There is a particular kind of Sunday that calls for bread. Not toast — bread. The kind you pull apart at the table, still warm, with good company and no particular reason to rush.
This is that bread.
The dough is simple, enriched enough to be soft and pillowy without being sweet. The pistachio pesto gets layered through every fold — so when you slice it, there's a swirl of deep green running through the whole thing. Every piece has it. It doesn't come out of the oven and look like much. Then you pull it apart and understand.
Pistachio pesto, braided into bread. Pull it apart slowly.
Ingredients
- 4 tablespoons Tutto Sicilia Sicilian Pistachio Pesto
- 500g of bread flour or all purpose flour
- 7g instant yeast
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 300ml warm water
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 50g parmesan, finely grated (optional but very good)
Instructions
- Combine flour, yeast, salt, and sugar. Add water and olive oil. Mix to a shaggy dough, then knead for 8–10 minutes until smooth and elastic.
- Place in an oiled bowl, cover, and leave to rise in a warm place for 60–90 minutes until doubled.
- On a floured surface, roll the dough out into a large rectangle — roughly 40cm × 30cm.
- Spread the pistachio pesto evenly over the dough, right to the edges. Scatter parmesan if using.
- Roll tightly from the long edge into a log. Slice down the middle lengthways, leaving one end attached.
- Twist the two strands around each other, cut side up, so the pesto layers are visible. Pinch the end to seal.
- Transfer to a lined baking tray or tuck into a loaf pan. Cover and rest for 20 minutes.
- Bake at 375°F for 25–35 minutes until deep golden. Cool before pulling apart.
Nonna's Notes
If you want to extend your pistachio pesto, blend it with an equal amount of olive oil and herbs such as vibrant fresh basil or Italian parsley. Adjust to your taste.
This is the kind of baking that makes a house smell like somewhere else — somewhere with stone counters and olive trees outside the window and Sunday going slowly.
Make it the day before if you want. It's better warm, but it keeps beautifully. This bread is the reason to keep pistachio pesto in the pantry even when you're not making pasta. It's the reason to plan a Sunday around baking. It's the thing people ask you for the recipe for.
Give it to them. It's a good one to share.
→ Shop Sicilian Pistachio Pesto
This bread is a beautiful reason to keep pistachio pesto in the pantry.
