Chocolate and Vanilla Swirl Bread

Lightly grease and line an 18cm (7inch) round spring-form cake tin with baking parchment. In a mixing bowl, mix the flour, dried yeast, sugar and salt together. Rub in half the butter until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs and make a well in the centre. .

Pour half the milk in the centre of the well. Add all but 15ml (1tbsp) beaten egg and gently mix into the flour to form a smooth paste in the middle. Mix in the remaining milk, stirring to form a slightly sticky dough in the centre of the bowl.

Turn the dough on to the work surface and knead until smooth and elastic. The dough will be silky smooth and no longer stick to the work surface; this will take about 10 minutes. If the mixture is very sticky, only use flour to dust the work surface or your hands - the longer you work the dough the less sticky it will become.

Put the dough in a large, lightly oiled bowl, big enough to allow room for the dough to double in size. Cover with a clean tea towel and leave to rise at room temperature for about 2 hours or until doubled in size.

Once the dough has risen satisfactorily, turn it on to a lightly floured work surface and form it into a ball. Leave it rest for 5 minutes on the work surface.

Roll the dough to form an approx. 60cm x 20cm (23 ½ x 8inch) oblong – this takes a bit of effort as the dough is quite challenging to roll but if you use a little flour to help you, you can pull and stretch it gently to get the right shape. Mix the remaining butter with the Vanilla paste and spread over the dough; drizzle with 50g (2oz) of the syrup right to the edge of the dough. Generously sprinkle with the Extra Dark Chocolate

Tightly roll up like a Swiss Roll from one of the long sides to make a fat sausage shape, then roll gently back and forth on the work surface to seal the edge. Carefully coil the dough tightly round itself and roll the top gently with a rolling pin. This is to ensure the spiral shape of the loaf is achieved, and so that the loaf fits within the tin. Carefully lower it into the centre of the tin – you should have a gap of approx. 1cm (1/2inch) all round the edge. Cover with oiled cling film and leave in a warm place for about 45 minutes or until doubled in size.

Preheat the oven to 200˚C (180˚C fan assisted oven, 400˚F, gas mark 6). Brush the reserved beaten egg all over the dough. Put the tin on a baking tray and bake for 35-40 minutes until rich golden brown. The loaf should sound hollow when tapped. Turn on to a wire rack and brush all over with the remaining syrup. Cool for at least 1 hour before serving. Your bread is now ready to serve and enjoy!