Sourdough Pesto Sun Dried Tomato Bread
You’ll love this sourdough pesto and sun dried tomato bread. Bursts of sun dried tomatoes, savory basil pesto, and shaved parmesan cheese are folded into layers of dough for an Italian-inspired inclusion bread.
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Initially, I made this sun dried tomato and basil sourdough bread with a bit of garlic and sundried tomatoes. It was delicious and I loved the sweetness that the sun-dried tomatoes added, but it felt like it was missing something.
I went to my freezer and grabbed a jar of basil pesto from last summer and layered it in with the cheese and tomatoes. It smelled so good as it was baking in the oven. I could hardly wait to taste it! After one bite, I knew it was the perfect addition. Sourdough bread with pesto sauce and sundried tomatoes was so much fun to create and I hope you love it as much as I do!
Why You’ll Love This Pesto Sourdough Bread Recipe
- Dip it – Sun dried tomato and basil sourdough bread makes the perfect dipping bread. While I’m a bread-and-butter type of girl, my husband loves to dunk hunks of homemade bread into olive oil. Try this bread with various dips like herb dipping oil, spinach dip, or even just extra pesto.
- Italian flavors – Tangy sun-dried tomatoes, parmesan cheese, and pesto add an Italian flavor that elevates the sourdough bread to the next level. Want a bit of heat? Add a pinch of red pepper flakes to the dough.
- Sourdough goodness – Any type of sourdough bread is always a winner in my book. While I love a simple sourdough bread, I also love to add fun inclusions for a bit of variety. Not only does sourdough taste delicious, but its long fermenting time breaks down the phytic acid and makes the grains easier to digest.
Equipment
- Kitchen scale
- Large bowl
- 7 qt Dutch oven or larger
- Danish dough whisk
- 9″ Banneton or proofing basket
- Lame
- Parchment paper or bread sling
- Digital thermometer
- Cooling rack
Sourdough Sun-Dried Tomato Pesto Bread Ingredients
- Sourdough starter – Use an active sourdough starter that’s been fed recently and shows signs of life, full of bubbles, risen, and has a mild yeasty aroma. I feed my sourdough starter a ratio of 1:1:1.
- Bread flour – A strong bread flour with a protein content of 12-14 percent is best for chewy sourdough bread. However, the bread is still delicious if you make it with all-purpose flour.
- Rye flour – I like to add a bit of rye flour to the bread for a nutty flavor, but you don’t need it to make a beautiful loaf. Substitute more bread flour if you don’t have rye flour.
- Water – Use warm water in the cooler months and cool water during the warmer summer season.
- Salt – Flavors the bread and helps the gluten to develop.
- Sundried tomatoes – I always dehydrate a few batches of cherry tomatoes during the summer season and freeze them, making it easy to add to delicious breads and various dinners. You can use store bought sun dried tomatoes. They’re usually packed in oil. Drain and pat dry with a paper towel to remove some of the excess oil. If you want smaller chunks of tomato, give them a rough chop with a sharp knife.
- Parmesan cheese – I love to buy a big block of Parmesan cheese. This way, I can shred, shave, or break off chunks for snacking on.
- Pesto – Basil pesto adds a beautiful flavor and depth to the bread. Use your favorite store bought pesto or make your own.
How to Make Sundried Tomato and Pesto Sourdough Bread
Mix the Sundried Tomato Bread Dough
Combine 125 g (½ cup) sourdough starter, 350 g (1½ cups) water, 437 g ( 3 ½ cups) bread flour, and 63 g (½ cup) rye flour in a large mixing bowl using a Danish dough whisk. Cover the bowl with a tea towel and allow to rest for 30 minutes. This allows the flour to properly hydrate.
After 30 minutes, combine 14 g (1 tbsp) salt and 28 g (2 tbsp) water in a small bowl, stirring to dissolve the salt. Pour the salty water over the sourdough bread dough and pinch it into the dough until it’s combined. Cover the bowl and allow the dough to sit for another 30 minutes.
Stretch and Fold | Strengthening the Gluten
Stretching and folding the dough strengthens the gluten, transforming it from a shaggy dough to a smooth, elastic dough by the final set of stretch and folds.
Grab the side of the dough and lift it straight up, stretching the dough, before folding it over onto itself in the middle of the dough. Rotate the bowl a quarter turn and stretch and fold the dough again. Repeat stretching and folding the dough along the sides of the bowl until the dough starts to feel resistant, roughly 8-12 folds. At this point, the dough will stick to your hand and have low extensibility.
Cover the bowl with a kitchen towel or a piece of plastic wrap and let the dough rest for 30 minutes. This completes the first set of stretch and folds.
