This Holiday pull apart bread is the perfect conversation piece for your Christmas table. The Christmas Tree Pesto Bread is great for a holiday party, brunch, or any event. It is simple to serve as you pull apart, branch by branch. The rich dough is made with olive oil and the perfect combination of Hard White wheat and the buttery Khorasan wheat. This does not taste like any whole wheat bread I grew up eating, that’s for sure! If you love the look of this bread, you should check out the Cranberry Christmas Star!
If you’re new to fresh milled flour or unsure what this is, here is some more information to help you get started!
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I LOVE this platter to serve this tree on! It is huge and fits perfectly! You can also serve a whole turkey off of it for Thanksgiving!
Table of Contents
Equipment needed to make this Christmas Tree Pesto Bread
- Grain Mill
- Stand Mixer
- Digital Scale
- Measuring spoons
- Measuring cups
- Sharp pairing knife
- Sifter
- Rubber Spatula
- Small offset spatula
- Parchment Paper
- Blender/Small food processor
- Small Sauce Pan
- Pastry Brush
- Cake icing spatula, small offset spatula and bowl scraper or dough blade.
Everything listed above can be found in, Shop my kitchen!
Ingredients for the Christmas Tree Pesto Bread
Yeast Dough
- Hard White Wheat Berries & Khorasan (Kamut Wheat)-You can use any variety here. We like this ratio of hard to soft grains. It provides the structure needed but softens the texture and provides great flavor.
- Yeast-Instant
- Honey-You can substitute maple syrup
- Salt–Redmond’s Real salt is all I use!
- Water
- Olive Oil
Pesto Filling
- 1 small Jar of Pesto
- If you’d like to made it from scratch, here is a simple recipe.
Sundried tomato and garlic topping
- Garlic cloves
- Olive oil
How to make the Christmas tree pesto bread
Yeast Dough
- Mill your hard white wheat and Khorasan wheat berries into flour.
- Place your water, olive oil and honey in a small saucepan on the stove to warm. Heat just until your honey is melted.
- To the bowl of a stand mixer, add the flour, salt and warm liquid. Mix just until all flour is moistened. Let autolyse for 20 minutes.
- After the 20 minute autolyse, add the yeast to your bowl and begin mixing. If using the Ankarsrum mixer, fit with the roller and scraper. You can use the dough hook on other style stand mixers.
- Mix for 6-8 minutes until the dough begins to pull away from the sides and form a ball.
- Cover and proof for 1 hour or until the dough has doubled in size.
- After the dough has risen for 1 hour, it is time to roll it out.
- Divide the dough into 3 equal pieces. Between parchment, roll out into a tree shape. Mine went the full length of a pre-cut pieces of parchment paper. They just all need to be the same size.
- Roll all 3 pieces of dough out into christmas tree shapes, the same size.
- Place one piece of dough onto a sheet pan lined with parchment. Spread 1/2 of the pesto filling on the dough with a small offset spatula. Leave 1/2″ around the edge of the dough.
- Top with another tree shaped piece of dough, pressing it out around the edges until the edges line up.
- Repeat this step with the other 2 pieces. When complete, you will have 3 layers of dough and 2 layers of filling.
- Once your dough is all stacked, start at the top of the tree and work your way down, cutting strips, about 1 inch wide. Do not cut all the way across the tree, leave about 2-3 inches down the center of the tree uncut. Work down one side of the tree and then the other, making sure to line up your strips so the left side and right side of the tree has identical slits.
- Once your dough strips are cut, start at the top and lift and twist each strip 2-3 times. Do this to all of the strips of dough. Some of the longer ones you will want to twist 3-4 times and the shorter may only twist 1-2 times. Twist in the same direction for all pieces.
- Finally, cut a vertical slit from top to bottom like the photo. Only cut through the top 2 layers, not all the way through to the bottom.
- Chop your garlic and sundried tomatoes and add them to the olive oil and salt. Using a fork, smash the tomatoes and garlic and stir into oil. This will give the oil a pretty red color and infuse the flavors into the oil.
- Brush generously over the entire tree. Spread the sundried tomatoes evenly on the tree so they look like ornaments.
