Ingredients

• 2 1/2- 2 3/4 cups bread flour
• 1 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1 tsp. black pepper
• 1 tsp. garlic powder
• 1/3 cup whole milk
• 3 tbs. sugar
• 1 tbs. active dry yeast
• 2 eggs
• 1/4 cup melted butter
• 1/2 cup pesto (use whatever you like best here- homemade or jarred)

Instructions

• Butter a large bowl generously, and set aside.
• In a medium bowl, stir together 2 1/2 cups bread flour, salt, black pepper, and garlic powder. Set aside.
• Heat your whole milk in the microwave until it reaches 115 degrees.
• Stir the sugar into the whole milk, and then stir in the yeast. Let the mixture sit and bloom for 5-10 minutes, or until it's bubbly and frothy.
• In a large bowl, stir together the eggs and melted butter.
• Add the yeast mixture into the egg mixture, and stir to combine.
• Add in the flour mixture, and stir until combined, and a dough has formed.
• Turn the dough out onto a floured surface. Knead the dough, adding more flour as needed, for about 5 minutes. The dough will be fairly stiff.
• Place the dough into your buttered bowl. For the first rise, you want the dough to double in size. For me, this takes about 45 minutes to 1 hour, but you should keep a close eye on your dough after 30 minutes. Do not let the dough rise to more than double in size.
• Remove the dough from your bowl, and roll it out on a floured surface.
• You want the dough to be very thin, 1/8-1/4 inch thick, and in the shape of a large rectangle. Since the dough will be a bit elastic, this may take some working.
• Spread your pesto evenly over the entire rectangle, all the way to the edges.
• Lightly grease a loaf pan, and set aside.
• Begin to roll your dough, very tightly, like you would a cinnamon roll, starting on one of the shorter sides of your rectangle.
• Once you have the dough completely rolled up, slice the roll in half length-wise.
• Twist the two halves together, lightly pinching each end together.
• Place the dough into your prepared loaf pan, and cover.
• Preheat your oven to 375 degrees, and let the dough rest for 25-30 minutes. The dough should rise during this time just slightly, by about 1/3 at most.
• Bake the dough uncovered for 40-45 minutes. If you notice the bread becoming too brown on top, cover with foil for the remaining bake time.
• Using an instant-read thermometer, the inside of your dough should reach about 165-170 degrees on the inside when it is finished baking.
• Remove from the oven, and cool completely in the pan. Slice, and enjoy!