Arugula Pesto Bread Pinwheel
This flavourful arugula pesto bread pinwheel is made with fresh home made pesto and bread dough. This is a perfect snack for your next gathering or pot luck.
We love arugula in this house. We have it in so many forms and arugula pesto is one of our favourite pestos. The nutty, earthy, slightly bitter flavour of arugula makes it such an amazing addition to any food. And what’s not to love about an arugula pesto bread pinwheel?
Ingredients for Arugula Pesto Bread Pinwheel
Pesto can be enjoyed with so many things. We use it for pasta, pizza, dipping sauce, and this arugula pesto pinwheel. Pesto is easy to make with just a few ingredients.
To make the arugula pesto, put 3 cups of fresh arugula, 3 garlic cloves, 1/4 cup parmesan, 1/4 cup blanched sliced almonds, salt, and pepper into a food processor and start it. You might need to push the arugula down once so all of it gets processed.
While the processor is running, slowly pour the olive oil over the arugula and let it continue to run. Pouring the oil slowly makes a more homogenous pesto. Once it’s ready, pour it into a bowl and pour a little extra olive oil (about 1 tablespoon) just on top of the pesto. This ensures that the pesto doesn’t become discoloured. If you don’t put the oil, the very top of the arugula pesto becomes oxidized and darkens a little. It will still taste fine, but you want it to look and taste the best it can.
The Dough
This bread dough is similar to pizza dough. In a mixing bowl or a measuring cup, pour 2 teaspoons of yeast and 1 1/2 teaspoons of sugar. Mix them well and pour 1 1/4 cup of 110 degree F water. Set it aside for about 15 mins. The yeast needs to be activated and the sugar and the perfect temperature of the water help it bloom.
In a large mixing bowl, add 3 1/2 cups of all purpose flour. I use a mix of white and whole wheat flour. But you can use one kind if you prefer. I find the whole wheat flour makes the bread a little more hearty. To the flour, add 1 teaspoon of salt and mix well. Now that the yeast has bloomed, add all of the yeast liquid to the flour. At the same time, add 1/4 cup of vegetable oil and 1/4 cup of melted butter to the bowl. Mix well and then knead the dough.
Kneading and Rising
I love the feel of kneading dough on the counter. But, if you prefer to use a stand mixer, you can use that to make and knead the dough. I sprinkle some flour on the counter and knead the dough for about 5 mins or till it’s smooth. Put it back into the bowl and pour a little bit of oil on it. Cover it with a damp cloth and let it rise in a warm place for about 1 hour.
Once the dough has risen, punch it down a little to push out the air bubbles. Divide the dough into two equal parts and roll it into two 12 inch circles.
Making the Arugula Pesto Bread Pinwheel
Line a 12 inch round baking tray with parchment paper and place one layer of rolled dough on it. Pour about 1 cup of the arugula pesto on the dough and spread it all over – all the way to the ends.
Place the second rolled dough circle on top and press down slightly to ensure that it adheres. Now, let’s turn this into an arugula pesto bread pinwheel. To make it into a pinwheel, you will need to cut the circle into 24 equal strips. But remember not to cut it all the way to the center. I leave about a 2 inch circle in the center that will help hold the pinwheel together.
Now comes the fun part. This is the part my kids love most. They argue over who rolls the best. To make the pinwheel, you need to twist each of the strips three times. Make sure to twist each strip in the same direction.
Now to bake it so you can enjoy it. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Bake it for 5 mins and without opening the oven, turn the temperature down to 350 degrees F. This allows the bread to crisp up and then bake so it’s soft inside and crisp outside. Bake it for about 25 mins or till you see it brown.
I use the leftover pesto as a dipping sauce. I just add a little more olive oil to the pesto to make it more like a dip and we all love it. This pinwheel is a great accompaniment to pasta.
Tried and Liked the Recipe?
Scroll to the bottom of the page, and past the recipe to find the comment form. Please fill out details of what you liked and what you would like to see improved. Comments are loved! I look forward to hearing how much you enjoyed the recipe!
Stay Connected
Don’t forget to sign up for the free newsletter and be the first to learn about all my new recipes. And, don’t forget to follow me on my social media accounts: Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, YouTube, and Twitter.
Flavourful Arugula Pesto Bread Pinwheel
Course: SideCuisine: CanadianDifficulty: Medium12
servings10
minutes30
minutes300
kcal60
minutes1
hour40
minutesThis flavourful arugula pesto bread pinwheel is made with fresh homemade pesto and bread dough. This is a perfect snack for your next gathering or potluck.
Ingredients
- Arugula pesto
3 cups fresh arugula
3 garlic cloves
1/4 cup blanched sliced almonds
1/4 cup parmesan
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 teaspoon salt (adjust to taste)
1/4 cup good quality olive oil
- Bread dough
2 teaspoons active dry yeast
1 1/2 teaspoons sugar
1 1/4 cups warm water (110 degrees F)
3 1/2 cups all purpose flour (I use 2 cups regular and 1 1/2 cups whole wheat)
1/4 cup + 2 tablespoons melted butter
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1 teaspoon salt (adjust to taste)
Directions
- Arugula pesto
- In a food processor, place your washed and dried arugula, garlic, parmesan, almonds, salt, and pepper.
- Start the food processor and make sure that all of the arugula is being processed. Stop and push down with a spatula if needed.
- As the processor is going, start to pour the olive oil into the processor in a steady stream. This will help the pesto become smooth and homogenous.
- Put into a bowl and pour a little olive oil on top of the sauce and set aside. The oil on top helps the pesto stay green and fresh, else it becomes a little discoloured from the top.
- Dough
- In a mixing bowl or measuring cup, pour your yeast and sugar. Mix well. To this add the water and set aside for about 10 – 15 mins, so the yeast can be activated.
- In a separate mixing bowl, add the flour and salt and mix well.
- Add the yeast mix to the flour and at the same time, add the oil and 1/4 cup butter. Mix all three of the wet ingredients into the flour to make a dough.
- Knead the dough for about 5 mins – either in the same bowl or on the counter. Now set it aside for about an hour to let it rise.
- Bread pinwheel
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
- Take the dough and punch it down a little to get all the air bubbles out.
- Divide it into two equal parts and roll them out into 12 inch rounds.
- Place one of the rounds on a parchment lined 12 inch round baking tray.
- Pour about 1 cup of the pesto onto the dough rounds and spread it all over – cover all the way to the edges.
- Now place the second round on top of the first and slightly push down so it adheres together.
- Cut the circle into 24 equal parts. Leave about a 2 inch circle in the center of the rounds to help the pinwheel in place.
- Twist each of the parts three times to form a pinwheel.
- Using a baking brush, brush the 2 tablespoons of melted butter all over the top of the pinwheel.
- Bake for 5 mins at 400 degrees and without opening the oven, turn it down to 350 degrees and bake for about 25 mins.
- Enjoy warm. Serve some of the leftover pesto with it – remember to thin the peso out a little with more olive oil.
– Check out other side recipes here.
One Comment