| Olive
Bread
[Recipes Index] [World of Chefs] Ingredients:
Preparation: In a bowl mix together warm water (110° F), yeast and sugar. Let it stand for 10 minutes. Put the flour and salt in a mixing bowl. Whisk these dry ingredients together. Make a hole in the center. Pour the yeast mixture and olive oil into the hole. Add the chopped olives. Mix well until all the ingredients are combined. If the mix is too wet, gradually add a little bit of flour until the dough is smooth and elastic. If the mixture is too dry, gradually add a little bit of water until the desired dough texture is achieved. Move the dough onto a floured surface and knead for about 10 minutes. As an alternative, we recommend using an electric kitchen mixer with a dough hook for mixing the ingredients and kneading the dough. We have used our Kenwood mixer for ten years with great success and have been pleased with the results. Place the dough in a large bowl greased with olive oil, cover with a damp towel and let it stand in a warm, draft free place for about one hour or more until doubled in size. After the dough has risen, once again knead the dough either by hand or with the mixer. Put the dough in a stoneware baker (clay baking dish with a matching clay lid) that has been greased with olive oil and dusted with cornmeal. Cover the baking dish with the lid. In the alternative, put the dough on a baking sheet greased with olive oil and cover the dough with a damp towel or bowl and let the dough stand again in a warm, draft free place. In either case, let the dough rise again until it has nearly doubled in size. Once the dough has fully risen again and if using the clay baking dish, use your fingers gently or a spray bottle and coat the dough in the baking dish with cold water before replacing the lid before baking. Put the covered baking dish in a cold oven and turn the oven on to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. After thirty minutes, remove the lid of the baking dish to allow the crust to harden. Continue baking for an additional forty minutes or such amount of time necessary for the bread crust to turn golden in color. If you use the baking sheet, fill a metal pan with water and place it on the lowest rack of the oven. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. After the dough has risen again to double its original size, gently brush the top of the dough with egg yolk using a pastry brush and gently score the center of the dough in several places with a knife. Bake on the middle rack of the oven for approximately 45 to 50 minutes or until golden brown. When the bread is golden brown, remove the baking dish or the baking sheet from the oven and immediately transfer the bread to a wire rack.
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