Pesto Babka
The festive season is a time of traditions & sharing. Families & loved ones gather around the table for a lavish meal made up of all kinds of exquisite dishes. In France, foie gras, blinis with smoked salmon & oysters give way to a roasted turkey served alongside a plethora of vegetable dishes before ending the feast on a sweet note, with the notorious ‘bûche de Noël’.
Although brought up in a French household, my family and I rejoice in our own ‘tradition’ of discovering new dishes & cuisines every year.
With that in mind, this seasons jolly 'Green Christmas 2022’ menu is filled with warming & flavoursome recipes for all to enjoy. A show-stopping plant-based menu that will keep you coming back for more! So let’s get to it…
Swirls of pesto meet brioche-like dough in this delicately braided Pesto Babka. Filled with basil pesto, rolled, braided & baked, this savoury delight is a treat for the eyes & the perfect way to start-off the festivities!
✨Wishing you all a wonderful festive season filled with joy, loved ones & as always, good food! ✨
- Vegetarian Recipe -
PESTO BABKA
210g of almond milk* + 2 tablespoons for glazing
1 teaspoon of active dry yeast
350g of wholewheat flour
100g of all-purpose flour
1 ½ teaspoons of salt
1 teaspoon of liquid honey**
2 eggs, room temperature + 1 egg yolk for glazing
90g of butter, room temperature***
2x 135g pots of pesto****
Handful of sesame seeds*****
In a mixing bowl, add the yeast and 120ml of lukewarm almond milk. Lightly stir and set aside until the top of the mixture appears foamy - approx 5-10 minutes.
Meanwhile, in another bowl mix the flour and salt.
Once the yeast mix is foamy, add the remaining milk, the dry mixture and the honey and eggs.
Mix on low speed for at least 15 minutes, until a dough forms.
Cut the butter into small pieces and, while continuing to mix, slowly add the butter. Mix until fully incorporated - the dough should be shiny yet firm.
Cover the bowl with a clean damp cloth and leave to proof in a warm place for 1 hour - the dough should double in size.
Knock the dough back by folding it inwards a couple of times.
Scrape the dough out onto a lightly floured countertop and cut it into 2 equal parts.
Flour a rolling pin and thinly roll out the dough into a large roughly rectangular shape.
Spread the pesto onto the dough, leaving a 2-3cm border on one side.
Repeat the previous 2 steps with the other piece of dough.
Roll up each dough into a log and refrigerate for a couple of minutes.
Using a sharp knife, cut a log in half lengthwise.
Braid the lengths of dough into a loose plait, continuously maintaining the cut sides facing upward.
Repeat with the other dough log.
Place the braided loaves into separate loaf pans lined with parchment paper and leave to proof in a warm place for 1 hour.
Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 180°C.
In a small bowl, mix the egg yolk & 2 tablespoons of almond milk.
Brush the braided loaves with the mixture and sprinkle with sesame seeds.
Bake in the oven for 35-40 minutes.
Remove from the oven and wait 5-10 minutes before removing from the pans.
Notes: *You can sub. the almond milk for any sort of dairy-free milk alternative.
** You can sub. the liquid honey for the same amount of unrefined brown sugar.
*** You can sub. the butter for any sort of dairy-free alternative - i.e. margarine, etc.
****You can use ‘Pesto alla Genovese’, ‘Pesto Rosso' or any other sort of oily pesto, with or without dairy.
*****You can sub. the sesame seeds for any sort of nuts & seeds to your taste - i.e: sunflower or pumpkin seeds, pine nuts, etc.
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