If you're a home sourdough baker looking for a twist on an enriched loaf, this Sourdough Pesto Babka might just be your new weekend project. Combining tender, buttery babka dough with a vibrant pesto filling and sweet sun-dried tomatoes, this bake brings Mediterranean sunshine straight to your kitchen. It's a great way to make the most of summer's fresh herbs (if you're making your own pesto) while giving your sourdough skills a fun challenge.
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But First, What Is Babka?
Babka is a sweet, braided yeast bread with roots in the Jewish communities of Poland and popularised in Jewish bakeries in New York. Traditionally filled with chocolate (like our Sourdough Chocolate Babka) or cinnamon sugar (like our Sourdough Cinnamon Babka), babka is shaped by rolling the dough into a log, slicing it down the middle, and twisting the halves to reveal the beautiful swirls inside.
Our recipe swaps sweet fillings for savoury fillings, turning it into a savoury babka inspired by Italian flavours. With a pesto bread twist, it's ideal for weekend brunches, holiday dinners, or simply enjoying warm from the oven with friends on a sunny afternoon.
Cannot be bothered to ferment, fill and twist? Try our Mediterranean Sourdough Courgette Loaf - it's a one bowl quick bread made with discard and generously loaded with parmesan, sundried tomatoes and olives!
Looking for a sweet sourdough babka recipe? Try our Cinnamon Sourdough Babka or Strawberry Sourdough Babka.
Ingredient Notes
- Sourdough starter. 100% hydration, active and bubbly.
- Strong white flour. Choose one with at least 12% protein for structure. You could replace up to 20% with wholemeal flour for extra nuttiness, but expect a less fluffy loaf.
- Milk. Warm milk (around room temperature) will give bulk fermentation a head start.
- Eggs. Medium, free-range if possible, adding richness and colour.
- Unsalted butter. Softened for easy incorporation. Salted butter can be used if you reduce the added salt slightly.
- Sugar. A little sweetness balances the savoury flavours and helps with browning.
- Salt. Don't skip it; it strengthens gluten and boosts flavour.
- Pesto filling. Any type of pesto works: classic basil pesto, walnut pesto, pistachio pesto, nettle pesto… even a punchy hazelnut pesto if you're feeling adventurous.
- Parmesan cheese. Adds umami depth; swap with Grana Padano or Pecorino.
- Sun-dried tomatoes in oil. Drain well to avoid soggy layers.
- Egg wash. For that golden brown bakery finish. A pinch of flaky salt on top enhances the savoury notes.
Find ingredient quantities, detailed instructions and nutritional information in the recipe card at the bottom of the post.
Making Your Own Pesto?
If you've got a blender and some fresh basil, homemade pesto is a breeze. Try my Hazelnut Basil Pesto for a nutty twist or Walnut Pesto with Cheddar for something richer. Both work beautifully in this savoury babka, but any of your favourite pesto recipes will do.
Step-By-Step Method
1. Feed your starter. First thing in the morning, feed your sourdough starter and leave it in a warm spot until doubled.
2. Mix the dough. In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine the dry ingredients (flour, sugar, salt). Add milk, eggs, and starter. Using the dough hook on low speed, mix until shaggy.
3. Incorporate butter. Add softened butter gradually, scraping the sides of the bowl as needed. Increase to medium speed and knead until smooth, elastic, and passing the windowpane test.
4. First rise. Transfer to a lightly greased large bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and leave in a warm spot for 4 hours, performing coil folds every 30 minutes for the first 2 hours.
5. Cold proof. Refrigerate overnight (8-24 hours). This develops flavour and makes shaping easier.
6. Shape the babka. On a lightly floured surface, roll the dough into a rectangle about 30×40cm. Spread the surface of the dough with pesto filling, sprinkle parmesan and sun-dried tomatoes. Roll tightly from the long side.
7. Twist. Slice down the middle with a sharp knife, leaving one end intact. Twist the halves, tucking in the short sides to fit a loaf tin lined with parchment paper.
8. Second rise. Cover loosely with oiled plastic wrap and leave to puff up 20-25%.
9. Bake. Preheat oven to 170°C fan. Brush with egg wash, sprinkle flaky salt, and bake for 40-50 minutes until golden brown. If browning too quickly, cover with aluminium foil after 25 minutes.
