The ingredients are the basics of any bread I make.

If I make walnut bread, I crush a good handfull of walnuts, mix them with the lukewarm water and the yeast and use walnut oil - the same for olive bread: as many olives as you want, either cut or whole (without the stones, of course), mix with water and yeast and use olive oil.

Add a little salt and when the yeast has dissolved add flour. The dough needs to be firm enough to handle and roll, but not too dry, either.

Leave the dough to rise for half an hour in a warm spot, then knead it carefully and form two breads, which then rise for 20 minutes before being baked for +/- 15 minutes at 200°C. You can always make sure that the bread is done by knocking on it - it gives off a hollow sound when it is ready.

I also use the same recipe to make what my daughter calls the "birthday buns". For this you will need the same basic ingredients as mentioned above plus finely chopped dried fruit (depending on the season) and/or chocolate (again a good handful) and 250 grams of marzipan.

Add the finely chopped dried fruit and/or chocolate bits to the lukewarm water and yeast, use rapeseed oil and add a little salt and then the flour.

Leave the dough to rise for half an hour, knead it carefully and then divide it into 16 rolls of 20 cm. Flatten the long rolls and add a roll of the marcipan (which of course has to be divided into 16 parts, as well, and rolled), fold the dough around the marzipan and roll the filled dough to a longer roll, then tie a knot and leave the 'knots' to rise for 20 minutes before baking them at 200°C for 10-12 minutes.

You can serve the buns as they are or cut them through to add butter. Kids love the buns as they are, so leave them to play with a bun in one hand, but do look out if you have added chocolate!!