Twisted Brioche with Basil Pesto, Salami and Fontina
One 10” circular loaf
One recipe Prof BB’s Brioche (easy to find on this site)
½ cup homemade pesto (I prefer the classic variation of fresh basil, pine nuts, garlic and olive oil)
Salami of your choice, sliced paper thin
1 cup coarsely grated cheese (I prefer 1/3 cup parmesan and 2/3 cup fontina)
1 large egg whisked with 1 Tbsp water to use as an egg wash
Olive oil to brush over the baked loaf
1) Make your favorite brioche dough. My recipe can be found on this site, or another recipe I recommend is Paul Hollywood’s version in his book “Bake.”
2) I do recommend seasoning the dough with lemon zest, salt and black pepper, and a pinch or two of chili flakes. If you use a recipe that uses about 4 cups of flour, you will have enough dough to make this decorative bread and also one bread loaf for delicious toast and sandwiches.
3) Follow your chosen recipe and let the dough fully rise for 60-90 minutes. Divide the dough in half – use one half for a sandwich loaf and then divide the remaining dough in half again.
4) Preheat your oven to 400 degrees.
5) Draw a circle the size of your chosen round baking dish or cake pan onto a piece of parchment paper and then turn the paper over with the ink on the underside. Roll the first half of the dough on the parchment paper to ½” beyond the drawn circle. Spread the pesto onto the dough leaving a clean ¾” border. Layer the salami over the pesto in a single layer.
6) Roll the second half of the dough to a circle the same size as the first. Sprinkle the grated cheese on the first circle, maintaining the ¾” clean border. Paint the egg wash on the clean border of the first circle. Place the second circle on the first and lightly squeeze the edges to seal.
7) Mark a 1 ½” circle in the center. Then, with scissors, slice the circle into 16 wedges, not cutting into the central circle. Lift the dough on the parchment into the baking pan. Then take two wedges at a time, twist twice, pinch them together and fit them back into the pan (see photograph). Let rise again for 20 minutes while you oven pre-heats.
8) Bake the loaf for 25-30 minutes, until a skewer comes out clean. Let the loaf cool in the baking pan for 20-30 minutes and then brush the top with olive oil to glaze. (If you are baking a second sandwich loaf, bake them at the same time for roughly the same amount of time.)
9) Serve warm with your favorite tomato sauce on the side for dipping.