10. Cool. Rest in the loaf pan for 10-15 minutes, then transfer to a cooling rack before slicing.
Storage
This babka is best enjoyed fresh, but it will keep for 2-3 days at room temperature in an airtight container. For longer storage, slice, wrap in plastic wrap, and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw at room temperature or warm gently in the oven for a just-baked feel.
Serving Suggestions
- Serve warm slices with a little olive oil and balsamic for dipping.
- Turn it into an epic grilled cheese with cream cheese or mozzarella.
- Pair with garlic bread-style dips for a party platter.
- Perfect alongside a summery salad or as part of an al fresco holiday dinner.
- We love it with pea and mint soup!
More Sourdough Recipes You'll Love
If you loved this pesto babka bread, I've got plenty more creative sourdough bakes you can try next.
Sourdough Pesto Babka With Sun-Dried Tomatoes
Equipment
- Mixing bowl, ideally quite shallow
- Rolling pin, ideally stainless steel
- 2lb loaf pan
Ingredients
- 160 g active sourdough starter 100% hydration
- 320 g strong white flour with at least 12% protein content
- 100 ml milk
- 2 eggs medium
- 100 g unsalted butter softened
- 30 g caster sugar or granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon salt
FIlling:
- 150 g basil pesto shop-bought or homemade
- 50 g parmesan cheese finely grated
- 100 g sundried tomatoes in oil drained and roughly chopped
For Egg Wash:
- 1 egg yolk
- 1 teaspoon milk
- a pinch of flaky salt
Instructions
DAY 1
Feed Sourdough Starter:
- First thing in the morning, feed your sourdough starter and leave it in a warm spot to at least double in volume. We typically feed our starter in a ratio of 1 part starter: 1 part water: 1 part flour, and it doubles (or even triples) within 4 hours.
The Dough:
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, mix the flour, sugar and salt. Add the milk, eggs and active sourdough starter. Start mixing the dough with a bread hook attachment on low speed until you have a shaggy dough (about 4-5 minutes).
- Start adding room temperature butter one bit at a time. Note, that butter will tend to stick to the sides of the bowl, so you may need to scrape the sides once or twice. Run the mixer for 8-10 minutes until you have a relatively wet, but soft and elastic dough that passes the windowpane test.
Bulk Fermentation and Coil Folds:
- Scoop the dough into a lightly greased bowl, cover it with plastic wrap and leave it in a warm spot (20-24°C) for 4 hours.
- Over the first two hours, every 30 minutes, perform 3-4 series of coil folds. You will have a much less sticky dough by the end of the fourth coil fold. Then leave it to finish its first rise for 2 hours. Your dough is unlikely to double in size, but should increase by about a quarter.
Cold Proof:
- Place the sourdough babka dough in the fridge to finish proofing overnight. The dough ferments slower at cold temperatures, so it can safely stay in the fridge for 8-24 hours.
DAY 2
Filling and Shaping:
- Line a 2-lb loaf tin with baking parchment.
- The next step is the trickiest one, but dust the surface with flour and work quickly to take advantage of the cold and stiff dough from a night in the fridge.
- Scoop the dough onto a floured work surface. Roll it out into a large rectangle measuring about 30x40cm (12×16 in).
- Spread the pesto all over the surface, scatter grated parmesan and sun-dried tomatoes, then roll it into a very tight roll starting from the long side.
- Cut the roll in half lengthways using a sharp knife, but leave it intact at one end (so you have two legs attached at the top).
- Twist the two legs together. The filling may fall out, and the layers may start falling apart, but don't hesitate and just go for it. You can poke whatever bits fallen out back in later.
- Place it into a prepared loaf tin (make sure to fit it in snugly and don't worry if you have to serpentine the braid on top for a second layer). Poke any exposed sundried tomatoes deeper into the loaf to prevent them from burning.
Second Proof:
- Brush a piece of plastic wrap (cling film) with neutral oil. Cover the top of the sourdough babka loosely and leave it at a warm temperature (21-27°C) to proof again for 2.5-3 hours. The loaf should puff up by about 20-25% in that time.
Baking:
- Preheat the oven to 170°C Fan (340℉).
- Make an egg wash by mixing an egg yolk with a teaspoon of milk. Brush it on the surface of the babka gently. Scatter flaky salt on top.
- Bake Sourdough Babka in the oven for 40-50 minutes. It should puff up heaps and turn golden brown on top. The internal temperature of your pesto babka should reach 90-93°C / 194-200°F.
- We recommend cooling in the tin for 10-15 min before transferring to a rack to prevent the loaf from collapsing.
Nutrition
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