Adapted from Jim Lahey | My Bread | W. W. Norton, 2009
Curious what famed breadmaker Jim Lahey has to say about his signature olive bread? On the Sullivan Street Bakery website, he describes it as possessing “a golden brown crust and an open, airy crumb with large pieces of green olive. Slightly sour with an intense olive flavor.” (Did anyone else just go wobbly in the knees?) We’re ogling this olive bread recipe as a conversation-starting nosh with wine prior to a dinner party, as an idyllic accompaniment to a cheese plate, or as just an all-around pass-it-at-the-table-and-grab-a-hunk type of bread. We’re crossing our fingers for leftovers, too, seeing as we think a slice or two of this would be inspired in grilled cheese, as a base for bruschetta, even as croutons. Stay tuned.–Jim Lahey
Jim Lahey's No-Knead Olive Bread Quick Glance 15 M 1 H, 15 M Makes one 10-inch round loaf 4.8/5 - 5 reviews Print Recipe
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IngredientsUSMetric 3 cups bread flour, plus more for the work surface About 1 1/2 cups roughly chopped pitted olives* (see * note below) 3/4 teaspoon instant or other active dry yeast 1 1/2 cups cool (55 to 65°F | 13 to 18°C) water Wheat bran, cornmeal, or additional flour, for dusting Directions 1. In a medium bowl, stir together the flour, chopped olives, and yeast. 2. Add the water and, using a wooden spoon or your hand, mix until you have a wet, sticky dough, about 30 seconds. 3. Cover the bowl and let sit at room temperature until the surface is dotted with bubbles and the dough has more than doubled in size, 12 to 18 hours. 4. When the first rise is complete, generously dust a work surface with flour. Use a bowl scraper or rubber spatula to scrape the dough out of the bowl in one piece. Using lightly floured hands or a bowl scraper or spatula, lift the edges of the dough in toward the center. Nudge and tuck in the edges of the dough to make it round. 5. Place a clean towel on your work surface and generously dust it with wheat bran, cornmeal, or flour. Gently place the dough on the towel, seam side down. If the dough seems sticky, dust the top lightly with a little more wheat bran, cornmeal, or flour. 6. Fold the ends of the towel loosely over the dough to cover it and place it in a warm, draft-free spot to rise for 1 to 2 hours. The dough is ready when it is almost doubled. If you gently poke it with your finger, it should hold the impression. If it springs back, let it rise for another 15 minutes. 7. Half an hour before the end of the second rise, preheat the oven to 475°F (245°C) and adjust the rack to the lower third of the oven. Place a covered 4 1/2- to 5 1/2-quart heavy pot in the center of the rack to warm it. 8. Using pot holders, carefully remove the preheated pot from the oven and uncover it. Unfold the towel and quickly but gently invert the dough into the pot, seam side up. (Use caution—the pot will be very, very hot). Cover the pot and bake for 30 minutes. 9. Remove the lid and continue baking until the olive bread is a deep chestnut color but not burnt, 15 to 30 minutes more. Use a heatproof spatula or pot holders to gently lift the bread from the pot and place it on a wire rack to cool completely before slicing. Originally published October 5, 2009. *What You Need To Know About Which Olives To Use For This Olive Bread For this no-knead olive bread recipe, any pitted olive will yield something worth eating. (You don’t want to go to the trouble of pitting them yourself, because it is tedious and the results will not be as neat.) But what Jim Lahey turns to most often are pitted kalamata olives soaked in a pure salt brine—nothing else, just salt. A commonly available kalamata that I’m very fond of is made by Divina and can be found at many supermarkets and gourmet stores. You might think that because they’re black they will change the color of the bread, but they won’t, unless you carelessly dump some of the brine into the dough. Green Sicilian colossals, sometimes called “giant” olives, packed in pure salt brine, are another good option; they’re often available at Italian food stores. As a result of the brine the olives release during baking, this recipe calls for no salt. Show Nutrition #HealthyEating #Hanukkah #ComfortFood #Vegan #5Ingredients
