Greek Olive Bread

Total Time: 1 hr 5 mins Preparation Time: 20 mins Cook Time: 45 mins

Ingredients

• 3 -3 1/2 cups bread or 3 -3 1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
• 1 (2 3/4 teaspoon) package active dry yeast or 1 (2 3/4 teaspoon) package fast rising yeast
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 1 cup very warm water
• 1 cup coarsely chopped pitted oil-cured olives or 1 cup black olives
• 1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese
• 2 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil, for brushing

Recipe

• 1 in a large mixing bowl stir 3 cups of the flour, the yeast, sugar, and salt together.
• 2 make a hole in the center of the dry ingredients and pour in the 2 tablespoons olive oil and the water.
• 3 stir until all the dry ingredients are moistened.
• 4 cover and let stand for 15 minutes.
• 5 sprinkle a work surface with flour.
• 6 scrape dough out onto the floured surface.
• 7 dust the top of the dough with flour.
• 8 knead until the dough is smooth and develops small bubbles just under the surface, about 5 minutes, adding more flour if the dough gets sticky.
• 9 place in a clean, greased bowl, turning to grease all over.
• 10 cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled, 1 to 1 1/2 hours.
• 11 punch down the dough and pat it into a ½ inch thick circle.
• 12 sprinkle with the olives and cheese.
• 13 knead the dough lightly to incorporate the ingredients, then shape into a ball.
• 14 pat out to make a circle 8 inches in diameter.
• 15 place on a greased baking sheet.
• 16 with a 3-inch round cutter, cut a circle in the center but leave the round of dough in place.
• 17 (you can bake the removed center alongside the bread; it will probably cook faster than the circular loaf.) brush the dough with the 2 teaspoons of oil.
• 18 cover and let rise until puffy, 30 to 45 minutes.
• 19 preheat the oven to 375 f.
• 20 bake for 25 minutes or until the crust is a rich golden brown and the loaf sounds hollow when tapped.
• 21 cool the bread on a wire rack before slicing.
• 22 makes 1 round loaf.
• 23 beatrice ojakangas baking book.