Mozzarella bread

smoky scamorza, smashed green olives, capers and oregano

Serves 12 Everything about this wonderful Italian bread makes me happy – it’s ridiculously delicious. The fragrance of the olives and capers really sings out, and teamed with good seasoning and the incredible ooze of the cheeses, debatably this is even more wonderful than a pizza. Make this bread, and it won’t hang around for long.

— 4 tbsp baby capers in brine — 500g strong bread flour, plus extra for dusting — 1x7gsachetof dried yeast — olive oil

— 250g large green olives (stone in)

— 1 big bunch of fresh oregano or thyme (60g), ideally the flowering kind — 60g Parmesan cheese — extra-virgin olive oil

— 2 tbsp white-wine vinegar — 2 x 125g balls of buffalo mozzarella cheese — 200g scamorza (smoked mozzarella cheese)

Soak the capers in a bowl of water.

Put the flour and 5g of sea salt into a large bowl and make a well in the middle.

In a jug, mix the yeast into 300ml of lukewarm water, then gradually pour it into the well, stirring and bringing in the flour from the outside to form a dough. Knead on a flour-dusted surface for 10 minutes, or until smooth and springy. Place in a lightly oiled bowl, cover with a clean damp tea towel and prove in a warm place for two hours, or until doubled in size.

Meanwhile, destone the olives, then pound with the drained capers, half the oregano leaves and a pinch of sea salt in a pestle and mortar until you have a rough paste.

Finely grate in the Parmesan, add a couple of pinches of black pepper, then muddle in six tablespoons of extra-virgin olive oil and the vinegar.

On a flour-dusted surface, pull or roll the dough out to a rectangle about 30cm x 60cm. Spread the smashedup olive mixture all over the dough, then randomly tear over the mozzarella and scamorza. Starting from one of the longest sides, roll it up into a giant sausage.

Lightly oil a large baking dish or ovenproof pan and dust with a little flour, then either use your hands to squeeze and tear the dough, or cut it into rough 5cm pieces, placing them swirl side up in the pan.

Poke the remaining oregano sprigs in and around, then drizzle with a little olive oil. Leave to prove for one hour, or until doubled in size. Preheat the oven to 220C/200C fan/gas mark 7.

Gently place the dish in the middle of the oven for 30 minutes, or until the bread is golden. Leave to rest for at least 15 minutes before tucking in.

Calories: 345. Fat: 18.1g. Sat fat: 5.1g. Protein: 14.4g. Carbs: 31.7g. Sugar: 0.9g. Salt: 1.5g. Fibre: 1.3g