Pesto Buns

I had every intention of taking a photo of these once they were done, and completely forgot in my haste to get out the door. However, I am posting the recipe because I promised I would. My apologies for the lack of visuals.

I am lucky enough to have a stand mixer with a dough hook which takes a lot of the work out of making yeast breads - convenient given how gimpy my hands can be. If you don't have a stand mixer, don't worry - this recipe comes together quite beautifully by hand as well, it just takes a bit longer.

These buns turn out very green if you make the pesto yourself - quite striking visually, and very fragrant. You can use a store-bought pesto if you are strapped for time or not inclined toward pesto-making, but I'd encourage you to give it a shot as making pesto from scratch is not hard and the flavour is fantastic. If you are using store bought pesto (the Classico brand is pretty good), you'll use the full amount of the 8 oz jar for the bun recipe. I like using these as hamburger buns, which was why I made them - a group of us were thinking of a barbecue the other evening, but some slightly green, swirling clouds made us reconsider our options once we got to the picnic area. So instead of barbecuing, we withdrew indoors, nibbled these plain, and foraged for other options. I'll make them again for our next adventure.

(As an aside, these are *fantastic* cubed and used as the bread in a strata...)

Pesto Buns
(p. 80, The Art and Soul of Baking)

Makes 8-12 rolls, depending on how big you make them

Pesto
2 cups (1 1/2 oz) loosely packed fresh basil leaves
1/2 cup (2 oz) olive oil
1/4 cup (1 oz) freshly grated Parmesan cheese
4 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup pine nuts (or walnuts; traditional, but optional)

Dough
1 cup (8 oz) warm water (110F-115F)
I tablespoon active dry yeast, or 2 teaspoons instant yeast
3 1/4 cups (16 1/4 oz) bread flour or all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons salt

To make the pesto, place the basil, olive oil, Parmesan, garlic, and first measure of salt in the bowl of a food processor or blender and blend until a fine paste forms. You may not need all of the oil; I start with 1/4 cup in the processor and drizzle in more as it blends until I get a consistency I like.

In the bowl of the stand mixer, combine the yeast and the warm water. Using a hand whisk, whisk in 1/4 cup of the flour until well combined, and let that mixture stand undisturbed for ~10 minutes. The yeast should look foamy and be giving off that lovely yeasty smell. If you don't have bubbles after 10 minutes, your yeast is likely dead and you will have to start again with fresher yeast (store your yeast in the fridge between uses to help it last longer).

Add the pesto to the yeast mixture and hand whisk it in until fully blended together, and then add the remaining 3 cups of flour and 1 1/2 teaspoons of salt. Put the dough hook on the machine and set to low until the dough starts to come together in a mass, ~2-3 minutes. Make sure all of the dry flour has been absorbed by the mass, and then wrap a slightly damp tea towel around the top of the bowl and let the dough relax for 20 minutes.

Once the dough has rested, scrape down the sides of the bowl and knead on low speed for another 3-6 minutes, until everything is smooth and elastic. Turn dough out into a lightly oiled bowl and cover it tightly with plastic wrap (or the damp towel again) and let it rise until it looks like it has taken a deep breath and is roughly doubled in size, ~1 hour (more if the room is cold). If your baking space is cold, try placing the bowl in the oven with just the oven light on. That well help create a stable, slightly warm environment.

Once the dough has finished its first rise, turn it out of the bowl and onto a work surface. You can either lightly flour the work surface, or use a little bit of oil (not both, that just gets messy) to help you shape the dough with out it sticking to the counter. I find the little bit of oil works well with this recipe, but work with whatever makes you comfortable. Press down on the dough to expel some air, but don't knead it again or it will get too tough. If the dough does get tough while you are working it, put it back in the bowl and let it rest for another 10-15 minutes and it will relax again. Divide the dough into your desired number of buns (8 pieces makes fairly large hamburger buns (~5" across once baked), 12 pieces makes smaller buns (~3 1/2" across once baked)). To get the most equal measurements, you can use a kitchen scale (8 buns = 4 oz portions of dough), or you can eyeball the portioning. Shape each piece of dough into a smooth ball and place on a baking sheet ~3 inches apart.

Cover the buns loosely with plastic wrap or the damp tea towel again and let them rise a second time for 35 to 45 minutes. While they are rising, preheat your oven to 400F.

Bake the rolls for 15 to 18 minutes or until golden. If you are lucky enough to have an instant read thermometer for your baked goods, you are aiming for an internal temperature of 200F. Cool on a wire rack for a little bit and serve warm or at room temperature.

These freeze well, and will keep for a few days on the counter in a sealed tin (if they last that long).