Pesto And Cheese Snowflake Bread Food

RASPBERRY SNOWFLAKE PULL-APART BREAD

Steps:

• For the dough: Stir together the water, yeast and granulated sugar in a spouted measuring cup. Let sit until the yeast is foamy, about 5 minutes.
• Combine the salt, cardamom and 3 1/2 cups flour in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment and mix briefly on low speed to combine. Beat together the 1 egg, 3 yolks, honey and oil in a medium bowl. Stir in the yeast mixture. Add the wet ingredients to the flour mixture, mixing on low speed until combined. Add 1 more cup flour and mix on medium speed to make a sticky dough that comes together in a loose mass around the paddle. Switch to the dough hook and knead on medium speed to make a smooth but still somewhat sticky dough that clears the sides of the bowl, adding up to 1/2 cup more flour if necessary, about 4 minutes.
• Dump the dough onto a floured work surface and knead by hand a few times to make a smooth ball. Oil a large bowl and turn the dough ball in the oil to coat it. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place until doubled in size, about 1 hour.
• For the filling and glaze: Meanwhile, stir together the jam and cardamom in a small bowl.
• Shape the dough: When the dough has risen, punch it down and divide it into 4 equal pieces. Line an unrimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.
• Form the dough pieces into balls on a floured work surface. With a lightly floured rolling pin, roll one ball into a 10-inch circle and place on the prepared baking sheet. Spread with a third of the filling, leaving a 1-inch border all around. Roll out another dough disc in the same manner and place on top of the first; top with the second third of filling. Repeat with a third dough disc and the remaining filling. Roll out the remaining dough disc and place it on top of the last layer of filling.
• Center the bottom of a small drinking glass (about 2 inches in diameter) in the middle of the dough to mark the center. At the 12 o'clock mark, cut through the dough with a very sharp knife from the edge of the glass to the edge of the dough circle, leaving the dough underneath the glass uncut. Repeat at the 3 o'clock, 6 o'clock and 9 o'clock points on the circle to make 4 quarters. Cut through the middle of each quarter in the same manner to make 8 equal wedges. Cut through each wedge one more time in the same manner to make 16 wedges.
• Remove the drinking glass. Lift the edges of 2 wedges that are next to each other and twist them away from each other twice, then pinch the ends together to reconnect them and make a pointed tip. Repeat with the remaining pairs of wedges. Cover the dough with oiled plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place until doubled in size, about 45 minutes.
• Position an oven rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Beat the egg yolk and 2 tablespoons milk in a small bowl. Brush the egg wash all over the risen dough. Pinch the points again to reshape if the dough has risen so much that the points no longer look pointy. Bake the bread until puffed and golden brown, about 30 minutes. Cool on a rack until just warm, about 30 minutes.
• Stir together the confectioners' sugar, lemon juice and 2 tablespoons milk in a small bowl, adding up to 1 tablespoon more milk or confectioners' sugar if needed so that the glaze is the correct consistency to slowly drizzle off the end of the spoon. Drizzle the glaze all over the bread and let harden, about 30 minutes. Serve warm or at room temperature.

BUCATINI WITH PESTO AND SHRIMP

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Meanwhile, make the pesto: Process the tomatoes, basil, mint, almonds, garlic, orange zest and 1 teaspoon salt in a food processor until combined. With the motor running, gradually add 1/3 cup olive oil in a steady stream and blend to make a coarse pesto, scraping down the sides of the processor as needed. Transfer the pesto to a large bowl; do not wash out the processor.
• Add the bucatini to the boiling water and cook as the label directs. Meanwhile, heat about 1/4 inch of olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Put the flour in a shallow dish. Season the shrimp with 1/2 teaspoon salt, then dredge in the flour. Fry the shrimp in 2 batches until golden and crisp, about 2 minutes per side. Drain on paper towels and sprinkle with salt.
• Remove the pasta with tongs (reserve the cooking water) and transfer to the bowl with the pesto; toss to coat. If the pasta seems dry, rinse the food processor with 1/2 cup of the reserved cooking water and add to the pasta, a little at a time. Season with salt. Add the cheese and toss. Drizzle the pasta with olive oil and divide among bowls; top with the shrimp.

PESTO GRILLED CHEESE SANDWICH

Steps:

• Spread one side of a slice of bread with butter, and place it, buttered side down, into a nonstick skillet over medium heat.
• Spread the top of the bread slice in the skillet with half the pesto sauce, and place a slice of provolone cheese, the tomato slices, and the slice of American cheese onto the pesto.
• Spread remaining pesto sauce on one side of the second slice of bread, and place the bread slice, pesto side down, onto the sandwich. Butter the top side of the sandwich.
• Gently fry the sandwich, flipping once, until both sides of the bread are golden brown and the cheese has melted, about 5 minutes per side.

