Braided Bread with Pesto

1. Start the dough: Sprinkle yeast over warm water in a large bowl. Let sit until frothy, about 10 minutes.

2. Meanwhile, make the pesto: Process basil, lemon juice, and garlic in a food processor until smooth. Pour olive oil in slowly, with the processor running, until pesto thickens. Add Parmesan cheese, walnuts, and kosher salt; process for 20 seconds. Refrigerate for 1 hour to allow flavors to combine.

3. Finish the dough: Whisk flour and kosher salt together in a bowl. Gradually add flour mixture to yeast mixture, along with olive oil; stir until just combined. If the dough is sticking to the sides of the bowl, add more flour.

4. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth and elastic, about 5 minutes. Form dough into a ball and place into a lightly oiled bowl. Turn dough over so all sides are oiled. Cover the bowl with aluminum foil and let sit until dough has doubled in size, about 1 hour.

5. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured work surface. Gently stretch and elongate dough into a 12x18-inch rectangle. Spread pesto over dough, leaving a 1/2-inch border. Starting at the long edge, gently roll dough around pesto. Pinch the seam to seal.

6. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

7. Place rolled dough onto the prepared baking sheet. Use a pastry cutter or sharp knife to cut the roll in half lengthwise. Turn dough so the cut edges are facing up. Keeping the cut edges up, gently crisscross the dough. Form into a round or oval wreath shape and pinch the edges to seal. Let rest for 30 minutes.

8. Bake in the preheated oven until golden brown, 20 to 25 minutes.

9. Remove from the oven and let cool slightly before serving.

Tips

You can substitute Cheddar cheese for Parmesan and pine nuts for walnuts in the pesto. You can also substitute 1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons store-bought pesto instead of making your own.

Be creative with the filling. Finely chopped raw or sautéed onions, bell peppers, spinach, mushrooms, cilantro, parsley, jalapeños, and broccoli work well. If using cooked vegetables, drain any excess moisture. If the filling is too wet, the bread will not rise.

In Step 6, you can dust the baking sheet with cornmeal instead of using parchment paper.