Cheese and roast garlic tear-and-share bread

This Cheese and roast garlic tear-and-share bread is great for picnics and other get-togethers. Top with dried oregano, poppy seeds or sesame seeds, depending on your preference.

Ingredients

• 1 garlic bulb
• 1 tbsp olive oil, plus extra for oiling
• 350g/12oz strong white flour, plus extra for dusting
• 150g/5½oz plain flour
• 7g dried fast-action yeast
• ½ tsp salt
• 250ml/9fl oz full-fat milk, plus extra for glazing
• 1 tbsp malt extract
• 25g/1oz unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 150g/5½oz cheddar, grated
• 3 tsp dried oregano, poppy seeds or sesame seeds

To serve

• 50g/1¾oz butter
• 2 tbsp finely chopped fresh flatleaf parsley
• salt and freshly ground black pepper

Method for Cheese and roast garlic tear-and-share bread

1. Preheat the oven to 200C/180C Fan/Gas 6. Place the garlic bulb on a square of kitchen foil, drizzle with the olive oil and wrap up in a parcel. Pop onto a baking tray and cook for about 30 minutes until the cloves are soft. Leave to cool and turn the oven off for now. Squeeze the soft roasted garlic from the cloves and set aside.

2. Tip both of the flours into the bowl of a freestanding mixer fitted with a dough hook (alternatively use any large bowl and knead by hand). Add the yeast and salt and mix well to combine.

3. Warm the milk to hand hot, either in a heatproof jug in the microwave or in a small saucepan over a low heat (take care not to burn yourself when testing the temperature). Add the malt extract and roast garlic purée and mix to combine. Pour into the mixer bowl along with the butter.

4. Mix until combined and then continue to knead the dough for about 7 minutes, or until smooth and elastic. Shape the dough into a ball, return to the bowl, cover loosely with either cling film or a clean, slightly damp tea towel and leave to prove until doubled in size (about 45 minutes–1 hour).

5. Lightly dust the work surface with flour, turn the dough out and knead lightly for 20 seconds.

7. Weigh the dough and divide into 18 even portions. Divide the grated cheese between the dough portions and incorporate the cheese into the dough while shaping into a ball.

8. To finish shaping, pull pieces of the dough from the outside of each ball and push into the centre, working around until you have a neat ball where the dough is smooth and stretched underneath with a seam on top. Repeat with the remaining dough.

9. With the seams on the underside, arrange the balls on a large baking sheet lined with baking paper with one ball in the middle, six around this middle ball and a further 11 evenly spaced around the outside edge but leaving a little space between each one to allow for rising.

10. Cover loosely with either a clean tea towel or lightly oiled cling film and leave to rise at room temperature for a further 45 minutes or until doubled in size.

11. Preheat the oven to 200C/180C Fan/Gas 6. Brush the dough balls with milk to glaze and scatter each with either dried oregano, poppy or sesame seeds. Bake on the middle shelf of the oven for 15 minutes or until risen and golden brown.

12. Meanwhile, to serve, melt the butter and add the parsley. Season with salt and pepper. As soon as the rolls come out of the oven, brush with the melted butter and leave to cool slightly. Serve warm.

Cheese and roast garlic tear-and-share bread