CHEESE & PESTO WHIRLS

Steps:

• Combine the flour, yeast, sugar and 1½ tsp fine salt in a large mixing bowl, or the bowl of a tabletop mixer. Measure out 300ml warm water and add roughly 280ml to the flour, along with the olive oil, and start mixing until the ingredients start to clump together as a dough. If the dough seems a little dry, add the remaining water. Once combined, knead for 10 mins by hand on your work surface, or for 5 mins on a medium speed in a mixer. The dough is ready when it feels soft, springy and elastic. Clean the bowl, drizzle in a little oil, then pop the dough back in, turning it over and coating the sides of the bowl in oil. Cover with some oiled cling film and set aside in a warm place to double in size - this will take 1-3 hrs, depending on the temperature.
• Line a baking tray with parchment. Uncover the dough and punch it down a couple of times with your fist, knocking out all the air bubbles. Tip out onto a floured work surface and dust the top with a little flour too, if it is sticky. Roll the dough out to a rectangle, roughly 40 x 30cm. Spread the pesto over the dough, then scatter over the tomatoes, both cheeses and the basil. Roll the dough up from one of the longer sides, into a long sausage.
• Use a sharp knife to cut the dough into 12 even pieces. Place on the baking tray, cut-side up, in a 3-by-4 formation, making sure the open end of each roll is tucked in towards the centre on the arrangement - this will prevent them from uncoiling during cooking. Leave a little space between each roll as they will grow and touch as they prove. Loosely cover with oiled cling film and leave to prove for 30 mins-1 hr until almost doubled in size again. Heat oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6.
• Uncover the bread when it is puffed up. Bake on the middle shelf in the oven for 35-40 mins until golden brown and the centre looks dry and not doughy. Remove from the oven and leave to cool for at least 10 mins.

PESTO AND CHEESE SNOWFLAKE BREAD

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F and line a baking sheet with parchment. Stir the pesto, mozzarella and 1/4 cup Parmesan together in a medium bowl. Cut the dough into 4 equal pieces. On a floured work surface, form the pieces into balls. Roll one ball into a 10-inch circle (about the size of a dinner plate) and place it on the prepared baking sheet. Spread with 1/3 of the filling, leaving a 1-inch border around the edges. Add 2 more layers of rolled dough circles and filling, ending with the fourth dough circle on top.
• Mark the center of the dough by placing a small drinking glass (about 2 inches in diameter) in the middle. With a very sharp knife, make 4 cuts through the dough at 12, 3, 6 and 9 o'clock to make 4 quarters, leaving it intact at the center where the glass is. Cut through each quarter to make 8 equal-sized wedges, then cut through each wedge one more time to make 16 equal-sized wedges that are attached in the center. Lift a pair of 2 wedges and twist them away from each other, two turns in opposing directions. After twisting, place each pair back on the baking sheet. Repeat with the remaining pairs of wedges. Cover the dough with oiled plastic wrap and let it rise in a warm place until doubled in size, about 45 minutes.
• Beat the egg and milk in a small bowl. Brush the egg wash all over the risen dough and sprinkle lightly with grated Parmesan and flaky sea salt if using. Bake until the bread is puffed and golden brown, 25 to 30 minutes. Cool on a wire rack 15 minutes before serving.

PESTO AND MOZZARELLA FRENCH BREAD PIZZA

Steps:

• Make the pesto: Heat the oven to 450 degrees with a rack in the middle position. Combine basil, 1 garlic clove and pine nuts in a food processor, and pulse until finely chopped. With the machine running, stream in the olive oil. Scrape down the sides of the bowl, add Parmesan and salt, and pulse to combine.
• Prepare the pizza: Combine the 1/4 cup olive oil and grated garlic in a small pot over medium. Cook, swirling occasionally, until the garlic starts to sizzle (but doesn't begin to brown), 2 to 4 minutes. Remove from heat.
• Place the French bread cut side up on a baking sheet. Brush cut sides with garlic oil. Bake until edges are golden, 5 to 7 minutes.
• Spread the pesto over the two halves all the way to the edges and top with the cheese. Return to the oven and bake until the cheese is evenly melted, about 5 minutes. Increase heat to broil and broil (watch carefully!) until the cheese is bubbly and browned in spots, 1 to 2 minutes more. Let cool 5 minutes before slicing and serving. Top with red-pepper flakes, oregano and more Parmesan, if you like.

PESTO BRUSCHETTA

Steps:

• Arrange bread slices on an ungreased baking sheet. Spread with pesto; top with tomatoes and cheese. Broil 4 in. from the heat for 3-5 minutes or until edges are lightly browned.