Pesto Bread

I love any and all kinds of bread. I also love pesto sauce. So when the two are combined, that’s just like a little slice of Heaven. 🙂

We were invited over for dinner at our friends Erik and Shannon’s and Shannon wanted me to bring some kind of bread. I was totally on it. I love making bread. There is something very therapeutic to me about making bread. So I looked through my bread books to come up with a good recipe. I found a recipe for an easy-peasy pesto bread that just hit the spot.

I had made pesto earlier, so that made the recipe even better. 🙂

Pesto Bread

This easy-peasy bread only needs a few basic ingredients, but when you mix them all together, it’s pure magic. You can make your own pesto or use store bought. I used my own that I made.

2 1/2 tsp dry active yeast

1 cup lukewarm water

2 1/2-3 cups flour, divided

1 tsp salt

about 1/2-3/4 cup pesto sauce

Dissolve the yeast into the water and let it set for about 10 minutes so it can get frothy.

Combine about 2 cups of flour with the salt.

Add the pesto to the yeast mixture and mix well, then add to the flour and salt mixture.

Fold it all in, then knead it together on a lightly floured surface, incorporating as much flour as the dough will take, for a few minutes to make a soft dough ball.

Lightly oil a large bowl and the dough and place the dough in the bowl. Cover with a towel and let rise for about 1 1/2 hours, or until it doubles in size. Punch down the dough, and you can either divide the dough in 1/2 to make 2 smaller loaves of bread, or keep it all together to make it into one large loaf. Let the dough rise again for an additional hour.

Preheat the oven to 450*F or 232*C.

Before placing the bread into the oven, make some deep slashes into the top of the dough. Brush it with an egg wash, then reduce the oven temperature to 400*F or 204*C.

Lightly oil a baking sheet then sprinkle cornmeal on the bottom. Place the dough on top. Bake for about 40-50 minutes for 2 loaves or about 50-60 minutes for 1 larger one, or until the bread is lightly golden and hollow when tapped on the bottom. Spray water into the hot oven about 3 times within the first 10 minutes of baking. Spraying water into a hot oven while baking bread creates steam, which keeps the dough’s crust soft and allows for maximum “oven spring” (expansion), resulting in a taller loaf with a thinner, crispier, and shinier crust, better flavor.

When the bread is done, remove it from the oven and let it set for a few minutes before slicing. Enjoy with either butter or olive oil.

Have a great day and make everyday great. May 2026 be filled with happiness, good health and prosperity for all. ‘Til next time.