Fifty-fifty, white and wholemeal bread streaked with pesto made from pumpkin seeds and fresh coriander. This Pumpkin Seed Pesto Bread is perfect with the pumpkin soup.
Prep time: 30 Mins (plus 2 hours rest time)
Cook time: 40 Mins plus cooling time
Effort: Challenging
Yield: Serves 4 to 6
Image: Le Creuset
Ingredients
For the bread- 400ml (14floz) hand-hot water
- 1½ teaspoons golden caster sugar
- 1 tablespoon active dried yeast
- 325g (11½ oz) strong white bread flour
- 175g (6oz) stoneground wholemeal bread flour
- 1½ teaspoons fine sea salt
- 3 tablespoons finely grated parmesan cheese
- 2 tablespoons pumpkin seeds - coarsely chopped (optional)
- 25g (1oz) shelled pumpkin seeds
- 40g (1½ oz) fresh coriander leaves
- ½ medium-hot green chilli - seeded and finely chopped
- 1 large garlic clove - crushed
- 5 tablespoons olive oil
- 25g (1oz) Parmesan cheese - finely grated
Method
- Put 150ml (¼ pint) of the hand-hot water into a cup, whisk in the sugar and the dried yeast with a fork, and leave somewhere warm for about 5 – 10 minutes until covered in a thick layer of froth.
- Meanwhile, sift the white flour, wholemeal flour and salt into a bowl and stir in any bran left in the sieve.
- Add the yeast mixture and the remaining hand-hot water and stir together until well mixed, then knead for 10 minutes until smooth and elastic. Cover and leave in a warm place to rise for 1 hour or until doubled in size.
- For the pumpkin seed pesto, put the pumpkin seeds, coriander, chilli, garlic and oil into a food processor and blend to a paste. Stir in the Parmesan cheese and some salt to taste.
- Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface, knock out the excess air, and knead once more until smooth.
- Divide into 2 equally sized pieces. Roll each piece out into a 25 x 15cm (10 x 6 inch) rectangle. Spread half of the pesto over each piece of dough leaving a 1cm (½ inch) edge.
- Starting with one long edge, tightly roll up each piece of the dough, pinching the edges together as you go, then pinch the final seam closed.
- Using a large sharp knife, cut each roll lengthways in half, and then twist the 2 pieces together again, keeping the pesto seam uppermost. Lay the twists side-by-side in the lightly oiled stoneware dish and sprinkle with the parmesan cheese.
- Cover the dish loosely with a sheet of cling film, and leave in a warm place to rise for 45 minutes until doubled in size, the dough has filled the dish and is almost touching the cling film.
- Shortly before baking, preheat the oven to 180°C / Fan 160°C / 350°F / Gas 4. Sprinkle the top of the bread with the pumpkin seeds if using, and bake for 35 – 40 minutes until golden brown and cooked through.
