If you love pesto and bread (who doesn't love bread??) then you need to try this recipe. It's fun to make, and eat! You just pull the bread apart from the jar and enjoy! Best part, aside from the fact that it's delicious, is that it's not your "average" bread -you are certain to impress your dinner guests! If you want an easier way to make it, you can use store-bought pesto. You'll need oven-safe jars like these 5.4 oz weck jars.
Here's how to make it:
Ingredients (makes 4)
For the bread
1 1/2 TBS dry active yeast
2 TBS honey
1 1/2 cups warm water
3 1/2 cups all purpose flour
3 TBS olive oil
2 TSP salt
Instructions
Whisk the yeast, honey, and 1/2 cup warm water in a large bowl and let it sit for 5 minutes. It should be frothy after 5 minutes—if not the yeast is may be expired or "dead".
Add 1 cup of warm water, the flour, oil, and salt into a bowl and mix until you have a smooth dough. You can use a stand mixer with the paddle or dough attachment, or mix by hand.
Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let it rise at room temperature until it doubles in size, about 45 minutes.
For the pesto
1/4 cup toasted pine nuts
1 clove chopped garlic
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
2 cups fresh basil
1/2 cup olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
Combine the basil, garlic, pine nuts and Parmesan in the bowl of a food processor and season with salt and pepper to taste.
Mix on low and slowly add in the olive oil while it's mixing. Don't pour it all in at once.
Remove from food processor once it's well combined and set aside.
Putting it all together
Preheat your oven to 400° F.
Fill each jar with some dough at the bottom, then a couple of tablespoons of pesto. Continue filling the jars in layers. You should end with a layer of dough. TIP: If you want to make it cheesy, add some shredded mozzarella with the pesto layers!
Bake for about 20 minutes, until the bread is golden brown.
Cool on a wire rack and enjoy!
Did you make this? Share pics in the comments!