WANT TO SAVE THIS RECIPE?
Enter your email below & we'll send it straight to your inbox. Plus, enjoy weekly doses of recipe inspiration as a bonus!
Swirls of a bright and tangy pesto are laced in every bite of this sun-dried tomato pesto babka. A savory bread that's beautiful in both flavor and presentation and surprisingly easy to make!
Jump to:
Watch how to make this
What makes this recipe special
For the longest time, I have wanted to try the tangzhong method. I love that even though I'm a professional chef and cook every day, there are still methods and techniques that I have yet to try.
So what is this tangzhong method? It's a Japanese bread technique that yields the softest bread. You basically cook a small amount of flour with liquid to make a thick slurry and add that to the rest of the dough.
Well, today was the day to finally test this method on my sun-dried tomato pesto babka. The result was even better than I had expected. By taking that one extra step, this savory babka stayed soft for longer. Now it was time to incorporate this method into more breads!
Recipe
Sun-Dried Tomato Pesto Swirl Bread
Ingredients
Tangzhong
- 3 tablespoons water (45 grams)
- 3 tablespoons milk (45 grams)
- 2 tablespoons bread flour (16 grams)
Sundried tomato pesto
- ½ cup toasted walnuts
- ½ cup grated parmesan
- ½ cup fresh basil
- 4 ounces sun-dried tomatoes
- 2 tablespoons jarred sun-dried tomato oil
- 1 clove garlic minced
- ½ cup olive oil
- salt and pepper
Dough
- 3 cups bread flour (375 grams)
- ½ cup warm milk, 100-110 degrees F (125 ml)
- 2 tablespoons granulated sugar (25 grams)
- 2 ¼ teaspoons instant yeast (7 grams)
- ¼ cup butter, softened (57 grams)
- 1 large egg
- 1 large egg yolk
- 1 teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Make the tangzhong. Heat water with milk and bread flour in a small pot over low heat. Whisk the mixture constantly until it turns into a thick paste, about 3-4 minutes. Remove from heat and cool completely.
- Combine the tangzhong with bread flour, warm milk, granulated sugar, instant yeast, softened butter, egg, egg yolk, and salt. Knead the dough until smooth, about 7-8 minutes. Transfer to a clean bowl, cover, and proof in a warm area until doubled in size, about 1 hour.
- Meanwhile, make the sun-dried tomato pesto. In a food processor or blender, combine toasted walnuts, grated parmesan, basil, sun-dried tomatoes, and garlic. Pulse until roughly chopped. With the machine running, slowly add olive oil and jarred sun-dried tomato oil until well combined. Season with salt and pepper and set aside.
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 9-inch springform pan and place a 4-inch oven-safe ramekin in the center.
- Punch down dough. Lightly dust a clean work counter with flour and roll out the dough into a 12x18-inch rectangle. Spread about ¾ of the pesto in an even layer on the dough, leaving a ½-inch border. Roll the dough lengthwise into an 18-inch log. Cut the roll in half lengthwise and face the cut sides up. Braid the two ropes together to create a twist.
- Transfer the log to the prepared pan, shaping it into a circle. Tuck the ends together to enclose the circle. Lightly cover the bread and proof for 45 minutes in a warm area.
- Place the baking pan on a sheet pan to catch any oil that may leak. Bake the babka for 25-30 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from the oven and let cool slightly. Serve warm or at room temperature.
Notes
Step-by-step instructions
Step 1: Cook tangzhong
Before we dive right into the recipe, let's take a step back and figure out why the tangzhong method creates soft bread. Cooking a small amount of flour prior to adding it to the dough enables it to absorb more water. Not only can the flour absorb more water, but it can also hold onto that water throughout the cooking process, making the bread softer and moister.
Another bonus? The bread will stay fresh longer! I love homemade bread, but it never stays as soft because it's not full of preservatives like the store-bought ones.
Well, with the tangzhong method, I can enjoy this sun-dried tomato pesto bread days later.
Okay, now that we know what tangzhong does, let's get started. Cook a small amount of flour with milk and flour in a pot, whisking until it becomes a thick paste. Let the roux cool completely before adding it to the dough.
You can make the tangzhong the day before to save you some time.
Step 2: Prepare dough
Finish making the dough by combining all of the ingredients, including the tangzhong.
We're using instant yeast this time, but you can also use active dry yeast. If using active dry yeast, take an extra step to first combine the yeast with milk. Let it sit for about 5 minutes or until the mixture is foamy and the yeast is activated.
Knead the dough until smooth and let it proof until doubled in size.
Step 3: Make pesto
While the dough is proofing, make the sun-dried tomato pesto, which can also be made the day before. Sun-dried tomato pesto is a variation of the classic pesto, just adding sun-dried tomatoes to the mix.
Use some of the oils in the jar to add more of the sun-dried tomato flavor to the pesto.
Just by the addition of one ingredient, basil pesto completely changes into something else magical.
I like to make a large batch and use the leftovers to make sun-dried tomato pesto pasta with burrata or a savory baked brie.
Step 4: Shape dough
When the dough is ready, roll it out into a large rectangle about 12x18 inches. Spread about ¾ of the sun-dried tomato pesto in an even layer on top, leaving a ½-inch border.
Roll the rectangle into a long log and cut the log in half lengthwise. Flip the dough so that the cut sides are facing up.
Then, twist the two ends together to create a braid. Don't worry if it's not perfect because it will look beautiful no matter what.
Grab the two ends and seal them together to create a circle. Loosely cover the bread and let it proof again for 45 minutes.
Bake the sun-dried tomato pesto babka for about 30 minutes or until golden brown. It's important to keep an eye on the bread towards the end to make sure the pesto isn't burning. If it's getting too dark, loosely cover the top of the bread with foil.
Let the bread cool slightly and dig in while it's still warm. You can enjoy this bread at any temperature, but I preferred to have mine warm.
I tasted the bread four days later and lo and behold, it was still so soft. I can attest that the tangzhong method does truly work, and guess what? You can convert any bread using this method!
Make-ahead and storage
- Make-ahead: You can make the pesto up to 1 week in advance. You can also prepare the dough the night before and let it rest in the refridgerator overnight. Let it come to room temperature before shaping.
- Store: Keep bread in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 1 week.
More savory bread recipes
Looking for more savory bread ideas? Try these:
Work with me
All images shot and styled by Christine Ma. Available for food photography, styling, and recipe development.
Leave a Reply