4 ½cupshigh grade flour, about 620g/1.4lb (+ more for kneading)
2teaspoonsalt
½cupred pesto, (see recipe notes)
½cupgreen pesto, (see recipe notes)
6pitted black olives, to garnish (optional)
Bay leaves, to garnish (optional)
Instructions
Mix the yeast and sugar with the warm water and set aside for 5 minutes to dissolve and begin to activate.
Put the flour and salt into a large mixing bowl. Add the olive oil to the water and yeast mixture, then tip into the flour bowl. Stir to combine, then tip the dough out onto a floured benchtop to knead.
Knead the dough for 5-10 minutes until it is smooth and elastic. Sprinkle the dough with a little extra flour every now and then while kneading, to prevent it becoming too sticky.
Put the dough into a large bowl, drizzle with a little olive oil and turn the dough to coat it in oil. Cover with plastic wrap or a damp tea towel and set aside in a warm place for an hour, or until the dough has roughly doubled in size.
Use your fist to punch down the dough, then remove it from the bowl and cut into two equal portions. On a floured benchtop, roll each portion out into a large rectangle. Spread red pesto over one piece, and green pesto over the other piece.
Roll each piece lengthwise into a long snake, then cut in half lengthwise. Transfer one green and one red half-snake to a baking tray and and loosely twist them together, keeping the cut sides up. Arrange the twisted snake into a circle and tuck the ends under to create a tidy wreath. Repeat with the remaining two half-snakes.
Let the assembled wreaths rise again for about half an hour. If you like, garnish the wreaths with 3 olives by pushing them lightly into the dough, towards the bottom of the wreath.
Bake wreaths at 200C (390F) fanbake, or 220C (430F) regular bake, for about 25 minutes or until golden brown.
If you like, garnish the wreaths with a few bay leaves poked into the folds of the bread, around the olives.
Serve bread warm.
Notes
Nutrition information is estimate.
This recipe makes two wreath loaves.
Use your favourite store bought red and green pestos to save time, or try using home made kale pesto and muhammara dip. I used store bought dairy free basil pesto and sundried tomato and cashew pesto.