Ingredients (Serves 4)
- 450g flour
- 7g fresh yeast
- 1 tsp sugar
- 1 tsp salt
- 15g Esporão Extra Virgin Organic Olive Oil
- 185ml warm milk + 50ml room temperature milk
- Basil pesto
Directions
Place the flour in a mixing bowl and add the milk and yeast mixture and mix with a spoon.
Add the remaining milk and olive oil.
Mix by hand or with a spoon for about 1 minute or until the liquids are absorbed.
Knead the dough until it is smooth and elastic. This may take as long as 10 minutes.
Shape the dough into a ball, put it in a bowl and cover it with a damp towel. In a cool, dry place without drafts, leave the bowl until the dough doubles in size (this may take 2 hours or longer).
Line a flat baking sheet with parchment paper.
Lightly flour your work surface and scrape the dough out of the bowl onto the surface it.
With a floured rolling pin, roll out the dough until you get a long, narrow rectangle shape.
Spread the pesto across the dough, leaving 1cm along each edge free of pesto.Starting from one of the long sides, roll the dough up until you get a long, narrow roll.
Cut the cylinder in two and seal one end.
Turn the two halves face up and wrap them around each other like a rope.
Attach the two ends to form a crown.
Place the crown on the baking tray and cover it with a damp towel or a bowl.
Leave it to rise another 45 minutes, while you heat the oven to 180ºC (not fan assisted).
Place in the oven and bake for about 30 minutes or until golden brown.
Remove from the oven and cool completely on a rack.
