Pinwheels!

Today I made something crazy delicious.  As in, my diet is NOT thanking me right now.

I'm also experimenting with pin-worthy picture edits.  Eh, Rome wasn't built in a day and all that.


If you have a breadmaker, these bad boys are pretty simple to make.  If you don't have a breadmaker, consider going to your nearest thrift store.  That's where I found mine, for ten bucks.  Looked like it had been used 3 or 4 times, and we downloaded the user manual from the web.

I have a Breadman Plus (which are apparently going for $120 on amazon...good steal huh?), but I think most breadmakers these days have similar settings.  The order you put your ingredients in is important, with yeast almost always going last.

Rather than shredding your parm, take a knife and cut into thin slivers, then cut them into quarters.  This way some of them break down in the machine, while others stay in tact, leaving big gooey bites of goodness!  Put your 'maker on the pizza dough setting and let it coast.

Tah dah!

Flip the dough out into a bowl greased with olive oil.  Turn once or twice to ensure the dough is coated in the oil.  Cover with a towel and let rise in a warm place for 30 minutes to an hour.

See how it's puffed up?  Punch it down (or let your toddler poke it with his little fingers) and turn out onto a lightly floured surface.  FYI, the powder container in the background has been washed out and filled with flour.  It keeps me from getting my fingers battered when doing projects like this.

Roll out into a big old rectangle.

Spread pesto in an even layer, leaving about an inch clearance at whichever end you decide will be the tail end of the roll.

Roll, roll, roll your dough!  Using unflavored dental floss, cut into about 1" sections.

How's that for pretty?

And the end result.  Served warm with butter (or even a little marinara sauce) these bad boys are killer! Can't wait to try them with some pasta.  Hope you enjoy!

Basil Parmesan Pinwheels

For bread:

-1 C water, warm

-1 1/2 tsp salt

-1 1/2 tbsp sugar

-2 tbsp vegetable oil

-2 1/2 C bread flour

-1 tsp dried oregano

-1 tsp dried basil

-1 tsp granulated garlic

-1 tbsp minced garlic (optional)

-1/4 C parmesan cheese

-2 1/4 tsp yeast or 1 packet

For filling:

-1/4 to 1/3 C pesto

-1/4 C shredded parmesan cheese

1.  Place water and next 9 ingredients into bread machine in the order listed.  Dig a small trench in the flour with your finger, and pour in the yeast.  Set bread machine on pizza dough or dough setting.
2.  Once the cycle is done, turn out the dough into a bowl that has been prepared with olive oil.  Swirl the dough around to make sure it is coated, then cover with a towel and let sit for 30 minutes to an hour.  The longer it sits, the more fluffy the bread will be.
3.  Preheat oven to 350.  Punch down the dough and turn it out onto a lightly floured surface.  Roll into a rectangle shape.  Spread the pesto evenly onto the dough and sprinkle with parmesan.
4.  Roll the dough up and cut into 1" sections using dental floss.  Place onto a lightly greased baking sheet and bake for 20-25 minutes.