Savory Pesto Babka

Whenever I see leftover pesto in the fridge, it feels like finding cash forgotten in a jacket pocket from last winter. The pesto-bilities run through my head: Should I have pesto eggs for breakfast, use pesto in my lunch salad’s vinaigrette or make pesto ravioli for dinner? But if there’s about 1 cup left, I always use it toward pesto babka.

This savory spin on the usual cinnamon or chocolate babka omits the sweet fillings in favor of earthy, nutty pesto and a big sprinkle of grated Parmesan cheese. The bright green streaks look so pretty braided throughout. As soon as the loaves come out of the oven, olive oil and garlic powder are brushed on top, sealing the savory flavors and adding a sheen. This recipe is a bit of work but so worth the reward, giving you two pesto babka loaves. Have one now and freeze the other, or give it away—pesto babka is an excellent recipe to bake and share.

Ingredients for Savory Pesto Babka

• All-purpose flour: No need for bread flour here! We make our pesto babka recipe with all-purpose flour for a strong, well-defined structure with a tender bite.
• Sugar: We use just enough sugar in the dough to promote browning, without making the dough taste sweet.
• Quick-rise yeast: Also known as instant yeast, quick-rise yeast doesn’t need to be proofed before mixing with the other dough ingredients. You can mix it right in, and the heated water will proof it.
• Butter: You’ll need 2/3 cup, which is about 10.5 tablespoons, of butter for this savory babka. No need to melt it or bring it to room temperature beforehand.
• Eggs: Prepare your eggs about 30 minutes before starting on this savory babka. Crack three eggs into a bowl, then separate the egg white and yolk from a fourth egg and place only the yolk into the bowl with the three other eggs. Save the egg white for tomorrow’s breakfast! Quickly beat the eggs and let them come to room temperature before using, about 30 minutes.
• Pesto: Since this recipe is so pesto-dependent, splurge on the best store-bought pesto for a quality flavor. You could also make your own pesto at home. Try this hack to keep your pesto bright green long after making it.
• Parmesan: If you can swing it, I always recommend grating cheese fresh from the block, especially Parmesan cheese (or Parmigiano Reggiano). Pre-shredded cheese contains cellulose, an anti-caking agent that poorly affects the taste and meltability of the cheese.
• Glaze: As soon as the loaves come out of the oven, we brush them with olive oil and garlic powder to really seal in that savory babka flavor and add a pretty sheen.

Directions

Step 1: Mix the dough

In a large bowl, whisk together 2 cups of all-purpose flour, the sugar, instant yeast and salt. Cut in the butter until the mixture is crumbly.

In a small saucepan, heat the water to 110° to 115°F, and use a wooden spoon or rubber spatula to stir it into the dry ingredients. Stir in the eggs and yolk and enough of the remaining flour to form a soft dough. Keep in mind the dough will be sticky, and you may not need all the flour suggested.

Editor’s Tip: The amount of flour you’ll need depends on the humidity level in your kitchen. Even if you’ve made this recipe successfully before, you may not need as much flour this time as you did last.

Step 2: Knead and chill overnight

Turn the dough onto a floured surface. Knead the dough until it’s smooth and elastic, six to eight minutes. Place the dough in a greased bowl, turning once to grease the top. Cover the dough with storage wrap or a clean tea towel, and refrigerate it for eight hours or overnight.

Step 3: Roll the pesto into the dough

Turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface and divide it in half. Roll each half into a 12×10-inch rectangle. Spread 1/2 cup of pesto to within 1/2 inch of the edges. Sprinkle the tops all over with Parmesan.

Roll up the dough jelly-roll style, starting with a long side and going upward. Pinch the seam and ends to seal.

Step 4: Braid the babka and let it rise

Using a sharp chef’s knife, cut each roll in half lengthwise. Carefully turn each half cut side up.

Grab two halves and cross them over each other in the middle, then loosely twist the strips around each other, keeping the cut surfaces facing upward. Pinch the ends together to seal them so they don’t unroll. Repeat with the other two halves.

Place the loaves of dough, cut side up, in two greased 9×5-inch loaf pans. Cover them with kitchen towels and let the dough rise in a warm place until almost doubled, about 1 hour. During the last 15 minutes, preheat the oven to 375°.

Editor’s Tip: If the dough loaves are too big for the pans, gently smoosh them together to make them fit.

Step 5: Bake and finish with the glaze

Uncover the loaves and slide them into the oven on the middle rack. Bake the loaves until they’re golden brown, 35 to 45 minutes, tenting with foil halfway through baking to prevent the top from burning.

Meanwhile, in a small bowl, combine the olive oil and garlic powder, then brush the mixture over the warm babka. Cool the loaves in their pans at room temperature for 10 minutes so they can finish setting up. Remove the loaves from the pans and onto wire racks.

Recipe Variations

• Try other kinds of pesto: No need to stick to regular old pesto here. There are many other pesto recipes you can use instead, like parsley pesto, spicy arugula pesto with walnuts, and ramp pesto when the spring season comes around. There’s even nut-free pesto for anyone who needs it.
• Add extra cheese: Besides Parm, feel free to roll the babka with shredded mozzarella or with mozzarella balls (ciliegine). You can also use white or sharp cheddar. Or, instead of the filling, bake the cheese on top of the babka. This is a good place to add extra Parm too!
• Include sun-dried tomatoes: I love having little pops of sun-dried tomatoes spiraled with the pesto throughout the babka. They add such a nice, bright, slightly sweet flavor to the babka. Drain and finely chop sun-dried tomatoes, then sprinkle a handful all over the pesto before rolling it up.

How to Store Savory Pesto Babka

Allow pesto babka to cool completely to room temperature, then store it in an airtight container in the fridge for up to four days. You could also wrap the babka tightly in storage wrap, just make sure to keep it covered so the crumb doesn’t dry out.

Can you freeze pesto babka?

Yes, you can freeze pesto babka. Once the loaf cools completely to room temperature, wrap it tightly in storage wrap and aluminum foil, then freeze it for up to two months. Thaw it overnight in the fridge, or completely unwrap it and rewarm it in the oven.

Savory Pesto Babka Tips

How else can you shape pesto babka?

Besides the traditional braid, you can shape pesto babka into a wreath or mini buns. For the wreath shape, twist the bread as directed in this recipe, then bring the ends together and pinch them to seal.

For the mini pesto babka buns, follow the instructions in our chocolate-hazelnut babka bun recipe, from dividing the dough before filling to shaping each pesto-twisted portion into an individual bun.

How do you serve pesto babka?

Serve pesto babka slightly warm from the oven or at room temperature. Just avoid leaving it out for over two hours or it will enter the temperature danger zone and grow bacteria. Serve slices as an appetizer or as a side for soups, salads or with a brunch spread. You could also toast slices, then spread marinara sauce on each slice and broil mozzarella on top.

Why isn’t my dough rising?

Your dough might not be rising for one of two reasons: There’s a problem with the yeast, or your kitchen is a little too cold. Thankfully, we don’t have to proof yeast in this pesto babka recipe, but you do need to make sure you’re using the right type of yeast (instant vs. active-dry yeast here) and that your water is warm enough to actually proof the yeast—but not too warm or it’ll kill the yeast. Use a thermometer to ensure the water is heated somewhere between 110° and 115°.

If all is right with the yeast, then your kitchen may be too cold to proof the dough. It happens, and there’s an easy fix! Flip on your oven’s internal light and place your covered bowl of dough on the middle or top rack. That should take care of business, but you could even infuse the oven with extra warmth by placing a bowl of warm water on the bottom rack. Just make sure to remove everything from the oven before preheating it.