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Saturday, 06 June 2009 17:43 |
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Makes: 5 Breads Prep: 20 minutes Rest: 1 hour Bake: 30-45 minutes
Ingredients: 3 cups of flour (keep extra flour on the side for kneading) 1 1/2 cups of warm water 6 oz of black olives cut into small pieces 3 tablespoons of olive oil 2 tablespoons of thyme 1 tablespoon of dry yeast 1 teaspoon of sugar 1 teaspoon of salt
Steps: Activating yeast: 1- Dilute the dry yeast with the sugar and 3 tablespoons of warm water. Let the yeast mixture rest for 5 minutes. The yeast is active if the mixture expands and bubbles up. Making the dough: 2- Add the water, olive oil, thyme, and salt to the yeast mixture. 3- Gradually add the flour to the mixture until the flour is completely diluted. You will end up with a sticky dough. 4- Add the olives to the dough. 5- Cover the dough and let it rest in a warm place for 30 minutes. Kneading the dough: 6- After 30 minutes, the dough doubles in volume. Sprinkle generously flour on your working area and place the dough over it. 7- Sprinkle the dough with flour and knead for the next 10 minutes using the palm of your hand. Add flour to the dough when needed until you end up with a malleable non-sticky dough. 8- Shape your breads. You can make round breads by flattening a ball of dough the size of your fist. To make French Baguette, flatten the dough into a disk using a rolling pin, then wrap the disk into a roll. 9- Transfer the breads into a baking pan covered with parchment paper. 10- Cover the breads and let them rest in a warm place for 30 minutes. Baking the breads: 11- Preheat your oven to 420 F degrees. 12- Place your baking pan in the lower third of the oven and let them bake for 30 minutes or until done.
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