Sourdough Olive Bread
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 Sourdough Olive Bread
2 cups lukewarm water (110°F) * Diastatic malt is powdered malted grain, usually barley, but wheat, and rice may also be malted It breaks down the starch in dough to yield sugars on which the yeast can feed. ** The thickness of your sourdough starter can determine how much flour needs to be used. If you think the dough is too moist, add additional flour (a tablespoon at a time). The same is true if the dough is looking dry and gnarly. Add warm water (a tablespoon at a time). Your dough should not be sticky but should form a nice elastic ball. I usually have to add extra flour. Combine water, sourdough starter, yeast, and diastatic malt in the bowl of a mixer; stir with a rubber spatula or wooden spoon, just to moisten. Fit the mixer with a dough hook. Add flour, salt, rosemary, and olive oil; mix the dough on medium speed for 6 to 8 minutes until dough snaps back quickly. Turn the dough onto a lightly floured board; add olives and
knead by hand for several turns to be sure the olives are well incorporated and the dough
is smooth, adding additional flour if needed. NOTE: Knead dough by pulling the dough
towards you and then pushing down and forward with the palms of your hands (kneading gives
the bread the elasticity and lets it rise). Punch dough down and knead it on a floured board to feed it one more time before baking. Divide dough in half and shape each dough ball into a loaf or round shape (boule); place on a jelly roll pan or cookie sheet that is dusted with cornmeal (I use the new silpads instead of cornmeal). Cover with plastic wrap and place in a warm spot to rise until doubled in size, approximately 1 to 3 hours. NOTE: I use my oven for the rising. Turn the oven on for a minute or so, then turn it off again. This will warm the oven and make it a great environment for rising bread. If you can't comfortably press your hand against the inside of the oven door, the oven is too hot. Let it stand open to cool a bit. Sourdough rises more slowly than yeast bread; Always remember, the longer the rise time, the more sourdough flavor. Preheat oven to 450 degrees F. After the bread has risen, slash the bread with a bread razor or a very sharp knife making three 1/2-inch deep diagonal slashes. Brush or spray the top of the bread with cold water. Slide the trays in the oven. Spray the oven with a spray bottle full of water and close the oven door. Thirty seconds later, open the oven door and mist the oven again. Repeat this two more times, then turn the oven temperature down to 400 degrees F. and let the bread bake for 15 minutes. After 15 minutes, turn the bread around 180 degrees so it can brown evenly; bake another 10 minutes or until nicely browned. NOTE: A good check is to use an digital thermometer to test your bread. The temperature should be between 200 and 210 degrees F. Remove from oven and place bread on a wire rack to cool. Let the loaves cool for 30 minutes before cutting (this is because the bread is still cooking while it is cooling).. Makes 2 large loaves.
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Place the dough in a lightly oiled large bowl. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap Let rise
until it doubles in volume (when you can put your finger in the dough and it leaves and
indentation and doesn't spring back out) approximately 4 to 8 hours (depending on the
temperature and the starter used, the rising time can vary as much as 2 hours).