Pesto Pull-Apart Bread Recipe

Aerial photo of pesto pull-apart bread that someone is pulling apart.

5 from 4 votes

This pesto pull-apart bread is an herby, zesty bread made with homemade pesto layered between soft folds of enriched yeast bread.

Prep Time20

Bake Time45

Rising Time2

Total Time3 5

Recipe Author Lynn April

Servings: 12 servings

Ingredients

▢ 2 Tablespoons (30mL) warm water
▢ 1 and ½ teaspoons (4g) active dry yeast or half of 1 packet
▢ 1 Tablespoon (15g) granulated sugar
▢ ½ cup (120mL) warm milk I prefer whole cow
▢ 2 Tablespoons (28g) unsalted butter melted
▢ 1 large egg at room temperature
▢ 1 teaspoon salt
▢ 2 and ¼ cups (270g) all-purpose flour be sure to measure properly
▢ 1 cup homemade pesto store-bought is fine

Need to keep track of your ingredients?Check out my Printable Ingredient List!

Instructions

Place warm water in a large bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook. Sprinkle the yeast on top of the water, then add the sugar. Whisk together with a fork, wooden spoon, or spatula and allow to rest and activate for 10 minutes.
2 Tablespoons (30mL) warm water, 1 and ½ teaspoons (4g) active dry yeast, 1 Tablespoon (15g) granulated sugar
Once the yeast mixture is active and bubbly, add the milk, melted butter, egg, and sat, then whisk again to combine.
½ cup (120mL) warm milk, 1 teaspoon salt, 2 Tablespoons (28g) unsalted butter, 1 large egg
Gradually stir in the flour. If using a stand mixer, use your dough hook. If mixing by hand, continue to use a wooden spoon. Add 1 cup of flour, stir, and allow dough to come together until all of the flour has been added. It may still be shaggy, but it should pull away from the sides of the bowl fairly easily.
2 and ¼ cups (270g) all-purpose flour
Turn out dough on a floured surface and knead for about 8-10 minutes, adding flour about 1 Tablespoon at a time if the dough is too sticky, until smooth and elastic. Your dough should resemble the surface texture of PlayDoh when it is done.
Spray the same bowl with non-stick spray or olive oil and place the dough ball into the bottom of the bowl. Flip the dough ball over to coat the top, and then cover the bowl with a lid or towel and place in a warm environment. I like to heat my oven to 200ºF (93ºC), turn it off, then leave the door cracked with the bowl inside. Allow dough to rise until double in size, about 90 minutes.
After dough has doubled, punch down the dough and turn out onto a lightly floured surface.
Divide the dough into 12 equal pieces, then use your hands and fingers to stretch the dough into discs approximately 4" in diameter (this does not need to be perfect). Lay all of the discs out on a flat surface.
Spray a 9" x 5" loaf pan with non-stick spray. Set aside.
Spread about 1 Tablespoon of pesto on half of each disc, fold in half, and place folded side down in the prepared loaf pan. Continue with each disc until all of the discs are in the pan, moving things around if necessary. Do not worry about aesthetics or if the filling is squishing out of the sides.
1 cup homemade pesto
If desired, drizzle olive oil on top, then cover loaf with a clean kitchen towel and allow to rise at room temperature for about 30-45 minutes.
When you are ready to bake the bread, set the rack to the middle position in the oven and preheat it to 350ºF (177ºC). Bake the loaf for 40-45 minutes or until the top is golden brown. I like to tent the loaf with foil after about 30 minutes to prevent the top of the loaf from getting too brown.
Remove the loaf from the oven and allow to cool on a wire cooling rack at least 15 minutes before turning out and serving. I like to serve with extra pesto. Loaf can be served warm or room temperature. Leftovers stay fresh, covered tightly at room temperature, up to 5 days. Loaf freezes well, up to 3 months. Wrap tightly. Thaw in refrigerator overnight.

Video

Notes

Make it a pizza loaf: if you want to take elements from my pizza pull-apart bread, I recommend using pesto in place of the pizza sauce and making this bread cheesy and pesto-y!
Working with yeast: for a comprehensive look at working with yeast in a recipe, see my post about how to bake with yeast.

Nutrition Disclosure

All nutritional values are approximate and provided to the reader as a courtesy. Changing ingredients and/or quantities will alter the estimated nutritional calculations.