this recipe?Mention @ScarlatiFamilyKitchen or tag #ScarlatiFamilyKitchen!