Pesto Braid

In a bowl, combine together the flour, yeast, sugar, baking powder and salt, and create a well in the middle. Combine together the milk, lemon juice and oil and pour it into the well. Beginning with the dough hook of an electric mixer work the dough until the ingredients are well incorporated. Finish by kneading the dough with your hands until it is smooth and elastic, ca. 5-8 minutes. Place the dough in a greased bowl, cover it with cling film, and allow the dough to proof in a warm place for ca. 40 hour, or until the volume has doubled in size.

Grease and flour a spring form pan (ca. 26cm diameter). Punch the dough out of the air, before tipping it onto a well-floured work surface and briefly kneading it. Roll the dough into a rectangle (ca. 40cm x 30cm). Spread the dough with the pesto ensuring to leave the edges free. Crumble 3/4 of the goat cheese onto the pesto. Carefully roll the dough lengthwise. Using a knife or a dough scraper cut the dough lengthwise in half, leaving ca. 4 cm at the top uncut. Now begin carefully twisting the two pieces of dough around each other, making sure that the filling is always facing upwards. Form your braid into a ring and tuck the ends underneath. Crumble the rest of the goat cheese on top of the braid. Place the ring into the spring form pan, cover again with cling film and leave to rise for 30 minutes.

Preheat the oven (conventional 180°C / circulated 160°C). Bake the pesto braid for 25-30 minutes. Remove from the oven; allow to cool briefly before tucking in and enjoying your hard work!

This pesto braid tastes great fresh out of the oven but also fantastic when cooled.