Recipe By :
Serving Size : 1 Preparation Time :0:00
Categories : Breads
Amount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation Method
-------- ------------ --------------------------------
1 tb Active dry yeast
1/2 ts Sugar
1 1/2 c Warm water
1/2 c Whole wheat flour,
-preferably coarsely ground
3 To 3 1/2 cups white flour,
-preferably unbleached
3 tb Olive oil
1 t Salt
1 sm Onion, chopped
2 ts Dried mint
12 Black Greek olives, pitted
-and halved
Corn meal
Makes 1 large round loaf
Make a sponge by dissolving the yeast and sugar in the
warm water and stirring in the whole wheat flour and 1
1/2 cups of the white flour. Beat at least 50 strokes,
then cover with plastic wrap and let stand anywhere
from 1 to 6 hours.
Stir all but a teaspoon of the olive oil into the
dough, as well as the salt, the chopped onion, dried
mint, and olives. Then work in remaining white flour
until it becomes hard to stir.
Turn the dough out onto a floured working surface and
let rest while you clean out the bowl. Knead dough
for about 8 to 10 minutes, adding more flour as
necessary, until the dough is resilient. Lightly oil
the bowl, return the dough to it, turning to coat, and
cover with plastic wrap. Let rise until double in
volume - about 1 1/2 hours.
Turn the dough out, punch it down, and form into a
large round loaf. Place on a baking sheet sprinkled
with corn meal. Cover loosely with a towel and let
rise again until double - about 45 minutes. (Or let
raise and bake in La Cloche.)
If you have baking tiles in your oven, be sure they
are good and hot by preheating the oven to 425 F
during the last 30 minutes of the final rising. Slip
the loaf onto the tiles (if you're not using them,
simply put the baking sheet in the preheated oven) and
bake for 15 minutes, then lower the heat to 350 F and
bake another 35 minutes. Brush with the remaining
olive oil and let cool on rack.
The Book of Bread From the collection of Jim Vorheis
