Is there anyone else than me that have given a new year resolution?
Is there anyone else than me regretting that?
I thought so.
Well, a promise is a promise. My new year resolution was to reduce my meat consumption. I have already reduced it a lot, but I think I can do more.

I don’t think I will ever become 100% vegan. However, I’m not even close to that. I can do more, no doubt about that.
But if I’m supposed to trade meat for more vegetables, it has to taste great. Otherwise, I will “forget” that resolution in a couple of weeks. There are thousands of ways to make vegetables more delicious. Some vegetables don’t need anything extra. They taste just fabulous as they are. But not all of them (anybody else not thinking Brussels sprouts is a godsend?).

I have decided to eat more salad for lunch this year. It’s a great dish. There are thousands of variations, and sometimes, just sometimes, you can add some meat and still feel good about it.

But a salad needs a dressing. Otherwise, it’s just boring. And the best dressing is that containing ingredients that you usually have at home. Because of course, you should mix your own dressing.
Buying ready-made dressing always gives you some extra junk you don’t want. Don’t believe me? Read the ingredient list next time you stand in the grocery store with a bottle in your hand. I’m sure you will find at least one additive that you don’t have a clue about what it is.

I know that I have already written a recipe for sourdough bread for beginners. But perhaps this recipe suits even better.
You only need a minimum of experience and equipment to succeed.
This recipe requires a big kitchen bowl, kitchen scale, cling film (or a food-safe plastic container with a lid), a sharp knife, and a working surface. It helps if you have a rolling pin and some parchment paper, but it’s not necessary.
The ingredients required are wheat flour, butter, milk, sugar, sea-salt, pesto, and a mature sourdough starter.

The mature starter is probably the biggest challenge in this recipe. But if you haven’t cracked that code yet you can always buy a starter. But I urge you to try to make your own. It’s more satisfying, and it’s not that hard. Besides, buying a starter feels a bit like cheating, don’t you think?

I found a half-filled jar of pesto in my fridge that had to be used. I bought it to save time on another occasion. It’s not anything I do very often. Homemade pesto tastes better, but some brands are not that bad (did I hear anybody saying anything about cheating). So you will not find any recipe for pesto in this post, but that shouldn’t be any problem. Just Google “Pesto” and you will have more recipes than you will ever have a chance to try. If you want to be adventurous, you can always try my kale and Rucola pesto. Or you can be as lazy as I was and buy your pesto.

There’s a lot of milk and butter in this recipe, so you will not get that crunchy crust that is typical of sourdough bread. Both the crumb and the crust will be quite soft. But with much more taste. That’s the reason why I try to exchange yeast for sourdough starter most of the times. It takes longer, but it will be tastier. Adding the pesto and you will have an unbeatable combination. They will taste like an Italian cinnamon roll, but without cinnamon, if you know what I mean.