The Baker Chick

Baking up a delicious life.

  • Home
  • About Me
  • Recipes
  • Work With Me
  • Contact
  • Mama Bird

Braided Broccoli-Pesto Bread

May 18, 2012 by Audra 20 Comments

IMG_70251

Ok you guys- it’s official- I am obsessed with baking with yeast!  What started out as an irrational parnoia has turned into my new favorite hobby. Is it the satisfaction of watching the dough rise that I love so much? Maybe thhe soft pillowy breads that come out of the oven? Is it taking all my stresses out as I knead the dough on my table? Who knows- but- I really can’t get enough.

I’d been eying this particular recipe on Pintrest for awhile, and had been waiting for the perfect chance to make it. Well the chance came a few weeks ago when my dear friend Laura and I made plans to bake together. She’d given up sweets for a few weeks (how?) so I thought it would be nice to make something she could actually enjoy. (Plus- the morning of our baking date she found out some truly amazing news- and it seemed like celebrating with a piece of broccoli pesto bread was better than nothing!)

The original recipe used store-bought french bread dough, but I wanted to try something from scratch. I thought pizza dough would be perfect for this, almost like a calzone, so I went with that. I found this recipe so easy to work with and man oh man did it rise! So much so I had to keep punching it down while I waited for Laura to arrive!

Numerous types of filling would be excellent here, but I thought broccoli pesto sounded so interesting I just had to try it. The  options are endless and I can’t wait to try it again with something new. (Brie and pears maybe?) I also am excited to try to make my first homemade pizza and actually use this as crust!

Are you intimidated by the pretty braid on top? Don’t worry- it’s easy as can be and I included step by step pictures below!!

IMG_70041
IMG_70091IMG_70151IMG_70301

Print
Braided Broccoli-Pesto Bread
 
Ingredients
  • 1 (.25 ounce) package active dry yeast
  • 1 cup warm water (110 degrees F/45 degrees C)
  • 2½ cups bread flour
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 2 teaspoons white sugar
  • Broccoli Pesto
  • 1 head of Broccoli chopped into florets (about 2 cups)
  • 2 garlic cloves- peeled
  • ½ cup grated parmesan cheese
  • ½ cup blanched toasted almond
  • ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
  • salt and pepper to taste.
Instructions
  1. In a small bowl, dissolve yeast in warm water. Let stand until creamy, about 10 minutes.
  2. In a large bowl, combine 2 cups bread flour, olive oil, salt, white sugar and the yeast mixture; stir well to combine.
  3. Knead well until a stiff dough has formed. If dough is too sticky- gradually add the extra half
  4. cup of flour. Cover and rise until doubled in volume, about 30 minutes.
  5. Meanwhile, preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
  6. When the dough as proofed, turn it out onto a well floured surface, form dough into an oval shape and roll out.
  7. Add the pesto ingredients to your food processor fitted with a steel blade and process until smooth.
  8. Spread the pesto into the middle of the dough and cut inch-thick strips onto either side.
  9. To "braid" the bread- overlap one over the other- stretching each piece to seal the the beneath it.
  10. Once the loaf is braided- brush with beaten egg and sprinkle with sea salt.
  11. Slide a the loaf onto a cookie sheet or pizza stone, and bake for 20-25 minutes, or until crust is golden brown and crisp. Cut into slices and serve warm dipped into your favorite sauce.
3.5.3251

Crust adapted from: All Recipes
Filling and concept adapted from: Bev Cooks

Filed Under: Breads, Recipes, Savory Tagged With: Yeast

« Dark Chocolate Salted Caramel Cupcakes
{Milk Bar Monday} Cornflake-Chocolate Chip-Marshmallow Cookies »

Subscribe

* indicates required

Popular Posts

Comments

  1. Katrina @ Warm Vanilla Sugar says

    May 18, 2012 at 5:56 pm

    This looks so fabulous! Yum!

    Reply
  2. Me And My Sweets says

    May 18, 2012 at 6:58 pm

    Looks amazing and delicious. Yeast takes a while, but I agree that it’s worth it in the end. Thanks for sharing!

