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Pizza loaf

Pizza loaf

5
Points®
Total Time
1 hr 25 min
Prep
45 min
Cook
40 min
Serves
12
Difficulty
Moderate
Do the twist with this savoury loaf, filled with olives, semi-dried tomatoes, aromatic basil and chunks of gooey mozzarella. Lovely served with a warming soup.

Ingredients

Dry yeast

3 g

Pitted green olives

50 g, or black, roughly chopped

Semi dried tomatoes, not in oil

70 g, drained, roughly chopped

Mozzarella

125 g, piece, torn into small chunks

Egg(s)

1 medium, lightly beaten

Plain flour

260 g, 1⅔ cup (250g) for the dough, plus 10g for dusting

Caster sugar

½ tsp

Olive oil

1 tbs

Fresh basil

15 g, frozen, coarsely chopped

Oil spray

1 x 3 second spray(s)

Instructions

  1. Sift flour into a large bowl. Stir in 1 teaspoon salt, sugar and yeast and make a well in the centre. Add oil and ½ cup (125ml) warm water. Mix with a flat-blade knife to form a soft dough. Add a little extra warm water if dough is too dry.
  2. Turn dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead for 7-10 minutes, until smooth and elastic. Lightly spray a large, clean bowl with oil. Transfer the dough to oiled bowl, cover with a clean tea towel and stand in a warm place for 1 hour or until doubled in size.
  3. Meanwhile, combine olives, semi-dried tomatoes and basil in a small bowl. Season with freshly ground black pepper. Line a large baking tray with baking paper.
  4. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Knock out the air by kneading for 2-3 minutes. Roll into a 22cm x 36cm rectangle. Scatter over olive mixture and mozzarella. Starting from a long edge, roll up the dough tightly into a sausage shape. Cut in half lengthways, but leave 3cm uncut at one end so the two halves are attached. Twist the two halves together like a rope and press the ends to secure.
  5. Transfer dough to prepared baking tray. Cover with the same tea towel and set aside in a warm place to prove for a further 30 minutes. Meanwhile preheat oven to 200°C.
  6. Uncover dough and lightly brush with egg. Bake for 35-40 minutes, until golden and cooked through. If loaf is over-browning during cooking time, cover loosely with foil. Stand for 10 minutes before slicing. Serve warm.

Notes

Recipe hack: Instead of a twist, try making a ‘Stromboli’ loaf; simply transfer the filled and rolled dough to a lined baking tray and snip little holes along the top, so that the cheese can bubble out during cooking.