My buddy Tamas needed help making some bread. He’s a genius in many ways, but utterly hopeless in the kitchen. We looked at a few recipes and then adapted a few to come up with this one. It was so easy to make and so delicious. So hard to not eat it all in one sitting.
Software
- 4 cups + 1 cup bread or All Purpose flour (varies by weight, about 1 pound)
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 2 packets (7 grams / 4tsp) yeast
- 1 3/4 cup warm water (not too hot or it will kill the yeast)
- handful of cornmeal
- 1 cup of green or black olives
- 3+ tablespoons olive oil
- 6-10 crushed cloves of garlic
- a small handful of chopped flat-leaved parsley
- 3 tablespoons of leaves from 4 sprigs thyme
- 1 tablespoon sea salt flakes
Hardware
- KitchenAid Mixer with dough hook
- 9” x 13” pan
Method
- Combine 4 cups flour, salt, and yeast in bowl.
- Mix at medium speed (or mix in a bowl with a big spoon) and gradually add the warm water.
- Kneed dough (mixer or by hand). Dough should be very soft. Add flour as necessary to make a nice soft dough.
- Scrape dough from bowl and dust with flour into a ball such that it doesn’t stick to your fingers.
- Cover dough in bowl and place in a warm spot to let dough rise until doubled in size, 30-45 minutes.
- Spread oil in bottom of 9” x 13” pan and dust with cornmeal. There is no need to evenly spread the cornmeal. Randomness will taste better.
- Turn dough into pan and spread out into pan. Flip once so that both sides are oiled. Again, randomness is more delicious.
- Preheat the oven to 425F.
- Cover with towel and let rise for 20-30 minutes.
- Push pitted olives and crushed garlic cloves all the way into the dough
- Drizzle with a little more olive oil if you like. Seasoned olive oil as some nice flavor!
- Sprinkle with sea salt flakes, parsley, and thyme.
- Place into oven for 25-30 minutes. Remove as soon as the top has a nice crust. If you are unsure, stick a knife into the middle; if it comes out clean, the bread is done.
- Cut and enjoy. It’s best when warm.
