SMOKED MOZZARELLA BREAD

For this I have adapted Ursula Ferrigno's Stromboli bread recipe. She does suggest that you use half smoked mozzarella but I wanted to add some tomatoes too. I have changed the method a little as I have slightly less pazienza than she. I like this recipe because the dough is "shaped", not rolled out, which is far less messy and there's a real fun bit towards the end!

Dough:

Half yeast cube, if in Italy, or a sachet of easy-blend yeast

half pint tepid water
1 lb Italian 00 flour or strong white bread flour
a little coarse seasalt
3 tablespoons olive oil

Filling and topping:

7 oz chopped mozzarella

7oz chopped smoked mozzarella

some cherry tomatoes which have been halved and marinated in olive oil and a little sugar - get as many seeds out of these as you can using a teaspoon

1 crushed garlic clove

a few torn basil leaves

3 tablespoons olive oil

some sprigs rosemary

coarse seasalt and black pepper

Mix the flour, salt, olive oil and yeast in a wide, deep bowl and add the water. Mix with the dough hooks of a hand mixer [which is what I do] or chuck it all into a processor. In either case, whizz till you have a soft, pliable dough. Put the dough into a clean bowl, the base of which has been oiled [to stop a crust forming] and cover with a damp tea towel. Leave in a warm place for about 90 minutes till doubled in size.

Heat the oven to 200 C.

Knead the dough a little, still in the bowl, then turn it out onto a floured board. Pull it into an oblong shape with your hands. Spread the cheeses, tomatoes and garlic onto the dough and scatter the basil leaves over. Roll it up loosely, almost like a Swiss roll, from a narrow end and place it on an oiled baking sheet. [Mine has been well used, as you see.] You need to act quickly here or the dough will break - take a deep breath, pick it up and chuck it on! Use a skewer to make holes all over the top of the dough, right down to the surface of the baking sheet. Sprinkle over 1 tablesp of the olive oil, then the seasalt, black pepper and rosemary. Bake for 1 hour.

Let the bread cool, still on the baking sheet, for no more than 5 minutes , then - oh, I love this part! - pour over the rest of the olive oil and watch as the loaf absorbs it, as if by magic!

Enjoy warm [heavenly] or cold [good].