Basil, Sun-Dried Tomato and Parmesan Twister Bread

Last Sunday morning I was enjoying a mornings reading in the conservatory, as you do. As the morning wore on I began to think about lunch, food never being far away from my mind. We didn't really have much in so I needed to be creative. As I looked up my eye caught our basil plant. This was just one of those plants you buy at the supermarket and rather than chucking it after using it we decided to keep it and it has done us proud over the summer. All it needs is a bit of water every day and to be used once a week and it will keep you in basil, well for the summer.
So I had basil. I also remembered that I bought some sun-dried tomatoes a while ago for some recipe or other and they had been languishing in the fridge ever since. Basil and sun-dried tomatoes, a culinary match made in heaven. But they needed to be in something substantial, a bread? I recently made a Lorraine Pascale recipe for a twister bread which had a sesame oil and sesame seed filling. What was to stop me from putting basil and sun-dried tomatoes in it instead? The answer, nothing. Once I started rummaging in the fridge I found some parmesan and some Italian cold meats, I do believe we have lunch!
The twister bread recipe is very simple, if a bit messy and doesn't take long in the rising department. Once I had my dough rolled out I brushed it with olive oil, scattered the chopped basil, tomatoes and grated parmesan on top. Then it was just a case of cutting it into six lengths, twisting each one individually and then twisting all six to form the ring. The join wasn't very pretty but the rest looked good. It then has a rise for 45 minutes and baked for about 35 minutes.

This is a great sharing bread, you just pull it apart and eat. With the Italian meats it was perfect and it made a starring roll in Wednesdays dinner when it went into a Panzanella (a tomato and bread Tuscan salad). Bread is indeed the food of the Gods.