CHEESE AND WILD GARLIC PESTO BREAD

Makes one large loaf

INGREDIENTS

For the tangzhong 120ml water

35g strong white flour 25g strong cheddar cheese, grated

For the dough

300g strong white flour 7g fine salt

25g caster sugar

10g full-fat milk powder (optional)

120ml whole milk 7g instant yeast

2 eggs

20g unsalted butter, melted and cooled

80g parmesan cheese, grated

For the wild garlic pesto

50g pine nuts, toasted

120g wild garlic leaves, washed, dried and chopped

50g parmesan cheese Pinch of ground black pepper Zest of 1 lemon

100ml olive oil

METHOD

h Make the tangzhong. Put the water in a small saucepan, turn the heat on to medium and when it’s a touch warm, whisk in the flour. Over a medium heat, keep stirring until a thick paste forms and stir for a few minutes longer. Remove from the heat and stir through the grated cheese. Spoon this into a heatproof bowl and allow to cool down completely before using. h In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough attachment add the flour, salt, sugar, milk powder (if using) and stir really well. h In a small saucepan, gently warm the milk until slightly warm to touch, then remove from the heat and stir in the yeast. Set aside for five minutes. h Add the milk/yeast mixture to the flour bowl along with one of the eggs, the melted butter and cheese tangzhong paste. Mix on a medium speed, scraping down the sides, until a dough forms. h Turn the machine up and mix for 10-15 minutes until a shiny, stretchy dough forms. Oil a large bowl and scoop the dough into the bowl, cover and let it prove for two to three hours at room temperature until doubled in size, or place in the fridge overnight (making sure you give it enough room to grow). h Meanwhile, make the pesto. Place all of the ingredients apart from the olive oil in a food processor and blitz until everything is broken down. Add the olive oil and whizz until a pesto forms. h Line a 20cm cake tin with parchment paper. h Lightly dust your workbench with flour and knock back the dough by pressing down on it lightly, then roll it out to a 50x22cm strip. Spread the pesto all over and scatter over the grated cheese. Now roll the dough up lengthways. Use a sharp knife to cut lengthways through the middle of the roll, giving two legs of dough. h Turn these strips so that the cut side faces up. Now braid the dough, placing one piece over the other as you go. Starting from one end, roll this braid up into a spiral shape, leaving you with a round dough with stripes of pesto exposed throughout. Place the spiral into the cake tin, cover the top with cling film or a tea towel and prove for 30-40 minutes at room temperature. h Preheat the oven to 200C/180C fan/Gas 6 and bake for 25 minutes, then turn the oven down to 180C/160C fan/Gas 4 and bake for a further eight minutes. Remove from the oven and allow to cool before cutting and eating – you can brush the top with olive oil before serving for an extra sheen.