Ingredients

The following ingredients have 4 Servings
  • 3 ½ cups bread flour (plus extra for dusting your work surface)
  • 2 ½ tsp active dry yeast, usually one envelope packet
  • 1 ½ tsp salt
  • 1 cup roughly chopped pitted green olives (pitted and roughly chopped)
  • 1 cup roughly chopped pitted kalamata olives
  • 1 ½ cups warm water
  • 1 tbsp olive oil to coat the resting bowl
  • Cornmeal for dusting

Instruction

  • Lay a clean kitchen towel on a cookie tray and dust liberally with corn meal. Set aside with another towel beside it. You will also need a large dutch oven or heavy ceramic pot with a lid.
  • Combine the flour, yeast, salt, and both types of olives together in a stand mixer with a dough hook.
  • Add the warm water and gently mix together  until the dough starts to come together. It will look and feel wet.
  • Dust your table with flour and dump the dough out of the bowl and knead into a ball shape. Dust with flour if it's still a little sticky.
  • Coat a large bowl with the olive oil and return the dough into the bowl.
  • Cover with a clean towel and Let it sit until it roughly doubles in size.
  • Once it has risen, take it out of the bowl and lay it on your table. Roughly press the dough into a flat circle.
  • Fold the dough over on itself kneading it back into a ball for a second time.
  • Lay the dough onto the cornmeal dusted towel, seam side down.
  • Dust the top of the dough lightly with some extra cornmeal and cover with the towel again.
  • Place the empty pot (not the lid) into your oven and preheat to 450 degrees F.
  • By the time your oven is at temperature, your dough should have risen enough on the second rise, if not give it a little longer.
  • When the bread is ready, take off the top towel and using a sharp serrated knife, cut 2-3 slits across the top of the dough with a sharp knife or razor blade.
  • Take the pot out of the oven and using both hands, very carefully lift and gently drop the bread into the pot.
  • Place the lid on and put it back into the oven.Remember the pot is very hot! Bake for 30 minutes.
  • After 30 minutes, take the lid from the pot and bake for a further 20-30 minutes and the crust is golden and crispy.
  • Let cool before slicing.