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Olive and rosemary crown

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Olive and rosemary crown

This looks impressive and tastes delicious with the salty tapenade, strong blue cheese and a hint of rosemary. Any leftovers make a great snack throughout the day, or you can freeze them in slices for another time.

Ingredients

For the filling

Method

  1. Put the flour, salt, yeast, dried rosemary and butter into a bowl, then rub the butter into the flour until it is like breadcrumbs.

  2. Make a well in the centre. Add the milk and egg and use your hands to bring the dough together. Knead on a floured surface for 10 minutes, until stretchy and smooth. (If you are using a mixer, knead with a dough hook attached for 5 minutes.) Put back into the bowl, cover with cling film, and leave until it has doubled in size (about 1½ hours).

  3. Line a baking tray with baking paper. Flour a work surface and tip the dough out. Knock all the air out, then roll the dough into a rectangle about 33x25cm/13x10in. With the long edge facing you, spread the tapenade all over the dough and crumble over the blue cheese.

  4. Roll the dough up like a Swiss roll, as tightly as you can, with the seam at the bottom. With a sharp knife, cut all the way across the centre, exposing the swirls and making sure you leave a couple of centimetres uncut to keep it attached at the very top. You should have what looks like an "A" that has not been crossed. Turn the cut side out so the layers are visible and simply twist the two pieces, one over the other. Pinch the end and then join the two ends to make a circle. Carefully place on the tray – if you lose the circle shape, now is the time to fix it – then cover with a greased sheet of cling film and leave in a warm place to prove for another 30 minutes.

  5. Preheat the oven to 220C/200C Fan/Gas 7.

  6. When the crown has doubled in size again, uncover and bake in the preheated oven for 25 minutes. When it is ready, place on a rack to cool.

  7. Warm the jam in the microwave, just enough to loosen it, and brush all over the crown for a beautiful sweet sheen. Sprinkle with fresh rosemary and serve.

Recipe Tips

You can freeze this loaf, or the leftovers. Cut into slices and pop into a freezer bag.