A soft, tasty bread with some nice crusty edges meets homemade pesto, fennel salami, and Asiago cheese. Fun food made scrumptious.
Song of the day: Dreamers Of The Shore -Volcan Peaks, Cody Francis
I was watching Nadiya Bakes on Netflix a few weeks ago. After pulling out gorgeous sweet bakes one after the other, she started making a savory pull-apart bread with sriracha, pepperoni and cheese slices. My husband said "you have to make this!". The rest is history, with me, of course, putting my Italian spin to it.
Pesto and salami (and Asiago)
What could be more Italian than having in the same sentence, and in the same bread, homemade pesto, a Tuscan fennel salami, and Asiago cheese? Nothing, let me tell you. They go so well together, especially when they meet a bread dough that is flavored with oregano. Moreover, in the end, this pull-apart bread gets all slathered in good evo oil. Do I need to say more?
Making the dough
I made the dough in a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook. It didn't take long at all. If you're doing it by hand, just use a bowl, add the ingredients in the same order as below, and knead by hand until a soft dough is obtained.
- Add the flour, oregano, sugar, salt on one side, and yeast on the other side. Mix everything on low, then make a well in the centre, add the water and start mixing the dough on low, then mix on medium speed for about 6 minutes, or until the dough wraps around the hook.
- Place the dough in an oiled bowl, and cover with greased cling wrap.
- Set in a warm place, away from air draughts (I put it in the oven, turned off, with the light on) to rise until doubled in size, about 1.5-2 hours.
- Tip the dough out on to a flour-dusted work surface and gently roll it out to a rectangle of 25 x 35cm.
- Spread pesto on the surface with an offset spatula, leaving a little empty border.
- Sprinkle the grated Asiago on top of the pesto.
- Then, arrange the salami slices in rows of two.
- Now cut the rectangle in half lengthwise and in four sections to obtain 8 squares.
- Take each square and fold it in half like a book. Stack them side by side in the greased tin leaving the side with the filling facing up.
- Then cover the top with greased clingwrap and set to rise again, until doubled in size, about 1 hour. In the meantime, preheat the oven to 400°F/200°C.
- Remove the cling wrap and bake in the middle section of your oven for 20-25 minutes or until nice and golden.
- Take it out of the oven and brush all over with extra virgin olive oil. This will create a lovely shine on the bread and an additional softness and flavor.
Variations
You can create your own variations, just don't use ingredients that have a lot of moisture. Instead of pesto, an aioli would be good, or sriracha, or tomato sauce. Bigger salami or pepperoni slices would be perfect to fit into the pockets. As for cheese, provolone, mozzarella, Friulano, Havarti, Swiss, also in slices, which would make it a lot easier.
The best part about this recipe is eating it. You pull apart the layers and this luxuriousness comes through. You see, the pesto, the cheese, the salami, and the aroma, oh that aroma, causes nothing but extensive mouthwatering.
Enjoy!
PrintPesto and Salami Pull-Apart Bread
Pesto and Salami Pull-Apart Bread. A soft, tasty bread with crusty edges meets pesto, fennel salami, and Asiago. Fun food made scrumptious.
- Prep Time: 3 hours 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Total Time: 3 hours 35 minutes
- Category: Bread
- Method: Baking
Ingredients
For the bread:
- 400 g all-purpose flour or farina 00
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 Tbsp sugar
- 1 Tbsp dried oregano
- 7 g active dry yeast
- 300 ml lukewarm water
For the filling
- ⅛ cup basil pesto
- 1 cup grated Asiago
- 8 slices salami mild or hot
- 3 Tbsp evo oil for brushing
Instructions
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook, add the flour, oregano, sugar, salt on one side, and yeast on the other side. Mix everything on low, then make a well in the centre, add the water and start mixing the dough on low, then mix on medium speed for about 6 minutes, or until the dough wraps around the hook.
- Place the dough in an oiled bowl, and cover with greased cling wrap.
- Set in a warm place, away from air draughts (I put it in the oven, turned off, with the light on) to rise until doubled in size, about 1.5-2 hours.
- Grease well the inside of a loaf pan with oil.