    Reply
  3. Erica says

    May 18, 2012 at 7:49 pm

    I had the same experience with bread-baking! I was totally afraid of yeast (proofing?! ahh!), until I started working with it more often… and now, I love it! It’s definitely the fluffy and chewiness of the finished products that gets me. Keep up the bread posts!

    Reply
  4. Chung-Ah | Damn Delicious says

    May 18, 2012 at 8:13 pm

    This is absolutely gorgeous! And I’m so glad to hear that you’re obsessed with yeast now. Yeast freaks me out so maybe if I try it enough, I’ll be obsessed like you! I’d love to make more breads at home.

    Reply
  5. Siri says

    May 18, 2012 at 9:46 pm

    Oh my god I want that in my mouth right this second.

    Reply
  6. Kayle (The Cooking Actress) says

    May 18, 2012 at 10:46 pm

    I can so relate–I used to be TERRIFIED of baking with yeast, and now I am so addicted!!

    Reply
  7. Samantha says

    May 18, 2012 at 11:15 pm

    Audra, This is such a beautiful braided bread! Well done! I am so looking forward to finishing up my current show so i have more time to bake!

    Reply
  8. Mi Vida en un Dulce says

    May 19, 2012 at 7:17 pm

    Finnaly I think I found a way for my familly to eat brocoli…!!! There are some vegtables a little bit hard to eat by the kids, but if it’s inside a home baked bread, I guess it will be a success.

    Reply
  9. Jacqui Stephenson says

    May 20, 2012 at 11:02 am

    What an amazing recipe! I made this braided loaf today all the way in Brisbane (Australia) and it was an absolute hit. It turned out just like the one in your picture! I can’t wait to try different fillings. I’m thinking of doing an antipasto style one next time – ricotta, feta, olives, sun dried tomatoes and artichoke. Maybe even one with fried mushrooms with herbs and ricotta. Thanks for posting :) Jacqui

    Reply
  10. Audra says

    May 20, 2012 at 1:16 pm

    Hooray! I’m so glad you hear that it turned out well for you! And your antipasto-style filling sounds great!

    Reply
  11. Audra says

    May 20, 2012 at 1:16 pm

    I’m looking forward to that too!

    Reply
  12. Cassie @ Bake Your Day says

    May 20, 2012 at 8:24 pm

    I adore pizza braids and this filling is making my mouth water. I love it!

    Reply
  13. Jen Laceda says

    May 21, 2012 at 6:14 am

    Me and yeast baking are enemies!!! But I’m willing to give it another go, especially if it comes out this bee-yoo-tiful!

    Reply
  14. PolaM says

    May 21, 2012 at 4:15 pm

    Makes me hungry!

    Reply
  15. Grace says

    May 24, 2012 at 8:21 pm

    MMM that looks so delicous!

    Reply
  16. Elizabeth says

    May 28, 2012 at 7:46 pm

    I love different versions of pesto!

    Reply
  17. Kris says

    August 28, 2015 at 2:09 pm

    This looks so good! There’s no actual recipe for the pesto though. I presume you just steam the broccoli and then blitz everything in a food processor?

    Reply
    • Audra says

      September 11, 2015 at 9:32 am

      Thanks for letting me know- I’ll fix it!

      Reply
      • Heather says

        January 4, 2019 at 11:21 am

        Help! Making this tonight… Do you steam the broccoli first, or toss the raw broccoli in the food processor?

        Reply

Trackbacks

  1. Pumpkin Cheesecake Braid says:
    November 7, 2016 at 8:06 am

    […] cross the cut strips, overlapping one with the other. (This old post has good photos to outline this […]

    Reply

Leave a Reply to Chung-Ah | Damn Delicious Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Rate this recipe:  

  • Facebook
  • Pinterest
  • Instagram
  • Twitter
  • RSS
  • Google+

Never Miss a Recipe!




Featured Recipes

Sweet and Salty Layer Cake

Chocolate Peanut Butter Football Cookies

Jalapeño Popper Pull-apart Bread

Sweet and Salty Monster Cookies

Categories

Archives

Connect

user profileMeet The Baker Chick → Read More…

Pumpkin Buttermilk Biscuits
  • Facebook
  • Pinterest
  • Instagram
  • Twitter
  • RSS
  • Google+

Copyright © 2022 ♥ Design by Deluxe Designs