whole wheat bread with pesto

Well, here's my final recipe to round out my pesto experience. I feel like I made a pesto pizza too but I don't remember. I certainly don't have a picture of it :)

I wanted to use pesto in a bread. First I thought of just putting the pesto sauce straight into the dough but I was a little apprehensive of how it would turn out, especially since I decided to make whole wheat bread. Didn't want a gummy dough producing a rock hard bread.

Very tasty with the pesto in the middle but I found that when I cut the dough, it wouldn't always stay in one piece. Eh, taste over structure :)

Have a great weekend folks!

...

whole wheat bread with pesto
yields 2 loaves (with about 16 slices each)

1/3 cup +1 tbsp brown sugar
2 cups warm water
2 pkg of active dry yeast
5-6 cups of whole wheat flour
3/4 cup powdered milk
2 tsp salt
1/3 cup oil
about 1/2 cup pesto

Dissolve 1 tbsp brown sugar in warm water in small bowl. Add yeast and let stand.

Place 4 cups of flour, powdered milk, 1/3 cup brown sugar, and salt in mixer bowl. Knead for 15 seconds at speed 2 with dough hook. Next, while still mixing, add yeast mixture and oil and mix for another 1.5 minutes.

Add remaining flour, 1/2 cup at a time, until dough starts to clean slides(about 2 minutes). Mix for another 2 minutes.

Place dough in greased bowl, cover and let rise for about 1 hour.

Punch down, divide in half and roll out into a rectangle. Spread 1/2 the pesto onto the surface and then start to roll up lengthwise. Place on greased baking pan, pinch the ends under and place the seam alongside the bottom of the pan. Repeat with the other dough.

Let rise for another hour.

Bake at 400F for 15 minutes. Reduce oven to 350F and bake for 20-30 minutes longer.

Remove from pans and let cool on racks.

Bread recipe from: Whole Grain Wheat Bread, Kitchenaid Instruction & Recipe Manual