Wednesday, March 24, 2010

Olive Spelt Bread


Here is another recipe from Healthy Bread in Five Minutes a Day.  This Olive Spelt bread goes on my Top Five favorite recipes from this book to date since I LOVE olives!


Instead of using all green olives in this recipe, I added an equal amount of green and Kalamata olives to the dough. There is also yogurt in this recipe which gives the bread a nice moistness.


The loaf rose beautifully in the oven and was crunchy on the outside and soft on the inside.


I cut some very thin slices off the loaf which I toasted in the oven and served with cheese in the evening. Sorry, too dark for photos but trust me, it was delicious!

This recipe can be found in Healthy Bread in Five Minutes a Day by Zoe Francois and Jeff Hertzberg which contains a plethora of wonderful, no-knead, healthy bread recipes just like this.

Olive Spelt Bread

Healthy Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day, by Jeff Hertzberg, M.D. and Zoe Francois

4 cups spelt flour
2 cups unbleached all purpose flour
1 1/2 tablespoons granulated yeast or 2 packets
1 tablespoon kosher salt
1/4 cup vital wheat gluten
2 cups warm water
2 cups plain whole milk yogurt
1 cup pitted green olives, chopped (I used half green and half kalamata olives)

Whisk together the flours, yeast, salt and vital wheat gluten in a five quart bowl, or a lidded (not airtight) food container.

Add the water, yogurt and olives and mix them with the dry ingredients without kneading, using a spoon, or a heavy-duty stand mixer with the paddle attachment. You may need to use wet hands to get the last bit of flour to incorporate.

Allow the dough to rest at room temperature until it rises and collapses (or flattens on top), approximately two hours in a covered container (not airtight).

The dough can be used immediately after the initial rise, though it is easier to handle when cold. Refrigerate it in a lidded (not airtight) container and use over the next 7 days. The flavor will be best if you wait for at least 24 hours of refrigeration.

When ready to bake, dust the surface of the refrigerated dough with flour and cut of a 1 pound (grapefruit size) piece. Dust the piece with more flour and quickly shape in into a ball by stretching the surface of the dough around to the bottom on a ll four sides, rotating the ball a quarter-turn as you go.

Allow the loaf to rest, loosely covered with plastic wrap, on a pizza peel dusted with cornmeal (I like to place parchment paper over the flat side of a cookie sheet so I can slip it easily onto the pizza stone) for 90 minutes (40 minutes if you are using fresh, unrefrigerated dough).

Thirty minutes before baking time, preheat the oven to 450F, with a baking stone placed on the middle rack. Place an empty metal broiler tray on the rack underneath that.

Just before baking, dust the top of the loaf with flour. Slash the loaf a 1/4 inch deep parallel cuts. using a serrated bread knife.

Slide the loaf directly onto the hot stone. Pour 1 cup of hot tap water into the broiler tray and quickly close the oven door. Bake for 35 minutes, until richly browned and firm. If you used parchment paper, carefully turn the loaf over after 20 minutes to brown the bottom of the loaf.

Allow to cool on a rack before slicing or eating.

32 comments:

  1. ciao Susan!!! adoro fare il pane...cucino quasi tutti i giorni pane e focacce varie...il tuo è davvero spettacolare!! mi sembra di sentirne il profumo!!
    Le foto poi sono superlative!!! complimenti!!

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  2. Okay, you twisted my arm. I will deinitely be making both of these within the next few days. OMG, I'm drooling
    xoxo Pattie

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  3. I'm not laughing..You should see my bloopers:)

    I must admit the olive spelt bread has moved me..We just bought natural yogurt because Jacques loves what it does to bread..
    Everything looks so good..as always:)

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  4. Oh, that bread does look fabulous. I haven't made bread in a few months, need to get back to it.

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  5. Mmmm...that Olive Spelt Bread looks good! I'm looking forward to making that one next. The Carrot Bread is proofing in the pan as I write. Yummy!

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  6. First of all. I have to commend you for using the word plethora in this post. That takes guts.

