Scale
Ingredients
pesto:
- 1/3 cup fresh basil leaves
- 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 tablespoon pine nuts
- 1 clove garlic
- salt and pepper, to taste
dough:
- 1 1/4 teaspoon active dry yeast
- 1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon warm water
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Puree all of the ingredients in a food processor fitted with the steel blade; this should result in 1/4 cup of pesto for this recipe. Set aside.
- Stir the yeast into the water in a mixing bowl; let stand until creamy, about 10 minutes. Stir in the oil and the 1/4 cup pesto, and mix thoroughly with the paddle attachment.
- Mix the flour and salt and add to the yeast mixture, and mix until combined.
- Change to the dough hook and knead until the dough is velvety and medium soft, 3 to 4 minutes (note: I added more flour during this step, as my dough was still very sticky). Finish kneading by hand on a lightly floured surface.
- For the first rise, place the dough in an oiled bowl, cover, and let rise until doubled, about 1 1/4 hours.
- Meanwhile, place a piece of parchment paper onto a cookie sheet, and set aside.
- Once doubled, turn the dough back onto the lightly floured surface, and punch down. Knead briefly to expel the air, and shape into a round loaf. Place seam side down on the cookie sheet, and let rise again until doubled, about 45 minutes.
- To bake, heat the oven to 450. If you are using baking stones, turn the oven on 30 minutes before baking. Place the loaf in the oven by sliding the parchment off the cookie sheet, and directly onto the stones (or, if not using stones, just place the entire cookie sheet in the oven).
- Immediately reduce the heat to 400. Bake 35-40 minutes, and cool completely on racks before serving.
