Olive Bread

(Makes 4 loaves. Recipe may be halved or doubled)

2 3/4 cups lukewarm water
1 1/2 Tbsp yeast (active or instant is fine)
1 1/2 Tbsp kosher salt (or 1 Tbsp table salt)
1 Tbsp sugar
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
2 cups chopped kalamata olives
6 1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
Cornmeal for covering the pizza peel

Mix the water, yeast, salt, sugar, olive oil and olives in a 5quart bowl, or plastic food container. Measure the flour using the scoop and sweep method (gently scoop up the flour, then sweep the top level with a knife) and add to the mixture. Mix with a wooden spoon (or a Kitchen Aid with the dough hook attachment) until mixture is well combined. It’s not necessary to knead, just make sure the flour is mixed in well. You can also mix it together with wet hands.

Cover with a lid (not airtight) and let it sit on the counter for 2 or 3 hours. The dough is ready to use now, or you can refrigerate it and it use over the next 12 days.

Preheat oven to 450. Put a baking stone* on the middle rack and an empty boiler tray on the bottom shelf.

Make the Cornstarch Wash: Combine 1/2 tsp cornstarch with 1/2 c cold water. Microwave 30-60 seconds. (This will keep in the refrigerator for about 2 weeks).

Sprinkle a pizza peel (or a cookie sheet) with cornmeal. Dust the surface of the container of dough with flour and pull out a grapefruit-sized amount (1 pound). Hold it in your hands and add a little more flour so it won’t stick to your hands as you gently form it into a ball. Place on the cornmeal covered pizza peel and let it rest for 1 hr (30 min if using fresh dough that is room temp).

Just before baking, paint the surface with the cornstarch wash and slash the top with a serrated bread knife. Slide the loaf onto the baking stone, then pour 1 cup of hot tap water into the broiler tray and quickly close the door. Bake 35 minutes, or until the crust is deeply browned. Cool on a rack before slicing.

*If you do not have a baking stone, let the loaf rest on a cookie sheet, then place it in the oven to cook.

---From the book "Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day" by Jeff Hertzberg and Zoe Francois---