Onion & Olive Bread

Total Time: 4 hrs Preparation Time: 3 hrs Cook Time: 1 hr

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon dry active yeast
• 1/2 teaspoon sugar
• 1 cup water
• 4 1/2 cups unbleached flour
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1 cup pitted black olives, sliced (kalmata if you can)
• 1 medium red onion, diced
• 1 -2 tablespoon cornmeal
• 1 teaspoon butter
• 1 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese

Recipe

• 1 in a medium bowl combine the yeast, sugar and 1/4 cup warm water.
• 2 let stand for 5 minutes.
• 3 in a large bowl combine the flour and salt.
• 4 give it a quick mix and add the oil, olives, onions along with the remaining 3/4 cup water.
• 5 mix until dough is evenly blended, around 3 minutes or so.
• 6 turn out onto a lightly floured board and kneed for 10 minutes.
• 7 place dough in a well oiled bowl, turn once and cover with plastic wrap or a clean towel and place in a warm spot until doubled, around 2 hours.
• 8 sprinkle a pizza pan with the corn meal.
• 9 punch down the bread dough, shape into a round shape, cover with a towel and let rise for 1 hour.
• 10 preheat oven to 400 degrees.
• 11 bake bread for 15 minutes at 400 degrees then reduce heat to 375 degrees.
• 12 bake until bread sounds hollow when tapped on bottom and top is a golden brown color.
• 13 brush with melted butter, top with shredded cheddar and bake for 5-7 minutes more.
• 14 remove and let cool on a rack.