Basil Pesto Star Bread (Vegan)
This fluffy delicious Basil Pesto Star Bread is made with an egg and dairy-free soft dough layered with homemade fresh pesto and shaped into a pull apart star bread. It’s the perfect bake to share.
I love making star breads and for this holiday season, I have made a homemade pesto with fresh basil and a gorgeous olive oil from Naturale Bio. The pesto is spread between layers of yeasted dough and then rolled out, shaped and cut into a star shape (which is much easier than you think!). Brush with some milk and I love to add some sesame seeds on top for texture and then bake until fluffy. It’s so delicious warm or enjoy cold later on – it’s perfect to tear and share with friends and family.
Why will I love this?
This bread is so good:
- Fluffy, tender and golden dough
- Pillowy soft and plush
- Filled with homemade pesto
- With 4 layers of dough
- Cut and rolled/shaped into a pull-apart star
- Great as a centrepiece or snack
- Everyone will love it
- Ideal for the holidays or all year round
- Make the pesto with nut-free ingredients
- Fresh, zesty, vibrant and herby
- Naturally dairy-free and egg-free
- Fully vegan
- Made with simple ingredients
- Delicious warm or cold
- Great served with some extra pesto
If you already love the sound of this bread, then skip ahead to the recipe card below. Or, first let’s discuss the recipe in more detail.
What ingredients do I need?
You can see the ingredients with weights in the recipe card below and see my favourite and recommended products in the “shop the recipe” section below.
For the dough:
- Plant-based milk: use your favourite dairy-free milk like oat, almond or soya (ideally unsweetened).
- Light brown sugar: to help activate and feed the yeast.
- Fast action yeast: make sure this is in date.
- Plain flour: or use half plain/all-purpose and half strong white bread flour.
- Salt: for flavour.
- Olive oil: this is the Naturale Bio olive oil from Spain which is such a high quality, tastes amazing and has a rich colour and flavour.
- White sesame seeds: to add some texture on top.
And to make the pesto:
- Sunflower seeds: to make it nut-free, I love using seeds in pesto. Cashew nuts or pine nuts also work well.
- Nutritional yeast: this adds the “cheesy” savouriness. You can also use (vegan) parmesan, if you prefer, or leave it out.
- Garlic clove: to add flavour.
- Fresh basil: to add so much flavour and freshness. The fresher the better and you can use some of the stems, too.
- Lemon juice: to freshness and tang.
- Olive oil: as above.
- Salt and pepper: to season.
Is this gluten-free and nut-free?
This is not gluten-free but it is nut-free. I do not recommend using GF flour.
How do I make this?
This is ready in a few steps:
- For the dough:
- Warm the milk and the sugar: and then whisk in the oil, and yeast.
- Allow the yeast to bloom for 5 minutes.
- Stir together the flours: and pour in the milk mix.
- Bring to a shaggy dough: and tip onto a floured surface.
- Knead for 2 minutes with your hands: to a smooth ball of dough.
- Place the dough in a greased bowl: and cover to rest for 30 minutes somewhere warm.
- Make the pesto: add the ingredients to a blender and process until smooth.
- To shape the dough:
- Now punch down the dough: and divide into 4 equal pieces.
- Roll each piece of dough to a circle: about 25-cm in diameter.
- Spread some pesto over one circle: leaving a small border.
- Top with the second piece of dough: and more pesto.
- Add the third round of dough: and spread on the pesto.
- Place down the final round of dough: and press down lightly.
- Position a small circle in the middle: about 5-cm diameter (I use a cookie cutter or jar lid).
- Cut from the outside of the circle to the small circle: and divide into 4 pieces.
- Repeat making cuts around the circle so there are 16 strips: of equal width.
- Taking two strips, twist back on themselves: and press together at the bottom.
- Sprinkle over sesame seeds: to add some crunch.
- Bake the dough for 25 minutes: until golden brown and well-risen.
- Allow to cool slightly: and enjoy.
How long will it last?
This is best eaten on the same day but will keep for 1 day in a sealed container.
What other recipes can I try?
For more breads and savoury snacks, try:
- Mushroom and Olive Tapenade Star Bread
- Super Seedy Grain Free Bread
- No-Yeast Everything Bagels
- Vegan Pesto Feta Pilo Pastry Swirls
- Sun-Dried Tomato Pesto Babka Wreath
Basil Pesto Star Bread (Vegan)
This fluffy delicious Basil Pesto Star Bread is made with an egg and dairy-free soft dough layered with homemade fresh pesto and shaped into a pull apart star bread. It’s the perfect bake to share.
Ingredients
For the Dough:
- 240ml plant-based milk
- 1 tbsp light brown sugar
- 2 ¼ tsp (7g, or 1 sachet) fast action yeast
- 360g plain flour (or 180g plain and 180g strong white bread flour)
- A pinch of salt
- 60ml Naturale Bio Olive oil, plus extra
- 1 tbsp white sesame seeds
For the Basil Pesto:
- 80g sunflower seeds
- 2 tbsp nutritional yeast
- 1 garlic clove, peeled
- 25g fresh basil (small stalks are ok)
- 1 lemon, juiced (2 tbsp)
- 60ml Naturale Bio Olive oil, plus extra if needed
- Salt and pepper
Instructions
- Start by preparing the dough. Warm the milk and sugar until the sugar has dissolved and the mix is lukewarm (you may need to let it cool down. Sprinkle over the yeast and loosely cover, leaving it to bloom for 5 minutes – it will smell dough-y when it’s ready.
- Into a mixing bowl, add the flour(s) and salt. Pour in the yeast mix and the olive oil. Begin to stir with a spatula and once it’s reached a shaggy dough, tip onto a lightly floured work surface and knead for 1-2 minutes to reach a smooth ball of dough.
- Lightly grease a clean bowl and place the dough inside. Cover with a tea towel and leave somewhere warm for 30 minutes to rise.
- Now make the pesto. Add all of the ingredients to a small blender and process to a chunky, mostly smooth mix. Add more olive oil as needed.
- Preheat the oven to 160Fan/180ºC and have a large baking sheet ready.
- When the dough is ready, divide it into 4 equal parts (I like to weigh them) and roll each one out to a circle on a lightly floured work top. The circles should be approximately 25-cm diameter.
- Place one circle of dough onto a piece of parchment paper and top with ¼ of the pesto. Spread out evenly, leaving a small edge. Now top with the 2nd piece of dough, more pesto and then the 3rd piece of dough. Top with more pesto and the final piece dough (you will have ¼ of the pesto left, for serving).
- Place a small round lid or dish in the centre (approx. 5-6cm) of the stacked dough and use a knife to cut from the outside in towards this circle, dividing the dough into 16 equal strips.
- Take two pieces of the star bread, twist them away from each other twice and pinch the edges together. Repeat to make all 8-star points.
- To bake: brush the pastry all over with olive oil and sprinkle with the sesame seeds. Place in the middle of the oven for 25 minutes, until well-risen, golden and springy.
- Remove from the oven and cool for 20 minutes. Tear and serve with extra basil, the pesto and olive oil.
- Or, allow to cool fully and keep in a sealed container for 1 day (best enjoyed fresh the same day).
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Stay in touch
I look forward to hearing what you think of this Basil Pesto Star Bread so please let me know in the comments below and leave a star review above. If you do make these rolls, I’d love to see, so please tag me, I’m @nourishing.amy on Instagram and use the hashtag #nourishingamy. I’m also on Twitter, Facebook and Pinterest – please say hello!
With pesto love x
p.s. this recipe was first made with Naturale Bio but this blog post is not sponsored. All opinions are my own.
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