Continue for a total of 3 sets of stretch and folds at 30-minute intervals. By the final set of stretch and folds, the dough is smooth and stretches easily with minimal dough sticking to your hand.
Bulk Fermentation | First Rise
After the last set of stretch and folds, cover the bowl and allow the dough ball to bulk ferment in a warm place in the kitchen.
The dough is ready when the top of the dough is domed, you see bubbles beneath the surface of the dough, and it has almost doubled in size. The dough was ready after 6 hours in 72°F/22°C kitchen.
The exact amount of time this takes largely depends on the temperature of your kitchen. If the air temperature is warmer, the dough will ferment faster. However, if the air temperature is cooler, the dough takes longer to finish bulk fermenting.
Adding Inclusions
Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface using a bowl scraper or silicone spatula. Stretch the dough into a 10 X 10 square. Spread a 2 tablespoons of pesto down the center of the dough. Next, spread the sundried tomatoes over the pesto and sprinkle half of the parmesan cheese.
Fold the bottom half of the dough up to the middle of the dough. Repeat with layering the inclusions on top of the folded portion of the bread dough.
Next, fold the top down, overlapping the bottom half and add the remaining pesto, tomatoes, and cheese on top of the folded dough.
Roll the dough, starting at one end of the dough, until it forms a large ball.
Once the dough is rolled into a large ball, pinch the sides together, sealing the inclusions into the middle of the dough.
Shape
Gently shape the dough by cupping the far edge of the dough and pull it towards yourself. This creates tight surface tension, which helps for a tall loaf. Keep shaping until the pinched ends are at the bottom of the ball of dough. Be gentle so that the top of the dough doesn’t rip, exposing any of the inclusions.
Make sure the inclusions are tucked inside of the dough before transferring to a proofing bowl. Anything outside of the dough will melt and possibly burn, causing a messy crust. Using a dough scraper can help create tension in the dough, promoting a better consistent shape.
Cold Ferment
Prepare a banneton by dusting it with a bit of rice flour to prevent the dough from sticking.
Use a bench scraper and lift the shaped dough into the prepared banneton; the top of the dough is facing down and the seams facing up. Pinch together any open seams close.
Place the banneton in a plastic bag and refrigerate for 12 – 24 hours.
If you choose to bake the sundried tomato bread the same day you mix the dough, leave the dough to rise covered in the banneton in a warm place for a few hours until the dough is puffy, and jiggles when shaken a bit. Preheat the oven and bake as directed.
Score and Bake
The next day preheat the Dutch oven and lid at 450°F/230°C for 45 minutes.
Remove the dough from the fridge, place a piece of parchment paper on the banneton, and flip it over, letting the dough fall onto the piece of parchment paper. Score the top of the bread dough with a sharp knife or razor blade. I find that a simple cut is best for inclusion loaves.
Carefully lift the dough into the preheated Dutch oven, replace the lid, and place the Dutch oven back into the oven.
Bake for 35 minutes with the lid on. Remove the lid and bake for an additional 10-15 minutes. The bread is done when the top is golden brown and the internal temperature reaches 200°F/95°C with a digital thermometer.
Remove the bread from Dutch oven and place it on a wire rack. Let the sundried tomato bread cool to room temperature before cutting to avoid a gummy texture.
Store
Allow the bread to cool completely before slicing it and placing it into an airtight container. Store at room temperature for up to 2 days. If you still have bread after 2 days, it’s best to place bread into the freezer and pull out a few pieces at a time.
FAQs
How Do I Keep the Bottom of My Sun-Dried Tomato Bread From Burning?
Sometimes the bottom of the sourdough bread gets too hot in the oven and burns. If this happens, preheat the Dutch oven with a baking sheet on the rack beneath it. This will help shield the heat and prevent the bottom from getting too dark.
Is It Normal for the Bottom of the Bread to be Greasy?
If you’re unfamiliar with how to add pesto to sourdough bread, you may be surprised to see the bread have a bit more oil on the bottom as it bakes. Pesto is made of fresh basil, pine nuts, garlic, parmesan cheese, and olive oil. Because pesto is layered in the bread dough, it’s normal for some of the excess oil to leak out as the bread bakes.
