It is that wonderful time of year again. The time when the weather is cooling off, and I can bake to my heart’s content to warm the house and our bellies. There is nothing I love eating more than a fresh baked slice (or two) of bread. Just the smell of freshly baking bread brings so much joy and comfort.
Today, I am partnering with Barilla and Mom’s Meet to share a recipe that I created in the autumn kitchen. I made some pesto swirl bread to go with a pasta dish, and four out of five members of my family LOVED it. One is… well, super picky. She liked it alright, but didn’t love it and go back for more. So, take that as you’d like. My husband, who was honestly really unsure of how good it would be, LOVED it. As Rachel Ray would say, here is our cast of characters:
I am going to share the recipe right here, and then move on to some step by step pictures and information. You are welcome.
Pesto Swirl Bread
1 1/2 cup warm water
2 teaspoons active dry yeast
2 teaspoons honey or cane sugar
1 egg (can sub 1 Tbsp ground flax seed and 3 Tbsp Water)
1 teaspoon salt
3 1/2 cups unbleached all purpose flour
4 Tbsp Barilla Creamy Genovese Pesto
- In the bowl of your mixer, combine water, yeast, and sugar. Stir and allow to sit until foamy.
- Add egg and salt- mix until combined.
- Add the flour one cup at a time until just combined.
- Turn dough onto a lightly floured countertop and knead for approximately five minutes. You want your dough to be smooth and not sticky.
- Shape the dough into a ball and place into a clean bowl to rise for one hour, or until doubled.
- Once doubled, punch the dough down.
- Turn the dough onto your lightly floured counter and roll with a rolling pin into a rectangle about 12X17 inches. Eyeball it, it doesn’t have to be specific.
- Spread 4 Tablespoons of Barilla Creamy Genovese Pesto onto the dough. Starting at one of the short sides, begin rolling into a long cylinder.
- Pinch all of your edges together and place seam side down into a bread pan.
- Allow the prepared dough to rise for 30 minutes or until doubled.
- Bake in the oven at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.
Here are some of my best bread baking tips. The temperature of your water will make or break your yeast. Too hot, and it will kill your yeast. Too cool and it will not activate. Think of a warm bath. What temperature of bath water would you draw for your children? You want it warm, but not hot. That is the ticket. Once you’ve combined your water, yeast, and honey/sugar, it should get foamy. If it isn’t foamy after 15 minutes, throw it out and start over. It’s better to throw out those ingredients than so many more if your bread doesn’t rise. It also saves you a lot of frustration. If you have a drafty, old kitchen (just me?) that isn’t warm enough for bread to rise, turn your oven light on and place your bowl inside. This will create just enough warmth for your dough to be nice and cozy. Just don’t forget and preheat the oven with it inside.
It is always so fun to see how much the dough rises!
I know, it does not look very appetizing. Stick with me here. Spread your Creamy Genovese pesto evenly on the rolled out bread and start rolling it up. My father-in-law once told me that he was always amazed at how some of the grossest looking foods could be the best tasting. He was eating green chili chicken enchiladas that I made. He wasn’t wrong.
Make sure you keep all of the edges all tucked to the bottom so that it will not come undone. Fold all of the edges under and pinch them closed the best that you can.
Here is the delicious bread after baking. It smells so good. I wish you could scratch and sniff. You are welcome to try, but I don’t think it will work.
I like to remove my bread from all baking pans after it has cooled for about five minutes. If you leave it in, the bread can get really moist and end up gummy and gross. Pop it out onto a cooling rack or wooden cutting board and cover it with a towel. You can wrap the towel around it completely if you want to keep the bread really soft.
Roll that beautiful swirl footage.
We ate this bread as is– just warm and fresh from the oven. It would also be delicious with some butter and garlic toasted in the oven. A creamy pesto swirl garlic bread? Yum.
Barilla Creamy Genovese Pesto is ready to be consumed right from the jar. You don’t have to heat it up at all. You can stir it into fresh pasta, spread it onto sandwiches or toast, marinate meats and vegetables, and use as a dip for veggies and pita chips. It is so versatile.
Barilla respects the ingredients. It is imported from Parma, Italy. To preserve the color fo the basil and the aroma of the Italian Cheese, Barilla minimizes the handling of ingredients. It is prepared in as little as three hours from start to finish– from ingredient preparation to tightening on the lid. That is awesome.
Just a little of the pest goes a long way. One jar mixes best with 16 ounces of pasta. (Get the cute little mini bowties!) How fun would this be on spaghetti for halloween with olive eyeballs in your green pesto pasta?!
You can buy Barilla Creamy Genovese Pesto at Target, Publix, Stop & Shop, Meijer, ShopRite, Hy-Vee, Albertsons, Safeway, Vons, and more. Visit momsmeet.link/barillalocate to find a store near you.
Did you know that pesto is usually bought and used in the same day? Sixty-six percent of shoppers consume pesto within three hours of purchasing it. It is so easy to stir into some pasta, serve with some salad and voila! You have a meal.
If you try this bread, be sure to come back and tell me what you think!
Happy Baking!