Ingredients
Green Water
- 90 g baby spinach about 3 packed cups
- 10 g fresh basil leaves about ¼ cup packed
- 375 g warm water
Dough
- 100 g active sourdough starter
- 20 g honey
- 500 g bread flour
- 10 g fine salt
- 20 g olive oil
Pesto
- 110 g basil pesto scant ½ cup, plus extra for dipping, store-bought or homemade (see notes)
- olive oil lemon, salt and pepper, for the dip
Topping
- drizzle of olive oil
- thinly sliced tomato optional but makes for a lovely flavour combo along with the pesto!
- flaky salt
Method
- (See notes for help with timing.)
- Blanch. Drop the spinach into boiling water for 30 seconds, then straight into ice water. Squeeze out as much water as you can.
- Blend. Blend the spinach, basil, and warm water until completely smooth.
- Mix. In a large bowl, stir together the starter, honey, green water, and olive oil until cloudy. Add the flour and salt and mix until there is no dry flour left. Cover and rest for 20 to 30 minutes.
- Stretch + fold. Do 3 rounds of stretch and folds, spaced 20 to 30 minutes apart.
- Bulk ferment. Let the dough rise at room temp until doubled, airy, and slightly jiggly, about 8 hours at 70°F.
- Laminate. Stretch the dough out in the well-oiled 9x13" pan. Spread with a thin, even layer of pesto, then fold it up loosely like an envelope. Dimple gently to help it relax, then rest in the pan for 30 to 60 minutes.
- Dimple. Dimple with oiled fingertips, stretching the dough toward the corners as you go. Drizzle with olive oil and flaky salt (if using tomato, add it in a thin layer on top here).
- Bake. Bake at 425°F for 25 to 30 minutes, until deeply golden. Rest for 30 minutes before cutting.
- Serve. With the leftover pesto, add some olive oil to loosen it, a squeeze of lemon, and a sprinkle of salt and pepper. Slice and serve with the dip.
Notes
- Timing: I usually start the dough in the morning if I want it for dinner, or start in the evening and let it bulk ferment overnight on the counter. If fermenting overnight, use room temp water instead of warm so the dough rises more slowly.
- Thin swirl layer is the rule. Too much pesto creates oily seams that bake gummy. Some green will drag up to the surface when you dimple and that is exactly what you want.
- Make ahead: after laminating into the pan, cover and refrigerate overnight or up to 2 days before baking. When ready to bake, rest at room temp for 30 to 60 minutes before shaping and baking.
- Make your own pesto (makes about 250g, plenty for the swirl and dip): while the dough bulk ferments, toast 30g pine nuts or walnuts (about ¼ cup) until golden and cool them. In a food processor, pulse the nuts with 4 garlic cloves until finely chopped, then add 60g fresh basil (about 2 cups, well packed), 60g finely grated parmesan (about ⅔ cup), 20g lemon juice (1½ tbsp) and a pinch of salt. Pulse to a coarse paste, then stream in 110g olive oil (about ½ cup) until thick and spoonable. Keeps 4 days in the fridge with a thin layer of olive oil floated on top.
- Garlic level (homemade): 4 cloves bakes into a lovely mellow garlic flavour in the swirl, but the dip stays raw and punchy. If the dip is too aggressive for your table, stir in extra olive oil and a little more parmesan. Or warm the smashed cloves gently in a spoonful of the olive oil before blending for big garlic flavour without the raw bite.
- Pretty finish: scatter small fresh basil leaves over the top AFTER baking (never before, they scorch).
- Kale swap: the same weight of kale works in place of the spinach. Strip the stems completely, blanch for a full minute instead of 30 seconds, and blend a little longer.
