Description
Spinach, Feta, and Basil Pesto Pull-apart Bread
Ingredients
Scale
Bread Dough
- 180g whole milk, lukewarm
- 1 Tbsp Sugar
- 2 ¼ tsp active dry yeast
- 400g all-purpose flour
- ½ tsp fresh cracked black pepper
- 1 tsp salt
- 60g (4 tbsp) unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly
- 1 egg, at room temperature
Filling
- 200g baby spinach leaves, washed, then wilted down, roughly chopped and drained (see notes)
- 130g feta cheese
- 2 Tbsp freshly grated parmesan cheese
- Zest of 1 lemon
- ½ tsp garlic powder
- ½ tsp red pepper flakes (optional)
- ¼ cup pesto
- Salt and Pepper to taste
Egg wash
- 1 egg whisked with 1 Tbsp water
- Pretzel salt to finish (optional)
Instructions
BREAD DOUGH
- Place the lukewarm milk, 1 Tbsp of the sugar, and the yeast in a medium sized bowl, and stir to combine. Leave for 10-15 minutes, or until foamy.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook attachment, place the flour, pepper, and salt, and mix briefly to combine.
- Add the milk mixture, butter, and the egg to the dry ingredients, and mix on low for 2-3 minutes to bring the dough together. Increase the speed of the mixer to medium, and mix for a further 10-15 minutes, until the dough is soft, smooth, and elastic.
- Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and place in a warm place until doubled in size, 45 minutes to an hour.
FILLING AND ASSEMBLY
- Place all of the filling ingredients in a medium bowl, and, using a stick blender, blend until smooth and homogenous. Alternatively you can do this in a food processor.
- Heavily grease a loaf pan using butter. Turn out the dough onto a lightly floured surface, and roll into a 12”X15” rectangle. Spread with a layer of the filling using an offset spatula to get it right to the edges. You may have a little left over. You are going to cut the dough into 9 rectangles, each 4”x5” in size, so, using a ruler and a pizza cutter or sharp knife, measure and cut the 12” side into 3 strips each 4” wide, then measure the 15” side and, making 3 cuts, cut the 3 strips into 9 rectangles, each 4x5”.
- Starting with a short edge, fold each rectangle in half, and then line them up into your loaf tin, with the filling edge up and the folded edge down. Pack them loosely - do not worry too much about arranging them perfectly - as you can see from the photos, once it rises it sorts itself out!
- Loosely cover the loaf tin with plastic wrap, and place in a warm spot to rise, 45 minutes to an hour, until the dough is puffy, and when pressed lightly with a finger, springs back slightly. While the dough is rising, preheat the oven to 375˚f / 190˚c.
- Brush the loaf with egg wash, taking care not to drag the filling onto the dough, and sprinkle with pretzel salt if desired.
- Bake for 50-55 minutes, or until the dough is golden brown, and the internal temperature registers at 200˚f / 95˚c. Cool in the pan slightly, then remove carefully (you may need to run a knife around the edge), and cool on a wire rack. Best served warm on the same day it is baked.