Pesto Star Bread

Late August in Tulsa. Brayden is forty-seven weeks old — ten-and-three-quarters months. He is walking confidently across the apartment now in twenty- and thirty-step runs. The novelty is wearing off but the family is still in mild constant amazement that he is on his feet.

The pesto star bread is a weekend baking project — a yeasted dough rolled and stacked with a pesto-and-cheese filling, then cut and twisted into a star shape, baked until the bread is golden and the cheese is melted at the edges. The bread is structurally a Romanian or Eastern-European share-bread (similar in concept to a babka or a beautiful-bread), shaped specifically to be pulled apart into petals at the table.

The technique is the cut-and-twist. After the dough is rolled, layered with pesto and cheese, and stacked into a four-layer disk, the disk is cut into sixteen radial cuts from the outer edge inward (leaving a small intact center circle). Each pair of cuts is then twisted in opposite directions, which exposes the layered interior and creates the star-petal shape. The technique looks complicated but is mostly about geometry.

Sunday I made it. Mama was at the apartment for the Saturday-night-stay (she had driven up Friday evening for the weekend). She watched me shape the star Sunday morning. The bread came out of the oven looking like a small golden flower. We ate it with the family at the kitchen table Sunday afternoon, pulled apart petal by petal.

Pesto Star Bread

Prep Time: 30 minutes | Cook Time: 25 minutes | Total Time: 2 hours 30 minutes (includes rising) | Servings: 8

Ingredients

• 2/3 cup warm whole milk (about 110°F)
• 2-1/4 teaspoons active dry yeast (1 packet)
• 3 tablespoons granulated sugar
• 1 large egg, room temperature
• 3 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
• 1/2 cup prepared basil pesto
• 1 egg, beaten (for egg wash)
• 2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
• 1 tablespoon melted butter, for brushing
• Flaky sea salt, for finishing

Instructions

1. Activate the yeast. Combine warm milk, yeast, and a pinch of the sugar in a small bowl. Let stand until foamy, about 5–10 minutes.
2. Make the dough. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, remaining sugar, and salt. Add the yeast mixture, egg, and softened butter. Stir until a shaggy dough forms, then turn out onto a floured surface and knead for 8–10 minutes until smooth and elastic.
3. Let it rise. Place dough in a lightly greased bowl, cover with a damp towel or plastic wrap, and let rise in a warm spot until doubled in size, about 1 to 1-1/2 hours.
4. Divide and roll. Punch down the dough and divide into 4 equal pieces. Roll each piece into a 12-inch round on a lightly floured surface.
5. Layer with pesto. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Place the first round on the sheet and spread with about 2-1/2 tablespoons of pesto. Top with the second round, spread with remaining pesto. Stack the third round and spread it with a thin layer of pesto. Place the final round on top.
6. Shape the star. Place a 3-inch round cutter (or drinking glass) in the center of the stack as a guide—do not press through. Using a sharp knife or bench scraper, cut the layered dough into 16 equal strips radiating from the center circle to the edge. Remove the center guide. Take two adjacent strips and twist them away from each other twice, then pinch the ends together. Repeat with all remaining pairs to create 8 twisted points.
7. Second rise. Cover the shaped star loosely and let rise for 20–30 minutes. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 375°F.
8. Bake. Brush the star bread gently with beaten egg wash and sprinkle with Parmesan. Bake for 22–25 minutes, until deep golden brown and cooked through.
9. Finish and serve. Remove from oven, brush with melted butter, and sprinkle with flaky sea salt. Let cool for 5 minutes, then serve warm. Pull apart at the twisted sections to eat.

Nutrition (per serving)

Calories: 340 | Protein: 9g | Fat: 16g | Carbs: 40g | Fiber: 2g | Sodium: 480mg