Pesto Feta Swirl Buns

Herby pesto swirl buns with vegan feta cheese! These swirl rolls are kind of addictive. They seem to disappear before they touch the table. Imagine… a light and fluffy dough swirled with homemade pesto and melty feta cheese. So soft, springy, and ultra fluffy. And it’s super simple to make, but it’s a great base for the buns.

Pesto Feta Swirl Buns [Vegan]

Ingredients

For the Dough:

• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 1 teaspoon yeast
• 2 cups white bread flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 tablespoons unsweetened non-dairy yogurt
• 1 tablespoon olive oil

For the alla Genovese:

• 1/4 cup toasted pine nuts
• 1 clove garlic, chopped
• 2 packed cups basil leaves, roughly chopped
• 1/4 cup+ olive oil
• 2 teaspoons lemon juice
• 2 tablespoons nutritional yeast
• Pepper & salt, to taste

Extra:

• ~ 1/2 cup vegan feta, crumbled or finely chopped

Preparation

For the Dough:

1. Dissolve 1 teaspoon sugar in the water, sprinkle the yeast on top and let the mixture sit for 10 minutes or until frothy.
2. Combine flour, baking soda, and salt in a bowl.
3. Add the wet ingredients (sugar-yeast mixture, non-dairy yogurt, olive oil) to the flour mixture, stir until combined.
4. Dust the work surface with flour and knead the dough for ten minutes, until it feels elastic. Add extra flour if needed.
5. Lightly grease a bowl with oil. Place the dough in the bowl and cover it with a towel. Let the dough rise for one hour or until doubled in size.

For the alla Genovese:

1. Add the basil, nooch, pine nuts, garlic, and lemon juice to a (mini) food processor. Pulse to combine, leaving some structure.
2. While the machine is running, stream in the olive oil. Scrape down the sides as needed. Add some more olive oil or water as needed, keep the pesto on the thicker side.
3. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

For the pesto feta swirl buns:

1. Lightly grease a square tin (8 inches) with oil, line the bottom with parchment paper.
2. Dust the work surface with flour. Knock back the dough and quickly knead through.
3. Roll out the dough into a 16-12 inch rectangle. Spread with a layer of pesto and sprinkle with the vegan feta, leaving an edge of 1/4 inch. Carefully roll up the dough and cut into 9 equal sections.
4. Place the rolls in the prepared baking dish, leaving some space in between. Cover with a towel and let the buns rise for another half hour.
5. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Bake the buns for 20-25 minutes or until golden. Remove from the oven and drizzle with some extra-virgin olive oil.
6. Best served warm. Enjoy!

https://www.onegreenplanet.org/vegan-recipe/pesto-feta-swirl-buns-vegan/