Olive Bread Part 2

PREPARATIONS for BAKING: Take the baskets from the refrigerator and
remove the wrapping. Let the dough warm almost to room temperature
for 1 1/2 to 2 hours–it is important that it not be chilled.

HALF AN HOUR BEFORE ESTIMATED BAKING TIME: Place the baking stone or
tiles on the oven rack in the lower third of the oven and preheat to
500 degrees F.

SLASHING THE DOUGH: Gently invert each basket, catching the dough in
your hand and laying it carefully on a lightly floured wooden peel.
With a single-edged razor, make a quick slanting 1/2″ slash in the
top of the dough from one side to the other. Open the slash slightly
with your fingers.

BAKING THE BREAD–45 minutes. Spritz the oven liberally with water and
close the door for 5 seconds to trap the steam. Then quickly open the
door and slide the dough onto the hot baking surface, jerking away
the peel. Immediately turn down the oven temperature to 450 F.
Continue spritzing the oven with water every 3 minutes for first 15
minutes of baking. When the breads are firm enough, rotate their
positions to ensure more even coloring. Continue baking for about 30
minutes. The cut should open up and the bread will rise to almost
double its original size.

WHEN IS IT DONE? The crust will be a deep golden brown, with visible
small fermentation bubbles particularly around the base. When tapped
on the bottom, the bread should make a hollow sound–the temperature
on an instant thermometer plunged into the bottom of the bread should
be 200 degrees F. Remove the bread to a rack to cool completely
before slicing.

Alternative overnight yeast batter: 1 package fresh or dried yeast
1/4 cup tap water, in a 1 cup measure 1/4 t sugar 1 cup all-purpose
flour 1 cup water, droplets more if needed

Crumble or sprinkle the yeast over the water in the measure, whisk in
the sugar, and let rise for several minutes until it begins to foam.
Whisk it again, then scrape into a 2 quart glass or plastic
container. Whisk in the cup of flour, then the water, to make a
mixture the consistency of pancake batter. Set uncovered at room
temperature for several hours, until it foams and produces bit heavy
bubbles. Stir it up, and leave overnight. May be used in place of the
Silverton starter in any of her recipes.

AHEAD OF TIME NOTE: If not to be used the next day, cover and
refrigerate. The batter will gradually turn into a sourdough; feed it
and treat it in the same way as the finished Silverton starter.

NOTES: The type of olives is important. If you do not use firm enough
olives they will dissolve into the bread causing a muddiness of
flavor, and an excess of salt! I have a report of someone trying to
use a DLC-7 SuperPro Cuisineart processor, which was a disaster! The
starter oozed out of the bottom and it wouldn’t knead the amount of
flour and starter that’s in the recipe. I use the Kitchenaid for this
recipe with great success. It takes longer to knead, but is a much
better alternative to a huge mess with the processor, plus I didn’t
have to do the recipe in two batches. I kept the dough pretty wet so
I used only about 6 – 6
1/2 cups of flour total.

Julia Child’s note: Nancy Silverton’s sturdy olive bread has a
delicious aroma of real olives, but not overpoweringly so. This time
the dough has the feel of a regular conventioanl dough but is made
with her famous grape starter. Olive bread is one of her customer’s
favorites–how fortunate we can now make it in our own kitchens.