Mozzarella, Roasted Garlic and Rosemary Bread

For this recipe you need to start with a basic white loaf.

Makes 1 good-sized loaf
Preparation time 20 minutes
Rising time 1 hour
Proving time 30 minutes
Baking time 40 minutes

What you need:

1 x 7g sachet fast-acting yeast or 2 tsp dried active yeast
1 tbsp golden caster sugar
300ml/½ pint tepid water
500g/1lb 2oz strong white bread flour, plus extra for dusting and rolling
1 teaspoon sea salt
1 tbsp olive oil, plus extra for oiling

Put the yeast and sugar in a bowl, cover with the tepid water and leave to one side for 5 minutes. In a bowl add the flour, yeast-and-sugar solution, salt and olive oil.

Mix together to form a soft dough. Turn the dough out on to a floured surface, then with a firm fist (dusted with flour to prevent sticking), knead the dough for 10 minutes, pushing and folding the dough over and over again until the dough springs back when you prod it. This can be quite knackering, but do keep it up as it’s the kneading that changes the texture from cake-like to bread-like.

Place the dough in a large, clean mixing bowl, which has had a dribble of oil wiped over it. Cover with oiled cling-film and leave in a warm place, such as an airing cupboard or near a warm cooker, for 1 hour until doubled in size.

Remove the clingfilm and stick your fist into the dough to knock all the air out of it. Knock the dough around for a minute, or until it has deflated, then shape it into an oval loaf shape and pop it into an oiled loaf tin; alternatively, make a large round farmhouse loaf or shape the dough into rolls.

Leave the bread to double again in size, which will take 30-45 minutes. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 200ºC/gas 6. Place the loaf in the oven and bake for 30 minutes until it has risen, become golden and sounds hollow when you tap the base. Leave the loaf to cool completely on a wire rack before serving.

Mozzarella, roasted garlic and rosemary bread

2 garlic bulbs

2 mozzarella balls

3-4 sprigs of rosemary

olive oil

While the dough is having its first prove, chop the tip off 2 whole bulbs of garlic, drizzle in olive oil, and then pop them in the oven (180C) for 30 minutes.

Once roasted, leave the garlic to cool. Once the bread is ready to shape simply flour the kitchen surface and a rolling in, then roll the bread dough into a 40cm x 30cm rectangle. Chop 2 balls of mozzarella into bite sized pieces and scatter them over the bread dough, scatter the leaves of 3 sprigs of rosemary on top, then finally squeeze the garlic out from its bulb and scatter this over the top.

Roll the bread dough up loosely like a Swiss roll, then chop in 5cm thick discs. Lay them 1 cm apart on an oiled baking sheet so they resemble a sheet of Chelsea buns. You will need to leave about 1 cm between each bun so they can rise into each other.

Leave to prove for 1 hour, and then bake at 200ºC for 45 minutes until risen, light and golden. The cheese will be oozing out of the buns and it will smell glorious.