Cheese and pesto whirls

Method

1. Combine the flour, yeast, sugar and 1½ tsp fine salt in a large mixing bowl, or the bowl of a tabletop mixer. Measure out 300ml warm water and add roughly 280ml to the flour, along with the olive oil, and start mixing until the ingredients start to clump together as a dough. If it seems a little dry, add the rest of the water. Once combined, knead for 10 minutes by hand on your work surface, or for 5 minutes on a medium speed in a mixer. The dough is ready when it feels soft, springy and elastic. Clean the bowl, drizzle in a little oil, then pop the dough back in, turning it over and coating the sides of the bowl in oil. Cover with some oiled cling film and put in a warm place to double in size (1-3 hrs, depending on the temperature).

2. Line a baking tray with parchment. Uncover the dough and punch it down a couple of times with your fist, knocking out all the air bubbles. Tip out onto a floured work surface and dust the top with a little flour if it's sticky. Roll the dough out to a rectangle roughly 40 x 30cm. Spread over the pesto, then add the tomatoes, cheeses and basil. Roll the dough up from one of the longer sides, into a long sausage.

3. Use a sharp knife to cut the dough into 12 even pieces. Put on the baking tray, cut-side up, in a 3-by-4 formation, making sure the open end of the roll is tucked in towards the centre on the arrangement – this will prevent them from uncoiling during cooking. Leave a little space between each roll as they will grow and touch as they prove. Loosely cover with oiled cling film and leave to prove for 30 minutes to 1 hour until almost doubled in size again. Heat oven to 200 degrees C/ 180 degrees C fan-forced. 

4. Uncover the bread when it is puffed up. Bake on the middle shelf in the oven for 35-40 minutes until golden brown and the centre looks dry and not doughy. Remove from the oven and leave to cool for at least 10 minutes.