More delicious sourdough recipes from Lockrem Homestead:
- Fig and walnut sourdough bread
- Artisan sourdough pumpkin and pecan bread
- The best strawberry sourdough bread
- Jalapeno cheddar sourdough bread
Pesto Sun Dried Tomato Sourdough Bread
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Equipment
- 1 kitchen scale
- 1 7 qt Dutch Oven
- 1 large mixing bowl
- 1 Danish dough whisk
- 1 9" banneton or proofing basket
- 1 parchment paper or bread sling
- 1 lame or sharp knife
- 1 cooling rack
Ingredients
- 125 g sourdough starter ½ cup
- 350 g water 1½ cups
- 437 g bread flour 3½ cups
- 63 g rye flour ½ cup
- 14 g salt 1 tbsp
- 28 g water 2 tbsp
- 175 g sun dried tomatoes rough chop, 8 oz
- 75 g parmesan cheese shave, 1 cup
- 6 tbsp basil pesto
Instructions
Mix the Dough
- Combine 125 g (½ cup) sourdough starter, 350 g (1½ cups) water, 437 g ( 3 ½ cups) bread flour, and 63 g (½ cup) rye flour in a large mixing bowl using a Danish dough whisk. Cover the bowl with a tea towel and allow to rest for 30 minutes. This allows the flour to properly hydrate.
- After 30 minutes, combine 14 g (1 tbsp) salt and 28 g (2 tbsp) water in a small bowl, stirring to dissolve the salt. Pour the salty water over the sourdough bread dough and pinch it into the dough until it's combined. Cover the bowl and allow to sit for another 30 minutes.
Stretch and Fold | Strengthening the Gluten
- Stretching and folding the dough strengthens the gluten, transforming it from a shaggy dough to a smooth, elastic dough by the final set of stretch and folds.
- Grab the side of the dough and lift it straight up, stretching the dough, before folding it over onto itself in the middle of the dough. Rotate the bowl a quarter turn and stretch and fold the dough again. Repeat stretching and folding the dough along the sides of the bowl until the dough starts to feel resistant, roughly 8-12 folds. At this point, the dough will stick to your hand and have low extensibility.
- Cover the bowl with a kitchen towel or a piece of plastic wrap and let the dough rest for 30 minutes. This completes the first set of stretch and folds.
- Continue for a total of 3 sets of stretch and folds at 30-minute intervals. By the final set of stretch and folds, the dough is smooth and stretches easily with minimal dough sticking to your hand.
Bulk Fermentation | First Rise
- After the last set of stretch and folds, cover the bowl and allow the dough ball to bulk ferment in a warm place in the kitchen.
- The dough is ready when the top of the dough is domed, you see bubbles beneath the surface of the dough, and it has almost doubled in size. The dough was ready after 6 hours in 72°F/22°C kitchen.
Adding Inclusions
- Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface using a bowl scraper or silicone spatula. Stretch the dough into a 10 X 10 square. Spread a 2 tablespoons of pesto down the center of the dough. Next, spread the sundried tomatoes over the pesto and sprinkle half of the parmesan cheese.
- Fold the bottom half of the dough up to the middle of the dough. Repeat with layering the inclusions on top of the folded portion of the bread dough. Next, fold the top down, overlapping the bottom half and add the remaining pesto, tomatoes, and cheese on top of the folded dough. Roll the dough, starting at one end of the dough, until it forms a large ball.
- Once the dough is rolled into a large ball, pinch the sides together, sealing the inclusions into the middle of the dough.
Shape
- Gently shape the dough by cupping the far edge of the dough and pull it towards yourself. This creates tight surface tension, which helps for a tall loaf. Keep shaping until the pinched ends are at the bottom of the ball of dough. Be gentle so that the top of the dough doesn’t rip, exposing any of the inclusions.
- Make sure the inclusions are tucked inside of the dough before transferring to a proofing bowl. Anything outside of the dough will melt and possibly burn, causing a messy crust. Using a dough scraper can help create tension in the dough, promoting a better consistent shape.
Cold Ferment
- Prepare a banneton by dusting it with a bit of rice flour to prevent the dough from sticking.
- Use a bench scraper and lift the shaped dough into the prepared banneton; the top of the dough is facing down and the seams facing up. Pinch together any open seams close.
- Place the banneton in a plastic bag and refrigerate for 12 – 24 hours.
Score and Bake
- The next day preheat the Dutch oven and lid at 450°F/230°C for 45 minutes.
- Remove the dough from the fridge, place a piece of parchment paper on the banneton, and flip it over, letting the dough fall onto the piece of parchment paper. Score the top of the bread dough with a sharp knife or razor blade. I find that a simple cut is best for inclusion loaves. Carefully lift the dough into the preheated Dutch oven, replace the lid, and place the Dutch oven back into the oven.
- Bake for 35 minutes with the lid on. Remove the lid and bake for an additional 10-15 minutes. The bread is done when the top is golden brown and the internal temperature reaches 200°F/95°C with a digital thermometer.
- Remove the bread from Dutch oven and place it on a wire rack. Let the bread cool to room temperature before cutting to avoid a gummy texture.
Store
- Allow the bread to cool completely before slicing it and placing it into an airtight container. Store at room temperature for up to 2 days. If you still have bread after 2 days, it's best to place bread into the freezer and pull out a few pieces at a time.
