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This irresistible garlic bread recipe makes delicious knots that are crispy outside and soft inside, with a subtle delicious pesto flavor. It’s easy – no stand mixer required – and fun to make.

And freshly baked pesto garlic bread tastes wonderful, it’s perfect for a picnic or for dipping into soups, and looks lovely too!

Top view of a large garlic bread knot with sesame seeds over white parchment paper.

First of all, how delicious is warm, crusty, soup-dunkable garlic bread? It’s perfect all year round, from spring gatherings to those days when you crave only comfort food.

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Yes, we’re talking freshly baked pesto garlic bread, what’s not to love?!

Pull it apart with your hands, it’s rustic and deliciously crusty and golden on the outside, but the inside is pillowy, soft and tastes amazing.

My mum used to make this garlic bread recipe around Easter, and it was so good. To make her easy recipe more versatile, I added a layer of basil pesto to balance out the garlic flavor.

And don’t feel daunted by the fancy shapes, you’re free to shape each roll into spirals or make single or double knotted rolls, they will look absolutely stunning!

I truly cannot wait for you to try this garlic bread recipe, friends. Let me show you how it’s done!

List of the ingredients

  • (fresh or store-bought)
  • Fresh garlic
  • All-purpose flour or spelt flour
  • Eggs
  • (or instant yeast, see notes)
  • Olive oil
  • Sugar
  • Salt
  • & sesame seeds (optional)

The garlic bread recipe ingredients are arranged over a white background.

How to make pesto garlic bread

(Note: this is a quick description with step-by-step photos, the full recipe is at the bottom of the page)

  • Mix flour and salt in a large bowl.
  • Dissolve yeast and sugar in water.
  • Then stir the water, the oil, and one beaten egg into the flour.
  • Mix with a spatula, then knead on a surface for a couple of minutes.
  • Let the dough rest in a warm place for 1 hour.
  • Mix grated garlic and pesto and set aside.

Top view of a glass bowl containing the ingredients to make the pesto garlic bread dough.

  • Stretch the dough out into a large rectangular shape.
  • Spread the garlic pesto on half of the rectangle, and fold it.
  • Using a handy cut lengthwise into 4 long stripes as I did here (they make 4 large rolls). You can also cut them crosswise in half (to make 8 stripes/rolls) and shape them into small spirals.

    • Top view of the pesto bread dough flatten and covered with a layer of garlicky pesto, and cut into four slices with a pizza cutter.

  • Fold each stripe into a loose knot leaving space in the center.
  • Wrap the right end of the dough up and over the loop

    • Top view of one dough stripe showing how to make the knot.

  • Wrap the left end down and under the loop. Try to squeeze into a nice rounded shape.
  • Brush with egg wash using a , sprinkle with seeds, and bake for about 15-20 minutes!

    • Top view of the bread know brushed with egg wash and sprinkled with sesame seeds.

    Recipe notes & tips

    Garlic Bread recipe ingredients

    Flour: all-purpose, bread flour, light spelt flour work well in this recipe. You can also mix white flour with whole-grain flour to get from the whole grains.

    Yeast: I used dry active yeast in this recipe, but instant yeast works just fine. Follow the manufacture’s directions, skip the sugar, and wait until the dough doubles in size.

    Olive oil: use good olive oil or extra virgin olive oil to improve flavor and texture.

    Garlic: we grate fresh garlic cloves and we mix them with pesto.

    Pesto: freshly made pesto is best – I’m stating the obvious – but good quality store-bought pesto works just fine. You can also swap basil pesto for , it’s delicious!

    Seeds: sesame, chia, poppy seeds, they’re optional, but they make the rolls pretty and add extra flavor too.

    Close-up of a hand holding a piece of bread and showing the soft inside.

    How long does this garlic bread keep?

    Pesto garlic bread is best the day it is made but can be stored in an airtight container, at room temperature, for up to 2 days.

    It freezes very well too. Defrost at room temperature, then reheat in the oven for a few minutes and serve warmed and crispy.

    How to serve it?

    It goes well with just about anything savory, from to salads such as or . AND it’s absolutely delicious with like , or spreads like or yummy . The sky is the limit!

    Top view of a few pieces of pesto bred rolls and a bowl full of sun-dried tomatoes.

    More bread and pizza from the oven:

    Apart from sweet bread recipes such as these delicious and , on the blog I’ve also got:

    If you make this garlic bread recipe with pesto, or if you have any questions, let me know by leaving a comment. I would love to hear from you! x

    And for more recipe updates, follow me on , and

    Pesto Garlic Bread Recipe

    This irresistible garlic bread is crispy outside and soft inside, with a subtle delicious pesto flavor. It's also economical, fun to make, and tastes amazing. The recipe yields 4 large rolls/8 smaller rolls

    Prep Time10
    Cook Time20 proof time 1 30
    Total Time2
    CourseBread
    CuisineItalian
    KeywordGarlic pesto recipe
    Servings4
    AuthorKatia

    Dough

    • 2 ½ cup (375 grams) all-purpose flour or whole-grain flour (see notes)
    • 1 ¼ tsp fine salt
    • ½ cup + 2 Tbsp (150 ml) water, lukewarm
    • 1 tsp dry active yeast
    • ½ tsp sugar
    • 1 egg, slightly beaten
    • 2 Tbsp olive oil
    • ½ cup (100 grams) basil pesto
    • 2-3 garlic cloves, grated

    Topping

    • 1 egg, slightly beaten
    • 2 Tbsp seeds (sesame, chia, poppy…) (optional)
    • ½ Tbsp salt flakes (optional)

    Instructions

    Make the dough

    • In a large bowl, place flour, salt and mix until well combined.
    • In a small bowl or jug, mix lukewarm water with yeast and sugar. Let it rest for a couple of minutes until foamy.
    • Then pour the liquid into the dry ingredients, add the beaten egg and olive oil, and stir with a fork until roughly combined.
    • Trasfer the dough onto a work surface, and knead for a couple of minutes until smooth. You might need an extra Tbsp of water, trust your judgment here, but overall the dough should be easily pliable.
    • Once you shape the dougn into a ball, place it back into its bowl, cover with a damp cloth (to prevent its surface from drying out) and let it rest in a warm place until it doubles in size (about 1 hour).

    Shape the bread rolls

    • In a small bowl, mix pesto and garlic and set aside.
    • Once the dough is ready, place it onto a large sheet of parchment paper.
    • Stretch it out with your fingers into a rectangular shape (about 10 x 12 inches).
    • Spread the pesto on half of the rectangle, then lift the other side of the parchment paper and fold the other half of the dough over the one covered with pesto. Gently flatten the rectangle with your fingers.
    • Cut the rough edges, than with a pizza cutter cut the rectangle lengthwise into 4 large stripes. At this point, you can cut the 4 stripes crosswise in order to get 8 stripes in total. This will give you 8 smaller rolls rather than 4.
    • If you keep the stripes long, wrap the dough around your fingers into a loose knot leaving space in the center. Wrap the left end of the dough up and over the loop. Wrap the right end down and under the loop. Try to squeeze into a nice rounded shape. If you cut the stripes shorter, you can easily shape them into spirals.

    Topping & baking

    • Place each roll on to a bakin pan lined with parchment paper, brush them lightly with some egg wash (to keep them moist), and let them rest for about 30 minutes.
    • Preheat the oven to 420°F/220°C.
    • Before putting the rolls in the hot oven, brush them again with egg wash and sprinkle with seeds, and salt flakes if you wish.
    • Bake them for about 15-20 minutes until golden.