Stuffed pizza roll

To make the stuffed pizza roll, start by preparing the dough for the base. Pour the room-temperature water into a bowl, add the salt 1, and mix together using a spoon to dissolve it, before adding the extra virgin olive oil 2 and mixing the emulsion again. Sift the flour 3 into another large bowl,

then add in the dried brewer’s yeast 4, malt 5, and around half of the water, salt, and oil mixture 6.

Start kneading with your hands or a fork. Keep a little flour close to hand 7, along with the remaining emulsion, as you will need to add this to the dough as you go until you achieve the desired consistency, which should be soft and elastic (you may need a little more or less water, depending on the flour used). Continue to knead on a flat surface until you get a smooth and soft but dense dough 8 that you’ll then need to shape into a ball 9. Leave it in the bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and put it to rise in the oven with the heat off but the light on until the dough has doubled in size (around 2-3 hours). A temperature of 80-86°F (26-30°C) is best.

Meanwhile, prepare the ingredients for the filling. Pour the tomato passata into a bowl and season with salt, extra virgin olive oil 10, and basil leaves torn up with your hands 11. Cut the mozzarella into cubes and put it in a colander to drain. It is important that the mozzarella is dry, or else it will lose liquid during the cooking process and make the dough too wet 12.

Once the dough has had time to double in size 13, transfer it to a lightly floured pastry board and roll it out with a rolling pin 14 until you get a slightly oval-shaped sheet measuring 15” x 13” (38 x 34 cm) 15.

Spread the tomato sauce over the dough, taking care to leave around 1” (2-3 cm) clear around the edge 16. Next, add the diced mozzarella and the fresh basil leaves 17, and finally arrange the slices of ham on top 18.

Brush the free edges with oil to seal the roll thoroughly when you close it 19. Now fold the edges inward so that they cover part of the filling (20-21), to keep it from leaking out during cooking.

At this point, roll up the sheet of pastry from the longest side 22, seal the ends thoroughly 23, and transfer the roll to a baking sheet lined with parchment paper 24.

Brush the surface with olive oil 25 and bake in a conventional oven preheated to 350°F (180°C) for around 40 minutes (if using a convection oven, bake the roll at 320°F (160°C) for around 30 minutes). Take your stuffed pizza roll out of the oven 26 and leave to cool for at least 10 minutes before slicing it 27.