i wish i could say that perusing the olive and cheese selection at the park slope food coop is what inspired me to make this loaf, but alas. i must confess i made this loaf because i once loved a man who really, really loved olives.
he didn’t live in new york (or even in this country), and for some reason i got it in my head that if only he tried a piece of this bread, he would consider moving brooklyn. yes, the loaf was truly that tasty.
a year has gone and passed since then. my hypothesis was never tested, as our relationship was too short-lived for him to try this bread.
luckily, this recipe lives on.
salty, tangy, always leaving you wanting more. feed this to all the lovers and olive lovers in your life. please do let me know if it has the intended effect 😉
notes
be sure to buy pre-pitted olives! i most certainly, definitely am not including this because i learned this the hard way heh (but seriously, de-pitting them was a n00b lesson you will now not have to repeat).
for lamination videos, check out my guava cream cheese post or @fullproofbaking.
my regular batch of caveats: please be wary of starter hydration and seasonal timing adjustments (for me it means about +1 hr in the summer, and about -1 hr in the winter).
baker’s percentage & basic timetable
the percentages for water and flour only account for the final dough build, and do not include the levain formula build.
| ingredient | baker’s percentage |
| bread flour | 50% |
| all purpose flour | 20% |
| whole wheat flour | 20% |
| rye flour | 10% |
| water | 80% |
| salt | 2.5% |
| levain | 24% |
| step | time |
| levain build | 7 hours |
| bulk rise | 8 hours |
| folds | 3 folds |
| cold proof | 14 – 18 hours |
| bake | 45 minutes |
olive sourdough
formula
- 20 g levain
- 80 g water @ 85-90°F
- 20 g king arthur whole wheat flour
- 80 g king arthur all purpose flour
- 164 g king arthur bread flour
- 66 g king arthur all purpose flour
- 67 g king arthur whole wheat flour
- 33 g rye flour
- 257 g water @ 90-95°F
- 8 g sea salt
- 80 g levain
- 7 g additional water
- 82 g pitted olives
method
- refresh your starter using levain build formula, and stiff starter method.
- in a separate large bowl, mix all flours together.
- slowly add the water, mixing with a rubber spatula, making sure to incorporate the water into the flour well, stopping when all the flour is hydrated. let sit, covered, for 30 minutes.
- sprinkle salt evenly over autolysed dough, and pour additional water over it to help the salt absorb. incorporate gently by folding dough over a 2-3 times.
- measure out the ripe starter, and add to dough.
- mix using the pincer method, for about 6-7 minutes. target final temperature should be 78 degrees.
- this dough bulks for about 8 hrs at room temp during spring/fall, longer if your kitchen runs cool or during winter, and shorter if your kitchen runs warm or during the summer.
- this dough needs around 3-4 stretch and folds (or coil folds), and an additional round of lamination after the first fold to incorporate the olives. these steps should be spaced about 45 minutes apart if possible.
- example schedule:8:15 AM fold #1. 9 AM lamination. 9:45 AM fold #2. 10:30 AM fold #3.
- cut pitted olives in half.
- perform lamination by first stretching dough like a pizza crust, and then spreading olive chunks evenly across the dough. fold onto itself into a rectangular shape.
- slowly transfer dough from bowl onto a lightly floured surface, so it lays out in a vaguely rectangular looking shape.
- i like shaping these like a batard, using what i like to call the "burrito method."
- 1. gently tug the top, short end of the vaguely rectangular looking shape, and fold over a small section.
- 2. grab a tiny bit of dough from the left side, and tug it over onto the right side. grab a tiny bit of dough from the right side and tug it over onto the left side. continue pattern downwards to form a stitch-like appearance.
- 3. when you get close to the bottom end, fold over a small piece upwards. then do one final stitch to seal.
- 4. take the top end of the burrito, and roll it over onto itself, kind of like a sushi roll.
- 5. seal the ends by pinching the holes shut.
- lightly flour a lined bannetone or other proofing vesicle. flip the top of the dough over, and gently transfer the dough seam side up into the bannetone.
- place bannetone inside of a plastic bag to cover, and place in fridge overnight for 14-18 hours.
- place dutch oven with lid on into the oven. pre-heat oven to 495°F for an hour.
- dough is proofed when it passes the finger dent test. remove bannetone from fridge.
- optional: sprinkle coarse corn meal on the bottom. flip dough out of bannetone onto a cut piece of parchment paper.
- using a lame, score length wise, about 1/8" deep, and 1/2" away from both edges. sometimes, i optionally add a leaf design as well for flourish
- slowly and carefully lift the parchment paper with the dough into the hot dutch oven. decrease temperature to 475°F. bake for 30 minutes with the lid on.
- take the lid off, and bake for another 15-20 minutes, or whenever the crust turns the color you like it (i go medium brown for this loaf).
- let this loaf cool on a wire rack (or something else that allows the air to circulate) for at least 2 hours before slicing.
Hi Erica, love your blog! I followed your recipe to the T, but I ended up with a slightly gummy loaf. I live in warm Singapore, but I did the bulk fermentation in an aircon room. Do you think I should shorten the bulk fermentation time? Appreciate any advice, thanks!
Hi Lizzie, first off thank you so much for the kind words! My cousin lives in Singapore :). I’m sorry the recipe didn’t quite work well for you. If your dough is feeling very sticky and slack when you’re shaping, then yes, I think shortening the bulk fermentation by a couple hours and also lowering the hydration by 2-3% could help (it’s much cooler and less humid in Brooklyn). However, if your dough is feeling strong and pliable during shaping, then it might have more to do with baking the loaf thoroughly and letting the loaf cool completely before cutting. Let me know if this helps at all!
Love this bread! Thanks for sharing the recipe!