Summertime herbs transformed into the best homemade pesto yeast bread dough, for a recipe using fresh basil or other fresh garden herbs.
Classic Homemade Basil Pesto
A classic fresh basil pesto is a blend of fresh basil, garlic, a great quality olive oil, usually parmesan cheese and pine nuts.
However, these days we love being creative and swapping traditional ingredients for other great tasting options.
For my favorite pesto recipe, I’ve chosen almonds over pine nuts, and pecorino over parmesan, so by all means be creative and use what you prefer, or happen to have on hand.
Simple Ingredients From The Garden
By now you know how much I love growing just about anything I can eat, which is how my recent book Dirt To Dish came about; 4 seasons of fabulous things we can grow.
Let’s be honest, what’s not to love about the great pasta salads of summertime, but in the dead of winter, we can still enjoy a warm pasta dish with that bright ‘green colour’ of a classic basil pesto.
All we need to do is freeze individual portions from our summer basil pesto for winter recipes, like these scrumptious basil pesto bread buns that would be perfectly served with holiday favorites.
And yes, pesto can be made from a variety of other leafy greens, as you might enjoy my take on a Spinach Pesto or Pea Pesto!
Never Buy Store-Bought Pesto
If you’ve ever picked fresh basil, or cut the tops off from a bundle of root packaged basil from the grocery store, you are aware that the soft delicate leaves begin to turn brown quickly.
Oh sure, you might have read on the internet from numerous blog sights such as Mediterranean Dish or even the trusted Epicurious, that basil can last up to 12 days if properly stored in water, or wrapped in wet cloth, which is great info. but what they fail to tell you is something I think is important.
However an important insight not mentioned is that while basil may not wilt for several days when properly stored, it does turn brown, and who wants brown pesto!
For this reason, how old do you think the basil is in store bought pesto, or what is in the recipe keeping it green? No thank you, it takes less than 5 minutes to make fresh!
Pesto Pull-Apart Homemade Bread Buns
Of course you could schmear a helping of your best basil pesto across a slice of store bought Italian bread, but for just a little extra time and effort on your part, you could serve you family the most amazing pesto pull-apart bread!
This fluffy bread recipe is one of the new recipes I’ve added to my repertoire of bread recipes because is has been the perfect dough for sweet or savory fillings, such as:
- Beetroot Dal Chutney Filled Buns – Homemade bread buns with beetroot dal chutney rolled inside for a colorful and healthy appetizer or side dish.
- Beetroot Spinach Bread Braid – A delicious, healthy, showstopper of beetroot with garlic dough and spinach with lemon dough, braided together.
- Sage Rolls – Sage Rolls are all about the powerful healing aroma of sage, bundled into the ultimate comfort food; bread.
What Makes This The Best Basil Pesto Bread?
Starting with the fresh ingredients from the homemade pesto, which I’ve already explained, but how about this amazing bread!
A bread dough that is fast to mix, using a little warm milk, dry active yeast and two eggs, with a little bit of olive oil makes this an enriched dough that rises quick and remains moist for days.
Equipment Needed
- 2 12-cup muffin pans, or parchment paper lined cookie sheet
- Mini food processor or blender for a quick pesto puree
- Mixer with a dough hook, or by hand with a large bowl
- Measuring cups and spoons
- Basting brush
- Oven
Ingredients Needed
- Milk
- Sugar
- Instant yeast
- Eggs
- Olive oil
- Bread flour or all purpose flour
- Salt
- Coarse salt for sprinkling on top of the buns before baking
- Fresh basil leaves
- Almonds or pine nuts
- Pecorino cheese, parmesan or non-dairy cheese
- Garlic
- Lemon juice
Garden Inspired Homemade Bread Recipes
For other garden inspired bread recipes, I am delighted to tell you that I have several!
Some you will find in my Dirt To Dish cookbook, others are even shared throughout My Muffin Madness cookbook, because muffins are a quick bread, but here are just a few from my blog.
- Carta Di Musica Bread-Crackers – An ancient Carta di Musica Bread-Cracker recipe, with herbs and edible flowers, makes beautifully delicious hors d’oeuvre crackers.
- Dandelion Flower Bread – From early spring dandelion flower petals, lemon and banana, for a moist quick bread.
- Butterfly Pea Flower Tea Bread – A delicate tea made from butterfly pea flowers, then the tea is the base for a purple and white bread.
How To Make Easy Pesto Filled Bread Buns
With two easy recipes for both the basil pesto and the soft enriched bread dough, once each are prepared, the buns roll together beautifully.
Roll out the risen bread dough into a long stretch of dough on a floured surface, about 8-inches wide.
The basil pesto filling is spread down the center, and from the long end, the dough is tightly rolled, sliced and baked in muffin pans or on a cookie sheet.
The beautiful spiral of basil pesto shows throughout while the soft bread is pull-apart delicious.
Homemade Basil Pesto Bread
Equipment
- 2 12-cup muffin pans or cookie sheet
- Food processor or blender
- Basting brush
Ingredients
- Bread Ingredients
- 1 cup Whole milk
- 1 tsp Sugar
- 1 tbsp Instant yeast
- 2 Eggs
- 2 tbsp Olive oil
- 3 1/4 cups Bread flour or all purpose flour extra for dusting
- 1 tsp Salt
- Egg wash 1 egg + 1 tsp water
- 1 tbsp Coarse salt
- Pesto Ingredients
- 2 cups Fresh basil leaves
- 1/2 cup Almonds or pine nuts
- 1/3 cup Pecorino cheese parmesan cheese or non-dairy
- 2 Garlic cloves
- 1/3 cup Olive oil
- 1 tbsp Lemon juice
- 1/2 tsp Salt or to taste
Instructions
- Bread Instructions
- Warm the milk and dissolve sugar in the milk. Cool to at least 115 degrees. Whisk in the yeast and allow to foam.
- In a large bowl, or bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook, whisk the eggs and olive oil. Whisk in the milk/yeast mixture. Slowly whisk in the flour and salt until the dough is soft smooth ball and not too sticky.
- Transfer to an oiled bowl, cover with plastic wrap and allow to rise 1 hour in a warm place (not hot).
- Homemade Pesto Instructions
- Place the leaves, almonds and garlic in a food processor or blender. Grind until the nuts are broken.Add the salt, lemon juice and cheese and puree. While the machine is running, pour in the olive oil. Taste to adjust the salt.
- Assemble Bread Form
- Punch down the risen dough. On a lightly floured surface roll the dough into a long narrow strip (or two), 8 inches wide. Spread the basil pesto filling on top of the dough, leaving 2 inches along the long side without filling. Brush a little of the egg wash along the long side of the dough without filling.
- Starting on the long side of dough with filling, tightly roll the dough into a long log. With a sharp knife, cut the dough into 24 equal pieces. Place swirled side down into the muffin pan. Lightly brush egg wash across the tops of the visible swirl, sprinkle a pinch of coarse salt on top. Allow to a second rise of 20 minutes.
- Preheat oven to 350.Bake in the preheated oven until tops are golden brown, about 20 minutes. Remove as soon as they are baked and place on a cooling rackServe at room temperature.
Video
Notes
I believe the table... that place that draws people to gather, is the most powerful symbol of togetherness. All that happens before the table is set, the planning, the gathering, the preparing, are all an intricate part of the dance that create the mood of celebration to share with friends and loved ones.