Inspired by Sweetnicks plate of fresh tomatoes, mozarella and basil last week I bought some fresh basil, mozarella and tomatoes. I found a glass of basil pesto on the shelf in the cellar and I baked a pesto-parmesan bread. The whole kitchen smelled like summer. I topped a thick slice of fresh bread with mozarella, tomatoes, remaining pesto and fresh basil.

Basil in and on bread – Pesto-Parmesan bread

A perfect taste of summer!

-==== REZKONV-Recipe – RezkonvSuite v1.1

Title: Pesto-Parmesan bread
Categories: Bread, Yeast
Yield: 2 MEDIUM LOAVES

500 grams Unbleached white bread flour, 4 cups
1/2 tablesp. Fine sea salt
10 grams Fresh yeast, 2/3 0.6-oz cake
325 ml Lukewarm water, 1 1/3 cups
50 grams Parmesan cheese, freshly grated, 1/2 cup

============================ PESTO SAUCE ============================
1 large Bunch of fresh basil – you need 2 oz, 60 g
— leaves (stems removed)
1 pinch Of fine sea salt
1-2 cloves Garlic
35 grams Fresh pine nuts or walnut pieces, 1/4 cup
35 grams Freshly grated Parmesan cheese, 1/3 cup
4 tablesp. Virgin olive oil

=============================== OTHER ===============================
2 Loaf pans, about 8 1/2 x 4 1/2 x 2 1/2 inches,
— well greased

============================== SOURCE ==============================
Nach Linda Collister & Anthony Blake
Country Breads of the World
ISBN 1-58574-112-4
— Edited *RK* 03/09/2006 by
— Ulrike Westphal

To make the pesto sauce, put the basil leaves, salt, peeled garlic,
and nuts into a mortar or food processor. Pound or blend until a
coarse puree is formed. Work in the cheese, then add the oil in a
thin stream, as if making mayonnaise, to make a thick, creamy puree.
Spoon into glass jars, corer with a layer of olive oil, and close
tightly. Store in the fridge (this makes about twice as mach as you
need for- the bread).

Combine the flour and salt in a large mixing bowl, and make a well
in the center. Crumble the yeast into a cup and stir in the center
until smooth. Pour the liquid into the well in the flour and mix to
make a fairly firm dough.

Turn out onto a work surface and knead thoroughly for 10 minutes
until the dough is firm – because the pesto is rich and oily, the
dough should not he soft and sticky at this stage. Spoon half of the
pesto (75 g) onto the dough and gently knead it in. When there are
no streaks of pesto or patches of oil visible, sprinkle the grated
Parmesan over and gently work into the dough. The finished mixture
should look very evenly colored, with the pesto and cheese: well
distributed. Return the dough to the bowl and cover with plastic
wrap or a damp dish towel. Leave to rise in a slightly warm, but not
hot, place until doubled in size about 1 hour.

Punch down the risen dough with your knuckles to deflate it, then
turn out onto a work surface. Divide into two equal pieces. Flatten
each piece with your hands to a rectangle the length of your pan,
then roll up tightly like a jell roll. Put the shaped dough into the
pans, tucking the ends under – they should be slightly more than
half full. Cover and leave to rise as before until almost doubled in
size.

Toward the end of the rising time, preheat the oven to 220 °C/423°F.

Uncover the loaves and bake for about 30 minutes until they are
golden brown and sound hollow when unmolded and tapped underneath.
Cool on a wire rack.

Serve thickly sliced, warm or toasted, within 5 days The cooled
loaves can be frozen for up to 2 weeks only.

*You can use 1 envelope teaspoons) rapid-rise active dry yeast
instead of the fresh yeast. Combine the dry yeast with the flour and
salt, then continue with the recipe.

VARIATION: If you are making a batch of your favorite white bread,
cut a I pound (500 g) piece from the dough and knead in 2 ounces (50
g) pesto and 61/2 tablespoons (40 g) grated Parmesan, then rise as
ahoy e. Punch down the risen dough and shape into a round loaf. Put
onto a greased baking sheet, leave to rise, and bake as above.

=====
more recipes and entries in English