This bread, a Parmesan Pesto Bread recipe, is restaurant-caliber.
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Homemade No-Knead Bread Recipes
Parmesan Pesto Bread Recipe
3 cups packed and leveled bread flour
1?2 cup plus 2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese, divided
1?4 cup pine nuts
11?4 teaspoons salt
3?4 teaspoon active dry yeast
11?2 cups cool water
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
3 tablespoons pesto
Combine flour, 1?2 cup cheese, pine nuts, salt and yeast in large mixing bowl. Mix thoroughly.
Combine water and olive oil in measuring cup; add to dry ingredients. Stir with rubber spatula. Add pesto, 1 tablespoon at a time, and work into dough, but be careful not to overmix.
Cover bowl with plastic wrap and let sit at room temperature, out of direct sunlight, for 12 to 18 hours.
After at least 12 hours, turn out dough onto floured board. Brush top with olive oil and cover with tea towel. Let dough rise for another 1 to 2 hours.
About 30 minutes before second rise is complete, place cast-iron pot (without lid) on rack positioned in lower third of oven. Heat oven to 450°F.
Once oven has reached desired temperature, remove pot using heavy-duty potholders. Brush an additional 1 to 2 tablespoons olive oil over bottom of hot pot.
Uncover dough and, using two plastic dough scrapers, shape dough into a ball by folding it over onto itself a few times. With scrapers, lift dough carefully and let it fall into preheated pot by slowly separating the scrapers. Brush top with a little more olive oil and sprinkle remaining 2 tablespoons cheese over top. Cover pot and bake for 35 minutes.
Remove cover from pot and continue baking for an additional 15 minutes, or until loaf is browned but not burned.
Remove pot from oven. With sturdy wooden or metal spatula, pry loaf from pot and transfer to cooling rack. Allow bread to cool for 1 hour before slicing. Serve with olive oil, butter or cream cheese.
