Sourdough Pesto Bread

In Sourdough Pesto Bread, nutty pesto swirls through enriched sourdough bread making a beautiful savory loaf. With a soft, fluffy crumb and rich filling, this bread will melt in your mouth.

Learning how to make enriched sourdough bread is such a versatile skill! You can use enriched dough for everything from babka to brioche to cinnamon rolls. It can be sweet or savory, or even just plain too. Plus, you can shape the dough into beautiful braids, rolls, or wreaths that will add a bit of elegance to your table. If you want to practice baking enriched sourdough, this recipe makes a great starting point!

Using a stand mixer makes kneading the dough a breeze, and the shaping process is also straightforward if a bit messy. 🙂 And even if your first loaf doesn’t turn out as picture perfect as you’d hoped, no one will care after they try a bite. Once you get the hang of the shaping process, this bread is sure to become a go to recipe for everything from breakfast to brunch to dinner!

What is pesto bread made of?

Pesto bread usually involves an enriched bread dough with a filling of homemade pesto. Enriched doughs can use a combination of milk, eggs, butter, oil, and sweetener to make the bread extra fluffy and soft. In this recipe, eggs, coconut oil, and honey are added to the sourdough dough to enrich it.

Tips for making Sourdough Pesto Bread

• The dough is a bit soft and sticky, so it’s easiest to mix it with a stand mixer. If you don’t have one though, you can need the dough by hand for 8-10 minutes to develop the gluten.
• Because this is an enriched dough, it probably won’t completely double in size when you let it rise overnight. This is ok as long as you can tell that it has risen and when you press on it, it slowly fills the indent your finger made.
• Feeling creative? You can sprinkle extra fillings over top of the pesto when you’re shaping the bread if you want – sun-dried tomatoes, roasted peppers, olives, or even a sprinkle of parmesan would all go well with the pesto filling.
• Store the bread in an air-tight container or bag. It will definitely taste best within a few days of baking it though!

Tools you will need

To make this pesto bread, you’ll need a stand mixer with a dough hook and paddle attachment, a 9 x 5 inch baking pan, parchment paper, a rolling pin, a knife, and measuring cups.

Ingredients you will need

• 2 cups flour – All-purpose flour works best, but feel free to try using half whole wheat if you like.
• 1/2 cup sourdough starter – Make sure it’s been fed recently so it’s active!
• 1/3 cup water
• 1/4 cup coconut oil – Avocado or olive oil will also work here.
• 2 eggs – If you can think ahead to leave the egg out for a few hours, great!
• 1 tbsp honey – You can also use maple syrup.
• 1 tbsp dried basil – Or 3 tbsp fresh, chopped basil.
• 1 tsp salt – Kosher salt works well here.
• pepper – A little shake or two is enough.
• 1/3 cup pesto – If you have time, try making your own pesto!

Baking timeline for Sourdough Pesto Bread

If you want to enjoy your bread in the evening:

• Prepare the dough the night before you want to bake and let it rise overnight.
• Shape the dough in the morning and let rise during the day.
• Bake in the evening.

If you want to enjoy your bread in the morning:

• Prepare the dough the morning before you want to bake, and let it rise during the day.
• Before you go to bed, shape the dough and let it rise in a cool place overnight (to prevent over-proofing).
• Bake in the morning.

Basically, you need to start the dough about 24 hours before you want to bake it.

How to make Sourdough Pesto Bread

The night before:

In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine the sourdough starter, water, coconut oil, 1 egg, honey, basil, salt, and a shake of pepper. Use a medium to low speed on the mixer to stir these ingredients together until they form a batter.

Add in the flour a little bit at a time on low speed to prevent it from flying out of the bowl. Once all the flour is added, switch the paddle attachment to a dough hook and stir the dough on medium speed for 5-8 minutes, until it forms a smooth ball around the dough hook. It will be a bit sticky, and that’s ok!

Cover the dough and let it rise overnight. The dough should rise significantly, but may not completely double in size.

The next morning:

Place the dough on a sheet of parchment paper sprinkled with flour and roll it out into a long rectangle, about 16 inches long by 9 inches wide.

Spread the pesto on top of the dough, leaving about 1/4 inch border around the edges.

Roll the dough into a log, and place it seam side down on the parchment paper.

Starting about an inch from the top of the rolled dough, make a cut down the middle lengthwise.

Spread the two halves of dough apart, then layer them one of the other – filling side up – to make a braid. Tuck the ends underneath the braid.

Grease a 9 x 5 baking pan with baking spray or coconut oil, then place the braided bread in. Cover and let rise for 4-6 hours, until nearly doubled in size.

Baking the bread:

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and use the convection setting if you have it!

Whisk an egg, and brush it over the top of the loaf of bread. Sprinkle parmesan cheese over the top too if you like.

Bake the bread for 30 minutes, until golden brown on top. Let cool for a few minutes, then remove from the pan and let cool the rest of the way on a baking rack.

Want to try other enriched bread recipes?

If so, make sure to head over to the Kitchen Counter for more baking inspiration! Here are a few other loaves to try:

• Sourdough Raspberry Bread
• Sourdough Chocolate Babka
• Sourdough Brioche
• Sourdough Blueberry Cinnamon Rolls
• Sourdough Star Bread

If you make this recipe and enjoy it, let me know in the comments section below! You can also tag me on instagram @oldfashionedinspiration with a picture of your creation.