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 ts 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
Yields
1 Servings