Braided Bread is nothing new, just think about Jewish Challah, eaten on the Sabbath and Jewish holidays. The Swiss or German Zopf, is also a very similar braided bread. Trenza is the Spanish version of this delicious bread and is usually filled with fruit.

I made a savory braided bread. I used basil Pesto, Fairview Feta with Dried Olives and delicious green and black olives from Prince Albert. The possibilities are literally endless. You can go for red pesto, sundried tomatoes, caramelized onions or just different kinds of cheese. The bread is  so easy to make and it is light and my kids love to dunk it in a mix of olive oil and balsamic vinegar.

I love baking bread, I know people say you must bake bread when you are angry or anxious. I disagree totally. Baking bread is a labour of love, so find yourself a quiet moment, measure out some flour and yeast and start creating. Start with the easy breads and as your confidence grow, so will you desire to try new and exciting breads.

Braided Bread with Pesto Feta and Olives

makes 1 round bread

Ingredients

5 cups flour

5 ml salt

5 ml sugar

1 sachet instant yeast

approximately 1 liter strong lukewarm water

1 jar Pesto Princess Basil Pesto

1 x 100g Fairview Feta with Dried Olives

125 ml chopped green and black pitted olives

Method

Place the flour, salt, sugar and yeast in a mixing bowl or the bowl of your mixer. Slowly add the lukewarm water and mix until you have a soft workable dough. Keep kneading it with the dough hook attachment of your mixer or knead the dough by hand on a lightly floured surface. (about 10 minutes). Cover the bowl with a cloth or plastic and leave in a warm place to proof until about double in size.

Roll out the dough on a floured surface to about 40 x 30 cm. Spread lavishly with the whole jar of pesto, crumble the feta on top and lastly the pitted olives. Roll the dough, starting on the long side. Flatten the roll slightly with your hand and cut into 3 even strips, but keep the one end of the roll in tact. ( Like you would do a koeksister) Braid or plait dough and turn the strands of dough to expose the filling. Once you reach the end, bring the two ends together to make a wreath.

Place in your pot or pan and allow to proof again until the dough fills the pot/pan to three quarters. In the meantime, preheat the oven to 180 C. Bake for 50 minutes or until a skewer comes out clean when inserted into the bread. Serve with loads of butter or olive oil and balsamic vinegar.

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