Twist Bread (with Pesto & Parmesan)

1. In a small bowl, combine vegetable oil and lukewarm water.
2. In a large bowl, combine all-purpose flour, yeast, sugar, and salt. Whisk to combine. Push the flour to the sides of the bowl and create a small well in the center. 
3. Pour the water and oil mixture into the middle of the well. 
4. Fold in by hand or use a wooden spoon until it comes together. As soon as it does, move the dough to a lightly floured surface and knead for 5 minutes. The dough should be soft and slightly sticky- add a small amount of water if you find it to be on the drier side.
5. Form the dough into a round. 
6. In a new large bowl, use a small amount of vegetable oil to gently cover the sides. Place the dough in the bowl, lightly oiling the top OR dusting with a little extra flour. Cover with a tea towel or cloth, and place the bowl in a warm place to rise for 30-40 minutes, until doubled in size. This may also depend on your environment. 
7. While the dough rises, prepare your loaf pan, homemade pesto (if using store-bought, forget this step), and finely grate the parmesan cheese. Lightly spray your loaf pan with oil, and line it with parchment paper on the largest side, allowing it to be 2 inches higher than the pan height- the width ends will not be covered. Set everything aside. 
8. Once the dough has doubled in size, remove it from the bowl onto a lightly floured surface. Dust the top with flour. Using a rolling pin, roll out to ¼ - ½ inch thick, making approximately a 17x10 inch rectangle.
9. On one half of the dough spread the pesto evenly and cover with the parmesan cheese. Fold the other half of the dough over the pesto.
10. Using a dough cutter, pizza wheel, or knife, cut the dough into 1-inch strips length-wise. You should have 10 – 12 long strips. This will reveal the pesto and cheese filling. 

For the loaf:

1. Gently stack the strips on top of each other to make a large stack. With your loaf pan close by, carefully hold the ends of the stack and complete a full 180-degree twist in opposite directions while setting it gently into the loaf pan. As you set it into the loaf pan, you can lightly twist it further while tucking the ends underneath. 
2. Cover the loaf pan with a tea towel or cloth and set in a warm place to rise for another 30 – 40 minutes. Again, this will depend on your environment. When it is ready, the dough should spring back ¾ of the way when you lightly poke it. 
3. Preheat the oven to 375F. 
4. Bake the pesto loaf for 35 minutes, until golden on top. 
5. Gently remove from the pan by holding the parchment paper sides, allow to cool on a rack completely before serving.

For the small twists:

1. Prepare two baking sheets with parchment paper. Set aside. 
2. After cutting the dough into 10 – 12 long strips, twist either end once or twice in opposite directions. This will reveal the layers. Set the twists onto the baking sheets, 1 ½ inch apart. Cover the baking sheets with tea towels or cloths and set in a warm place to rise for 30-40 minutes. Again, this will depend on your environment
3. Preheat the oven to 375F. 
4. Brush pesto twists with a little olive oil.
5. Bake the pesto twists for 20 minutes, until golden brown. 
6. Twists are best served immediately, while warm. 
7. Once cooled, you can freeze all leftovers for up to 1 month between layers of parchment paper. Re-heat the frozen twists in the oven for 10 minutes at 350F.