12. Cover with plastic wrap and allow to rise one more time for 20 minutes. Preheat oven to 350 F while it rises.
13. Bake for 20-25 minutes at 350 degrees.
14. Serve warm.
15. Reheat in the oven for 5 minutes if cooled and you are wanting to serve at a later time.
16. Store covered on the counter for up to 3 days.
Christmas Tree Pesto Bread
Equipment
- Sauce Pan
- Sharp Pairing Knife
- Food Processor or Blender
Ingredients
Yeast Dough
- 700 grams Hard White Wheat
- 220 grams Khorasan (Kamut) Can sub other soft grain
- 4 tsp instant yeast
- 2 Tbsp honey
- 4 Tbsp olive oil
- 708 g water 3 cups
- 1 Tbsp salt
- 6.5 oz Jar of pesto
Sundried tomato oil
- 1/2 cup olive oil
- 5 sundried tomatoes
- 5 cloves garlic
- 1/2 tsp salt
Instructions
Yeast Dough
- Mill your hard white and Khorasan (Kamut) wheat berries into flour.
- Place your water, olive oil and honey in a small saucepan on the stove to warm. Heat just until your butter is melted.
- Mix for 6-8 minutes until the dough begins to pull away from the sides and form a ball.
- Cover and proof for 1 hour or until the dough has doubled in size.
Making the Christmas Tree Pesto Bread
- After the dough has risen for 1 hour, it is time to roll it out.
- Roll all 3 pieces of dough out into christmas tree shapes the same size.
- Top with another tree shaped piece of dough, pressing it out around the edges until the edges line up.
- Repeat this step with the other 2 pieces. When complete, you will have 3 layers of dough and 2 layers of filling.
- Once your dough is all stacked, start at the top of the tree and work your way down, cutting strips, about 1 inch wide. Do not cut all the way across the tree, leave about 2-3 inches down the center of the tree uncut. Work down one side of the tree and then the other, making sure to line up your strips so the left side and right side of the tree has identical slits.
- Once your dough strips are cut, start at the top and lift and twist each strip 2-3 times. Do this to all of the strips of dough. Some of the longer ones you will want to twist 3-4 times and the shorter may only twist 1-2 times. Twist in the same direction for all pieces.
- Finally, cut a vertical slit from top to bottom like the photo. Only cut through the top 2 layers, not all the way through to the bottom.
- Chop your garlic and sundried tomatoes and add them to the olive oil and salt. Using a fork, smash the tomatoes and garlic and stir into oil. This will give the oil a pretty red color and infuse the flavors into the oil.
- Brush generously over the entire tree. Spread the sundried tomatoes evenly on the tree so they look like ornaments.
- Cover with plastic wrap and allow to rise one more time for 20 minutes. Preheat oven to 350 F while it rises.
- Bake for 20-25 minutes at 350 degrees.
- Serve warm.
- Reheat in the oven for 5 minutes if cooled and you are wanting to serve at a later time.
- Store covered on the counter for up to 3 days.
Video
Nutrition
Frequently asked questions about the Christmas Tree Pesto Bread?
Can I make this ahead of time?
You can get to step 12 and stop. Cover with plastic wrap tightly and place in the fridge until you are ready to bake the following day. Allow to come to room temperature and rise for 1 1/2 hours if you do this.
My dough is sticky as I am rolling it out, what can I do?
If you add a piece of parchment to the top and bottom and sandwich the dough between, it will help you roll it out. Spray the parchment with non-stick cooking spray. I can’t say it enough, purchase the pre-cut parchment paper, they are a lifesaver!
How thick do I need my dough?
It should be between 1/4-1/3 of an inch thick. You want it to be as large as possible but still fit on your cookie sheet. I have very large sheet pans. The Parchment paper is 12″ wide, so I go to the top and bottom of my parchment with my tree. You do not want your dough too thick or you will not get that pretty layered look.
Tips and Tricks:
Keep your dough thin, it looks prettier!
Use a small offset spatula to spread out your pesto filling, it will help keep it all the same thickness.
Here are a couple Desserts to serve along side your Christmas Tree Pesto Bread!
Fig Cake with Brown Butter Icing
THANK YOU!
Thank you so much for trying this recipe, I hope you love this Christmas Tree Pesto Bread as much as my family does. If you make this recipe, please share and tag me on Instagram or Facebook! And, please leave a comment or star rating below. I love to see everyone be successful in the journey to a healthier lifestyle with fresh milled flour! Don’t hesitate to contact me with any question, chances are we will both learn something from us working through it together!
Happy Baking!
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