Pesto Christmas Tree Bread

Ramps are up again. Same slope, same tulip poplars, same smell that says spring. Made ramp pesto this year — something new. Ramps, walnuts (not pine nuts because pine nuts cost as much as a car payment), Parmesan, olive oil, blended until green and fragrant. Spread on toast. Tossed with pasta. Froze three jars for July, for the middle of summer when spring is a memory.

Betty was slower this spring. The way she moves from chair to door, the extra second, the hand on the doorframe that wasn't there last year. Eighty-three turning eighty-four. The years show on mountain women not in the face — still strong and angular — but in the movement, the way the body negotiates with gravity. She ate the pesto on bread and said what is this. I said ramp pesto. She said what's pesto. I said it's like a sauce from Italy. She said the ramps are fine by themselves, they don't need Italy. She ate two more pieces.

Betty’s verdict — that the ramps were fine by themselves and didn’t need Italy — stuck with me, but she still ate three pieces of bread, and that told me everything I needed to know. I had jars of ramp pesto left over, and the best use I found for them was this pull-apart pesto bread: something you tear at with your hands, pass across a table, and share without ceremony. It’s the kind of bread that doesn’t need explaining — you just eat it, the same way you just eat spring when it finally arrives.

Prep Time: 25 minutes | Cook Time: 25 minutes | Total Time: 50 minutes (plus 1 hour rise time) | Servings: 8

Ingredients

3 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
2 1/4 teaspoons active dry yeast (1 packet)
1 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup warm water (about 110°F)
2 tablespoons olive oil, plus more for the bowl
3/4 cup pesto (store-bought or homemade ramp pesto)
1/2 cup finely grated Parmesan cheese
1 egg, beaten (for egg wash)
Flaky sea salt, for topping

Instructions

Activate the yeast. Combine warm water, sugar, and yeast in a small bowl. Stir gently and let sit 5–10 minutes until foamy.
Make the dough. In a large bowl, whisk together flour and salt. Add the yeast mixture and olive oil, then stir until a shaggy dough forms. Turn out onto a lightly floured surface and knead for 7–8 minutes until smooth and elastic.
First rise. Place dough in a lightly oiled bowl, cover with a clean towel, and let rise in a warm spot for 1 hour or until doubled in size.
Roll and fill. Punch down the dough and roll out on a floured surface into a large rectangle, roughly 12 x 16 inches. Spread pesto evenly over the surface, then scatter Parmesan on top.
Shape the tree. Fold the dough in half lengthwise to enclose the filling. Using a sharp knife or pizza cutter, cut the folded dough into strips about 1 inch wide, leaving a 2-inch uncut section at the top to form the tree trunk. Arrange the strips on a parchment-lined baking sheet, fanning and twisting them outward to create the shape of a Christmas tree.
Second rise. Cover loosely and let the shaped bread rest for 20 minutes while you preheat the oven to 375°F.
Bake. Brush the surface with beaten egg and sprinkle with flaky sea salt. Bake for 22–25 minutes, until deep golden brown and cooked through.
Cool and serve. Let cool on the pan for 5 minutes before pulling apart and serving warm.

Nutrition (per serving)

Pesto Christmas Tree Bread — Betty Said the Ramps Don’t Need Italy