Pesto & Cheese Party Bread Wreath
Recipe Published: Dec 2, 2022
Written by: Jasma
RECIPE BREAKDOWN
Difficulty: moderate | Time note: dough requires 2 hours of proofing | Oven Preheating needed: 350°F/ 180°C | Serving: 8 inch bread
INGREDIENTS
Tangzhong (roux):
100 g (1/2 cup) water
20 g (2 tbsp) all purpose flour
Kale juice:
30 g kale leaves
100 g (1/2 cup) warm water (add more if needed)
Dough:
360 g (3 cups) all purpose flour
4 g (1 tsp) instant dry active yeast
1/4 tsp salt
1 large egg
100 g (1/2 cup) kale juice
10 g (1 tbsp) olive oil
Cooled tangzhong
Filling:
145 g (1/2 cup) pesto
100 g (1 cup) shredded mozzarella cheese
Topping:
Egg white
Fresh rosemary
Fresh thyme
Coarse sea salt
SPECIAL EQUIPMENT
Stand mixer and hook attachment
Pizza roller
Adjustable cake ring and 2.5” ring mould OR 8 inch pan with a removable bottom
Here's the video tutorial! For more go check out my Youtube channel!
LET’S BEGIN!
Tangzhong
1. Make the tangzhong by whisking together the all-purpose flour and water over medium-high heat in a small saucepan.
2. Once the mixture is thickened and begins bubbling, remove it from the heat and cover it loosely to prevent it from drying out. Set aside.
Dough
3. In a blender, blend the kale leaves and warm water until smooth and you can’t see big chunks of fibre in the liquid.
4. Pour the kale liquid into a stand mixer or large bowl and add the all-purpose flour, instant dry active yeast, egg, olive oil, and cooled tangzhong.
5. Begin kneading at low speed with a hook attachment. Add in the salt once most ingredients are combined.
6. Continue kneading the dough on medium-low speed until a smooth ball forms. This may take 10-15 minutes to achieve using a stand mixer.
7. Lightly grease the bowl and allow the dough to rise for at least 1 hour in a warm environment until doubled in size. Cover to prevent it from drying out.
Shape
8. In a bowl, combine the pesto and shredded mozzarella cheese.
9. Transfer the risen dough onto a floured work surface and roll it into a long rectangle roughly 21 inches.
10. Cut the rectangle into three sections and use a pizza roller or knife to cut strips into the top half of each piece.
11. Evenly spread the pesto cheese mixture onto the uncut section of the dough.
12. Use a rolling pin to press the ends of the strips to connect them, then tightly roll up both pieces of dough into a log.
13. Place them into a greased angel food cake pan (or a ring mould with a smaller ring mould inside to form a donut shape) with the strip side up. Do your best to connect the ends seamlessly.
14. Cover the dough and allow it to rise for at least another hour until doubled in size.
Bake
15. Brush with egg whites and garnish with fresh rosemary and coarse sea salt before wrapping the top with foil.
16. Bake in a preheated oven at 350°F/ 180°C for 40 minutes until a knife inserted into the center comes out clean.
17. Allow for the bread to cool completely before removing it from the pan. Enjoy!