- Tip the dough out on to a flour-dusted work surface and gently roll it out to a rectangle of 25 x 35cm.
- Spread pesto on the surface with an offset spatula, leaving an empty border.
- Sprinkle the grated Asiago on top of the pesto.
- Then, arrange the salami slices in rows of two.
- Now cut the rectangle in half lengthwise and in four sections to obtain 8 squares. Take each square and fold it in half like a book. Stack them side by side in the tin leaving the side with the filling on top. Then cover the top with greased clingwrap and set to rise again, until doubled in size, about 1 hour.
- In the meantime, preheat the oven to 400°F/200°C.
- Remove the cling wrap and bake in the middle section of your oven for 20-25 minutes or until nice and golden.
- Take it out of the oven and brush all over with olive oil.
- Wait a few minutes, then place on a board and enjoy.
I love baking and kneading dough because it takes me to a happy place in my soul.
Ramya says
Will be making this soon can i use mushrooms and dairy free cheese instead as am a vegan i love pesto and bread soooooooooooo much also i love italian food sooooooooo much will dm you guys if i make this and let you guys know how it goes Thanks Ramya
Thanks, Ramya! Yes, it will be delicious with mushooms and a vegan cheese! Enjoy and please let us know!
Sharon says
I love pesto and am always excited to try it in new recipes. This pull-apart bread would be a great appetizer or a side to a pasta dish.
Thank you! Here the pesto adds a wonderful flavor! A great appetizer, part of an antipasto platter.
Heather says
I looove pull apart breads for holidays, and this sounds like such a delicious version! Definitely putting it on my must-make list for the season 🙂
Thanks! It's so tasty, it would be a perfect addition to the holiday table 😉 .
Liz says
I've made various types of pull apart breads, but never with pesto and salami - will be trying soon!
Oh you're in for a real treat, so excited for you to try this.
Thanks! Let us know how you make out!
Cathleen says
I love homemade bread, and this one looks right up my alley!! I am definitely giving this a go soon, bookmarked to make this weekend 🙂
It's sooo tasty, you'll love it! Thank you!
Amy Casey says
I made this for an appetizer for a cocktail party. It was a hit!! Thanks for the recipe.
Thank you for trying it out! It's perfect as a party appetizer!
Enriqueta E Lemoine says
This is my dream come true: Italy in a loaf of bread. Thanks for the recipe and the inspiration!
Thanks! Yes, it tastes a lot like Italy 😉 . Those flavors go so well together. 😉
Julia says
Wow, loved this bread, reminds me of the ones I use to get at a bakery near my house as a child. They always had amazing additions and fillings in the bread and it made for such a hearty and delicious snack throughout the week.
Thank you! It is a great snack for sure, and makes a nice addition to the table. Also, you can have a lot of fun changing the fillings! 😉
Marie says
I love, love, love savory, cheesy bread, and this one combines so many of my favorite things! I can just imagine how deliciously satisfying it must be to pull this pesto- and salami-filled treat apart. My only worry would be to see my guests fighting over each bite! 😂 I just can't wait to make this--although I totally see this recipe as a perfect holiday appetizer, I actually want to bake one tomorrow and enjoy it for lunch with a bowl of soup! Way to brighten up a rainy day, don't you think?
Thank you very much for your lovely comment, Marie! It would be nice with a soup. The flavors are great, but you can adjust the fillings to what you have or like. It is delicious anyway! 😉
Chenée says
I love pull apart bread and this is my new favorite! Thanks for this recipe!
You're welcome! It is a loved one here, glad you enjoyed it!
Tristin says
Don't mind me, just here drooling over these pictures. This recipe combines all of my favorite things bread, salami, and cheese. YUM!!
Thank you! It is soo tasty, hope you try it 😉 !
Ginger says
Very nice recipe! I changed up a few ingredients based on what I had at home. Used parm instead of asiago and a friend gave us homemade oregano pesto, so we used that. My only suggestion is that I would actually add more salami or other deli meat. It was good as is, but just I think it would nice with extra as well!
Wonderful, Ginger, happy you enjoyed this bread. Of course, you can add more salami to your liking, or even mix salami and another cold cut. This bread can have many tasty variatons. Thank you for the feedback!