Ingredients
Onion bread dough:
- 1/2 cup milk, warm
- 1/2 cup water, warm
- 1 tbsp butter, melted
- 1 tsp yeast, dry
- 2 cups flour
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 2 tbsp sugar
- 1/4 cup flour, for kneading
Basil pesto dough:
- 1 cup milk, warm
- 1/2 cup water, warm
- 2 tbsp butter, melted
- 1 1/2 tsp yeast, dry
- 2 3/4 cups flour
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 1 egg yolk
- 1/4 cup flour, for kneading
- 1 tbsp rosemary, fresh, chopped
Onion filling:
- 5 onions, large
- 2 tbsp cooking oil
Tomato pesto:
- 1 cup sun dried tomatoes
- 3 garlic cloves
- 1 bunch spring onions, chopped
- 1/4 cup pine nuts
- 1/4 cup parmesan cheese, grated
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- salt and pepper
Basil pesto:
- 1/4 cup pine nuts
- 1 1/2 cups basil, fresh
- 2 garlic cloves
- 3/4 cup parmesan cheese, grated
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 1 tsp chilli flakes
- salt and pepper
Assembly:
- 2 cups mozzarella cheese
- 1 egg white
Preparation method
Onion bread dough:
- Combine yeast and warm water and let sit for 15 minutes to activate
- Combine all dry ingredients, add milk, butter and yeast and knead by hand for 10 minutes
- Place in a glass bowl, cover with cling wrap and place in a warm place for 1 hour, until double in size
Basil pesto dough:
- Combine yeast and warm water, allow to sit for 15 minutes, to activate
- Combine all dry ingredients and add the chopped rosemary
- Add milk, yolk, butter and yeast, kneed by hand for 10 minutes
- Place in a glass bowl, cover with cling wrap and place in a warm area for 1 hour, until double in size
- Preheat oven to 180 C
Onion filling:
- Cut onions in half and slice thinly
- Cook in oil, over medium heat for 20 minutes, set aside to cool
Tomato pesto:
- In a food processor, mix all the tomato pesto ingredients to form a paste
Basil pesto:
- In a food processor, mix all the basil pesto ingredients to form a paste
- (Make 2 batches of the basil pesto)
Shaping your bread and Assembly:
- Roll out your 1st dough into a rectangle and spread with the sun dried tomato and onions
- Roll into a long sausage and cut it in half, lengthwise
- Plait the 2 pieces together, exposing the side with the filling, and seal the edges
- Roll it tightly in on itself, to make a spiral shape, set aside (this is the centre of the sunflower)
- Roll out the 2nd dough into a rectangle and spread with the basil pesto and mozzarella
- Roll into a long sausage and wrap it around the onion bread
- To make the petals, cut slits about 2cm apart, all around the dough (each slit must be deep enough to reveal the filling inside)
- Cover and let rise for another 20 minutes
- Brush the top with the egg white
- Bake at 180 C for 45 minutes