Fig and olive-tapenade star bread

Make a bread dough by mixing the flour, yeast and salt together in a large bowl. Add the olive oil, then gradually add the water until the mixture comes together to form a soft dough. Turn the dough out onto a work surface and knead by hand until the dough turns silky and stretchy, about 10 minutes. Place the dough in an oiled bowl, cover with cling film and set aside to double in size, 1 hour.

In the meantime, make the tapenade. Place all of the ingredients in a blender and pulse until roughly chopped, adding more olive oil if necessary, until a spreadable consistency is achieved. Set aside.

When risen, turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface and knead to knock the dough back. Shape the dough into a ball. Divide the dough into 4 equal pieces then roll out each piece into a 20cm round. Spread 3 of the rounds with the tapenade. Stack them on top of each other then lace a dinner plate on top and trim to form a neat circle. Remove the plate. Mark a centre ring using a cup or glass then cut from the inside out to form quarters. (Find an illustrated guide below). Cut each of the quarters into 4, so it looks like the face of a clock. Working with one dough quarter at a time, twist the piece twice clockwise. Then twist the piece next to it twice anticlockwise. Repeat until all of the pieces are twisted. Cover with a damp tea towel and place in a warm place to prove until double in size, about 1 hour. Preheat the oven to 200°C.

Brush the bread with egg wash and bake in the oven until golden, 25 – 35 minutes. It is ready when it makes a hollow sound when tapped. Serve the bread warm with a side of the whipped goat’s cheese and any leftover tapenade.