We have something savory again for a change! Yay :) It was about time after having these awesome but very sweet Brownies last Monday for the 4th of July. Oh boy that was heavy stuff… well today there are delicious pesto breads or braided pesto loaves – whatever you wanna call them – that is up to you ;)

If you have friends over for a little BBQ, you need good meat or sausages, maybe some veggies and cheese for those who do not like the meat – salad (we almost always have potato salad made with a recipe from my mom) and of course: bread! Bread is important! If you want to have a BBQ “in style” you should do the bread by yourself :) There is nothing wrong with good bread from the bakery, but homemade bread?! Come one – much better! :P

Well I guess I have something for you! These pesto breads are perfect as a side for your BBQ – absolutely delicious!

Pesto Bread | Bake to the roots

Pesto Bread | Bake to the roots

Pesto Bread | Bake to the roots

Of course you have to plan a bit in advance if you want to make this bread – no homemade bread is made in 5 minutes (for that you have to go to the bakery). BUT – and that is the good part – it is not a big deal! The work you have to do is pretty easy and done in no time – mix the ingredients and knead for some time. The filling can be homemade or storebought – that doesn’t matter – but besides that… only a bit of waiting. That’s all. Even the braiding is easy – just cut the filled dough in half and lay each part over the other – that simple and you get a stunning look :) Does not sound too complicated, right? I think that is something you can easily do for your friends or family when having them over for a BBQ ;)

Pesto Bread | Bake to the roots

Pesto Bread | Bake to the roots

If you looked at the pictures closely, you probably seen it already. There are some containers of Arla Kærgården® in the back of some pictures. For a good reason! Some time ago I got asked to join a group of bloggers to create recipes for the 10th Birthday of Arla Kærgården®* (if you need more information about the products, take a look here* – distributed in Germany and Denmark only). As you can see – I could not say no to the request and created some nice recipes – so did the other bloggers :)

Sandra from Hase im Glück is joining in, Mara from Life is full of Goodies, Kathrin from Backen macht glücklich and my Favorite-Stephanie from Meine Küchenschlacht – we all created recipes using products from Arla Kærgården® (I never thought they’d have so many different products!). You can use Arla Kærgården® (officially it is called spreadable fat, cause it is not pure butter, but mixed with rapeseed oil) in basically every bake you can imagine – cakes, bread, muffin, cupcakes or in this case here for a pesto bread.

I think I should show you the ladies participating (and me)… :)

The result of this little blogger “get-together” is a nice baking book with a lot of delicious recipes! If you want to see it, click here* (in German only). I really like it a lot! And the recipes are great of course! :) I will show you all my recipes the upcoming weeks – with more pictures and information – and soon a little surprise (but that one I won’t tell you now) :))

Let’s get the party started with some braided loaves, apple cake, banana brad, cheesecake bars and so much more….!

Note: I made the braided loaves several times (you gotta test that stuff before you send out a recipe) – you can use the unsalted version of Arla Kærgården® or the version with garlic called Arla Kærgården® Pikant Knoblauch – so good! If you are into garlic, you should most defn. try! The pesto can be store-bought or homemade – if you need a recipe for that, click here.

INGREDIENTS / ZUTATEN

Pesto Bread | Bake to the roots

Pesto Bread | Bake to the roots

DIRECTIONS / ZUBEREITUNG

Pesto Bread | Bake to the roots

Pesto Bread | Bake to the roots

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Here is a version of the recipe you can print easily.

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Pesto Bread (Braided Pesto Loaves)

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• Author: Bake to the roots
• Prep Time: 25
• Cook Time: 30
• Total Time: 150
• Yield: 2 1x

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Ingredients

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For the dough

• 2/3 cup (160ml) milk
• 0.75 oz. (21g) fresh yeast
• 1 tsp. brown sugar
• 2 1/3 cup (300g) all-purpose flour
• 3 tbsp. (40g) Arla Kærgården® or butter
• 1/2 tsp. salt

For the filling

• 3–4 tbsp. of green or red pesto
• 1.75 oz. (50g) grated cheese
• plus 1 egg yolk for brushing the loa

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Instructions

1. Add the lukewarm milk, yeast and bown sugar to a large bowl and mix with a wooden spoon until the yeast has dissolved. Add flour, the spreadable fat and salt and knead 4-5 minutes until you get a nice smooth dough. Form a ball, place in the bowl and cover with a kitchen towel and let rise in a warm place for about 1 hour.
2. Line a baking sheet with baking parchment and set aside. Roll out the dough on a floured surface to a 16×8 inches (40x20cm) rectangle. Cut in half to get two squares. Spread the pesto on top, sprinkle with cheese – leave some space on one edge and roll up to that side. Cut that rolls lengthwise in half and lay one string over the other to get a braided loaf and place on the baking sheet. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and let rise for about 20-25 minutes.
3. Preheat the oven to 350˚F (180°C). Whisk the egg yolk with some water and brush the loaves. Place in the middle of the oven and bake for 25-30 minutes until golden brown. Take out of the oven and let cool down on a wire rack.

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Notes

• Enjoy baking!