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Starting with a simple dough, this savoury homemade bread with sage and walnut vegan pesto is so moreish and full of flavour. It's not as complicated as it looks to make the twist or braid either but worth the extra step. Great for sharing!

Homemade Bread with Sage and Walnut Pesto

Prep: 20 mins | Cook: 45 mins | Total: 65 mins | Quantity: Serves 6-8

Ingredients

Homemade bread ingredients:

  • 1 + 1/3 cups (300 ml) tepid water
  • 2 tsp sugar (preference is yours)
  • 1 tblsp active dried yeast
  • 1 ¾ cups (250g) strong white bread flour
  • 1 ¾ cups (250g) strong wholemeal flour
  • 1 ½ tsp salt

Pesto ingredients:

  • ½ cup (60g) shelled walnuts
  • 1 bunch fresh sage (approx 60 leaves / 10g)
  • 4-5 large cloves garlic
  • 1/3 cup (60ml) oil – olive, nut and seed oils all taste great!
  • 3 tblsp (10g) nutritional yeast
  • 1 lemon – juice only
  • 1 tsp salt

Equipment:

10 inch (25 cm) springform baking tin

Instructions

  1. Heat the water until it's just tepid - when you test it with your finger you can't tell if it's hot or cold. Whisk in the sugar and yeast and cover with a t-towel
  2. Put both the flours and salt into a large bowl. Once a froth has formed on top of the yeast liquid (usually takes 5-10 minutes) pour into bowl with the flour then stir together until it starts to form a dough
  3. Tip out onto your surface, adding a little flour if the dough is very sticky. Knead for at least 5 minutes. You want to tear and stretch the dough - hold half the dough in one hand and use your other hand to stretch and push the other half away from you. Bring the two pieces back together and repeat the process. Keep repeating until the dough feels smooth and elastic
  4. Clean your mixing bowl, rub it with a little oil and place the dough inside. Cover with a t-towel and leave somewhere warm until it's doubled in size. This can take anything from 30-90 minutes dependent on ambient temperature
  5. While it’s proving make the pesto – put all the ingredients in a food processor and blend to a smooth(ish) paste
  6. When the dough is well risen tip out of the bowl onto a floured surface, then roll out to a large rectangle roughly 18 x 12 inches (45 x 30 cm)
  7. Spread all the pesto across the dough and roll up from the long end like a giant Swiss roll
  8. Cut the dough in half lengthways so the layers are exposed
  9. Twist and tuck the two halves of dough over and under each other until it's a giant knot shape. Carefully lift into a 10 inch (25cm) spring form or loose bottomed baking tin with a piece of parchment covering the base
  10. Leave to prove until it’s risen almost level with the tin. About 10 minutes before it's ready, preheat your oven to 160 Fan / 180 C / 350 F / Gas 4
  11. Bake the bread for 45 – 50 minutes until well risen, crispy and lightly golden
  12. Leave in the tin for 10 minutes before turning out onto a wire rack to cool completely - though I thoroughly recommend carving off chunks while it's still warm
  13. The cooled bread will keep for a couple of days in an airtight container

Recipe by The Cook & Him at https://thecookandhim.com/recipes/homemade-bread-with-sage-and-walnut-pesto/