Braided Pesto Bread

Today is the time to start doing the spring cleaning because Ramadhan is almost at its end and I love my small corner in this world to be spic and span.

Amiko doesn’t go to school today because she fell down outside, hard, and scraped her knees. It must’ve hurt to walk so I let her stay home as long she stays in her room. What is it with little kids and cleaning? They hate to clean but whenever they see us cleaning and sorting things, they just wanna jump in and in the end we have even more mess and things we fail miserably to throw away because they think those junks are treasures.

Since her knees are smothered with Betadine, I am sure she isn’t gonna bother me downstairs. I’m safe.

From the outside, my refrigerator looks nice. But this gargantuan cool box I inherit from my mother in law looks like it was rampaged by the migrating wildebeest. But like a kid myself, I believe there is always a gem that we can find in the muddiest of muddy mud. I found two little pockets of frozen pesto in the freezer. I couldn’t be happier. At least I can make something that would cheer my daughter up.

At first I thought of pizza, but I want the pesto to shine and the idea of pasta is just too ordinary. So pesto bread it is. Braided Pesto Bread.

Recipe is modified from www.jasonandshawnda.com

Yield 1 big loaf enough to feed 8 polite people or 3 hungry people

Ingredients:

285 gr bread flour

15 gr wheat bran

3/4 tsp salt

1 tbs sugar

2 tsp instant yeast

-/+ 1 cup water

1-2 tbs of sourdough starter, optional

Pesto sauce

Parmesan/old cheddar cheese

Note: If you don't have wheat bran, just use all flour

Directions:

Combine all ingredients except pesto sauce and cheese. Knead well, oil the bowl, and leave it to proof until the size is doubled about an hour or so.

Lightly oil your work space and roll your dough into a 12x18 inch rectangle. Spread the pesto evenly and leave a clean inch around the edge.

Roll your dough nice and tight then cut precisely in the middle. You will have two pieces of dough and all you have to do is simply twist one another.

Transfer your braid to a baking sheet and form a wreath by joining both ends.

Let it proof for about 30 minutes, shave some parmesan or old cheddar cheese on top, then bake it in a preheated oven at 210C for 20 minutes or a little more depending on your oven until nicely browned.

Oohhh... The Smell!!

Simple ingredients made with a 'twist' do make the prettiest of dish. This particular dough recipe is not recommended for sweet fillings. If you want something other than pesto, tapenade would be great but of course, far more expensive.

So the next time you come across fresh basil, buy loads, make pesto, and freeze it in small batches for pasta, pizza, or this. It's so rewarding.

Cheers,

Amy

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