    Second of all your breads look great! I made mine a while ago but haven't gotten to posting yet. I keep forgetting that the olive bread had yogurt in it...THAT's why it was so moist. I may have to start adding yogurt to some of the other breads. Because that thing was moist for almost a week!

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  7. All your breads have looked wonderful - even the flattened carrot bread..which I think sounds so delicious!! I bet it made divine French toast...

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  8. Those breads look fabulous! I can't decide which is my favorite. Great idea using the yogurt for the olive bread - I bet it was delicious:) Thanks for sharing!
    Stephanie

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  9. So a little birdie tells me it's a special day. Happy Birthday!! Hope you're having a fantabulous, spectacular, and loving day!
    xoxo Pattie

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  10. I don't know if it makes a difference but my Grandma always taught me to put the egg wash on before it starts rising...and to not wash all the way to the edge of the top. She says it will be like a glue holding the bread back from raising otherwise.

    I think it will looked delicious, though.

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  11. Thank you all for your comments!

    Jenny, thank you for your solution and I will remember that next time!

    Pattie, I don't know who that little bird could be!

    Joanne, you give me a plethora of smiles :)

    Thank you, all!

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  12. Your breads look delicious. My mom is on a bread tear over here and I will have to show her these deliscious looking loaves. This is my first time visiting and I am glad I did. Thanks for the peeks
    Maryrose

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  13. Susan, more beautiful bread... you even make flat top bread look good. Bet they tasted delicious.

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  14. Although both breads are works of art, I have to side with the carrot bread...toasted it must be scrumptious!!

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  15. Hi Susan,this bread looks delicious!
    When I come here in your blog I always find lots of tasty things!

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  16. First time visitor. Love your site. I will definately be back.

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  17. Oh, that olive spelt looks like one great loaf of bread and I bet it is delicious! And so does the carrot bread! Great combo of ingredients!

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  18. Mike would love the olive bread! It is beautiful..
    I don't know about the carrot bread..I do wait till it is set a bit before I brush it.
    I saw Michelle's a while ago..I don't remember if hers was high or not...

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  19. You won me over with the The Olive Spelt bread - I can think of nothing I would like more now.
    No ideas on the carrot loaf, but I will say - flat or not it's all in the taste-"The proof of the pudding is in the eating"!

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  20. WOW...adding the ginger to the Carrot Bread sounds so good! Wish I would have thought of it!

    Making my Olive Bread again today. First batch my photos turned out horrible, bread was wonderful though!

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  21. You gotta love the "ugly ducklings". I just made the olive bread (haven't tasted it yet) and well....a small section stuck to my peel and deformed my loaf! LOL.
    I can't wait to try the carrot bread. Love the ginger addition! (will be adding that to my list)

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  22. Susan, I would be thrilled to have a slice of either of those breads (but I'd prefer both). ... French toast made with carrot loaf bread, what could be better. Sounds like a wonderful dessert :)

    And I believe we have similar taste in our breads ... olives are another favorite ingredient of mine in bread. Not sure which I like better kalamata olives or sun-dried tomatoes.

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  23. My loaf sort of flattened out on top too. I think I let it rise too long before putting it in the oven.

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  24. Susan, Did you proof the carrot bread a bit too long? I live at high altitude and here the proofing time is much shorter of the loaf collapses. I love your additions, especially the ginger on top.

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  25. But both your breads look so good. I made the last set of breads and have to make the carrotty one.

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  26. How in the world did you keep your loaf from spreading? (spelt) this loaf looks amazing.
    It seems we had the same idea. I made french toast with the leftover carrot bread this morning. Like you picture much better though ;)

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  27. My carrot bread turned out a little lumpy, too. I ate mine with a little butter and honey -- my favorite way to eat homemade bread!

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  28. Ginger is a wonderful idea, perfect in fact! I'll have to make it soon and try it out.

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  29. I will have to try making this into french toast. That would be heavenly!

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  30. I thought your carrot bread looked just fine and then to make french toast yum. I always think your photos look great, makes me want to aspire to greater heights with mine.

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  31. French toast! And your carrot bread looked fine to me (a lot like mine).

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