Recipe for Green Babka with Nettle Pesto & Feta

The brioche dough: in the bowl of the mixer, place the flour mixed with salt, nettle powder, and sugar, add the crumbled yeast. Pour in the milk and eggs and knead with the hook on medium speed for about 10 to 15 minutes. The dough should gather around the hook, becoming elastic and barely sticking to your finger.

At low speed, add the cottage cheese (be careful of splashes if you mix too quickly), and mix until it is completely incorporated. Then knead for an additional 10 to 15 minutes. The dough will become elastic and will no longer stick to the bowl.

Form a ball and place it in a large bowl lightly greased, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate overnight.

Nettle pesto: To make the pesto, only the tender leaves at the tip of the stem should be harvested. The other, less tender leaves can be dried or used to make infusions. Don't forget to wear long sleeves and gloves.

Leave the nettles in the open air for 30 minutes to 1 hour so that the small insects can leave. Wash the nettle leaves, then dry them.

In the bowl of the food processor, place all the ingredients (or in a mortar with a pestle) and blend until you achieve a nice pesto. You can store it in a glass jar, pour a layer of olive oil on top, and place it in the refrigerator.

Assembly & Cooking: On a lightly floured work surface, turn out the dough and form a rectangle about 30 x 40 cm. Spread the pesto to your liking (you will have some left over), leaving a small border. Sprinkle with feta, more or less to your taste, and roll tightly along the long edge in a spiral. Then, using a very sharp knife, cut the dough in half lengthwise.

Place one dough piece over the other to form an X, then braid them together. Gently place the bread into a lightly greased loaf pan lined with parchment paper. Cover the pan and let it rise for 1.5 hours or until the dough has doubled in size.

Preheat the oven to 180°C, remove the film and place in the oven for about 30 – 35 minutes, the top should be nicely golden.