Cheese Pesto Twisted Bread Rolls

Baking bread at home can be an addiction. And this homemade walnut basil pesto is sure to get everyone hooked on to baking. Pillowy and comforting at every bite, these bread rolls are tasty and super easy to make. They come in handy especially with children who are always looking for titbits to munch on between meals.

Ingredients – for the pesto 

Basil leaves – 2 cups

Walnuts – ¼ cup

Garlic – 4 cloves

Salt – to taste

Black pepper – ½ tsp

Parmesan cheese – ¼ cup; grated

Extra virgin oil – ¼ cup

Lemon juice – 1tsp

Ingredients – for the dough

Flour – 375 gms

Salt – 1 tsp

Yeast – 7 gms

Sugar – 1 tsp

Milk – ¾ cup; warm

Butter – ¼ cup; melted

Egg – 1

Cheese – 1 cup; shredded

Butter – a few spoons; softened

Oil – 1 tbsp

Egg wash – 2 tbsp

Method 

1. Add the basil leaves, walnuts, garlic, salt, black pepper, parmesan cheese, extra virgin oil and lemon in a jar of the food processor.
2. Pulse to blend everything – the pesto mixture should be coarse, not a fine paste. Keep aside.
3. Combine flour with salt, make a well in the centre and add yeast, sugar, milk, butter and egg into it.
4. Whisk to combine all liquids in the centre, gradually adding in flour from the sides.
5. When the dough comes together in lumps, knead it well until smooth. This will require 8 to 10 minutes of kneading.
6. Form into a ball, coat it with a few drops of oil, cover and keep aside for one hour.
7. Cut the dough into quarters, roll each one into a ball and then roll out into rectangles.
8. Brush two rectangles with butter, spread the walnut basil pesto on it.
9. Add cheese to the top of one rectangle and cover it with another rectangle. Press the sides.
10. Gently roll with a rolling pin, then cut into strips.
11. Gather strips by two, sandwiching some more butter in between.
12. Twist each couple of the strips, holding from the two ends.
13. Place on a lined baking tray and set aside for 20 minutes.
14. Brush with egg wash and bake at 180 C for 25 minutes.

You will be surprised how quickly these delicious rolls finish; they never seem to last too long! Be prepared to bake numerous batches of these pesto rolls and share with us your experience of baking them in the comments below.