Pesto Hasselback Bread

For a flavorful accoutrement to soup, salad, or something saucy, I love bringing a store-bought loaf of bread to life with basil pesto. 

Pesto Hasselback Bread

Ingredients

• 1 loaf crusty bread
• 1/4 cup basil pesto

Preheat oven to 400F.

Using a bread knife, cut 1 inch slices into the bread loaf. Be sure to avoid slicing all the way through the load - you want the bottom of the load intact. 

Between each of the slices, smear a bit of the pesto and season with salt. 

Wrap the loaf in foil, and bake for approximately 15 minutes until the bread is warm and crusty.

Serves 4 to 6

Notes from the Chef:

-Instead of pesto, you can smear the bread with a mix of softened butter, garlic powder and oregano