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herbed star bread with pesto

Herbed star bread with pesto (vegan)

This vegan pull-apart pesto star bread is easy to make but so gorgeous. It's savory, soft, elegant, and perfect for an appetizer.
4 from 2 votes
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Prep Time 2 hrs
Cook Time 30 mins
Course Appetizer, Bread
Servings 1 loaf

Ingredients
  

Herbed bread dough

  • 2 cups all-purpose flour | 240g; or bread flour
  • 1/2 tsp sea salt | 4g
  • 1 tbsp sugar | 15g; such as pure cane sugar
  • 1 tsp garlic powder | 3g
  • 2 tsp Italian herbs | 6g; or dried herbs of your choice
  • 1 tsp instant or quick-rise yeast | 3g
  • 2 tbsp olive oil | 28g; extra-virgin
  • 1/2 cup water | 120g; lukewarm

Sunflower seed pesto

  • 1/4 cup sunflower seeds | 35g*; toasted
  • 1-2 cloves garlic
  • 2 tbsp nutritional yeast | 13g
  • 1/2 cup fresh basil leaves | 15g
  • 1/2 cup spinach | 15g
  • 2 tbsp olive oil | 28g; extra virgin
  • 2 tbsp water | 30g; plus more as needed
  • 2 tsp lemon juice | 10g; or to taste

Instructions

  • Combine all the dough ingredients and knead into a smooth and elastic dough. Place into a bowl, cover, and let rise for 1-2 hours.
  • While the dough is rising, make the pesto: add all the pesto ingredients into a food processor and blend until smooth. If needed, add some more water to help with blending.
  • Once the bread dough has doubled in volume, punch it down and divide it into 4 equal pieces.
  • On a piece of baking paper, roll one piece into a large thin circle, then spread on 2-3 tablespoons of pesto. Leave about 1/2 inch to the edge of the circle bare.
  • Roll out another piece of dough and stack it on top of the original piece, and spread 2-3 tablespoons of pesto over the top piece. Repeat this step (stacking and spreading pesto) for the remaining dough, but leave the top circle bare.
  • Gently flatten the stack of dough with a rolling pin, and place a small glass over the center of the circle. Slice the dough into 16 strips starting from the edge of the glass.
  • Take two adjacent strips of dough, then twist them and pinch together the ends. Repeat for the remaining strips.
  • Place the loaf and its parchment paper on a baking sheet. Cover the loaf and let it rest for 30-45 minutes, or until risen 1.5x to 2x in volume.
  • When the dough is ready, brush it with some olive oil. Bake at 350F / 180C for 30 minutes, or until golden brown.

Notes

*Alternatively, use pine nuts, almonds, or walnuts; toasted.
Keyword Appetizer, Pesto, Sauces & dressings, Yeast breads