Pumpkin star bread

• whole milk↗275ml ml
• unsalted butter↗40g g
• pumpkin purée↗400g can g

  (or see below)

• plain flour↗550g g

  plus extra for dusting

• caster sugar↗1 tsp tsp
• fast-action dried yeast↗7g sachet g
• sea salt↗10g g
• vegetarian Italian-style hard cheese↗75g g

  finely grated

• rosemary sprigs↗2

  needles picked and finely chopped

Step-by-step instructions

1. 1

   Warm the milk in a small pan over a low heat until just steaming. Remove from the heat and stir in the butter to melt, then add 180g pumpkin purée. Combine the flour, sugar, yeast and salt in a stand mixer. Add the wet ingredients to the dry, then knead using a dough hook on a medium speed for 5-6 mins. Or, do this by hand for 10 mins. Cover and leave to prove for 1 hr until doubled in size.

2. 2

   Heat the oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6 and line a baking sheet with baking parchment. Mix the rest of the pumpkin purée with the cheese, rosemary and plenty of black pepper.

3. 3

   Divide the dough into four equal pieces and roll into balls. Roll each one out into a 25cm circle on a lightly floured surface. Put one dough circle on the baking sheet and spread over a third of the pumpkin filling, leaving a 2cm border around the edge. Top with another circle of dough and another third of the filling, repeat, then top with the final dough circle. Use a 10cm round cutter to score a circle into the middle of the dough stack. Slice the stack into 16 equal strips up to the edge of the scored circle. Working with two strips at a time, twist the strips in opposite directions, then pinch the ends together. Repeat all the way around to make an eight-pointed star.

4. 4

   Cover and leave to prove for 1 hr until puffed up, then bake for 25-35 mins until risen, firm and golden.