METHOD

1. Heat the oil in a large non-stick frying pan over high heat. Add the speck and fennel seeds and cook for 3–4 minutes or until the speck is golden brown.
2. Add the pumpkin and cook, stirring, for 3–4 minutes or until the pumpkin is soft. Place the pumpkin mixture, flour, yeast, salt, water, oregano, onion relish and cheese in a large bowl and mix until a sticky dough forms.
3. Cover with plastic wrap and allow to stand for 4 hours or until the dough has tripled in size and large bubbles have formed. Turn out onto a clean well-floured surface and gently shape into a 20cm round.
4. Transfer to a well-floured large tea towel and place in a large bowl. Loosely wrap and allow to stand for 1 hour or until the dough has doubled in size.
5. While the dough is proving, preheat oven to 200°C (400°F). Heat a 24cm heavy-based ovenproof saucepan in the oven for 10 minutes. Remove from the oven and carefully tip the dough into the prepared pan.
6. Cover with a tight-fitting lid and cook for 40 minutes. Remove the lid and cook for a further 30–35 minutes or until golden brown and the bread sounds hollow when lightly tapped.
7. Carefully turn out of the pan and allow to cool slightly. Dust generously with flour to serve. Makes 1 large loaf.

+ ‘00’ flour is a superfine flour that makes for soft and stretchy dough. It’s available from the baking aisle of most supermarkets.