Rosemary

Olive, Pumpkin & rosemary bread

Ingredients:

  • 500g strong bread flour

  • 10g salt

  • 20g bread yeast

  • 250ml warm water

  • 50g black olives (sliced)

  • 80g peeled and grated pumpkin or squash

Method:

Mix the flour and salt together in a large bowl, add the yeast. Slowly add a little water at a time, while mixing together with your hands to form a dough.

You can add more or less water depending on how your dough feels.

Tip out onto your worktop and knead for a few minutes.

There are various ways to knead your dough, I like to stretch it out, then roll it back in, and give it a 90 degree turn, before stretching it out again.

Cover with a damp cloth and leave to prove for about 20 minutes.

Lightly dust your work surface with a little flour and roll out the dough to form a rectangle a quarter inch thick.

Drizzle the surface with a little olive oil. Spread the olives, and pumpkin, evenly over the surface.

Roll the dough up from the short end and tuck the ends in to form a loaf. Place on a baking tray.

Leave the loaf to prove for a further 30 minutes. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 250 degrees Celsius.

Slash the top of the loaf along its length, and leave to prove for a further 10 minutes.

Pour some boiled water on the bottom of the oven.

Cook for 10 minutes before dropping the temperature to 200 degrees if the crust is looking pale, 180 degrees if the crust is noticeably browning, and 170 if it seems to be browning quickly. Cook for a further 40 mins.

Remove from the oven, the loaf should sound hollow when you tap it on the bottom, if not return it to the oven for a little longer.

Leave to cool fully before cutting.