Sourdough olive bread

Every fortnight I bring some bread into the office, my colleagues bring accompaniments, and we have ourselves a mini buffet. For this week I made an olive bread, which everyone enjoyed, but the comment from one of my colleagues sums it up "this bread even smells good"! So if you like olives and if you like bread, you should give this one a try.

Sliced olive bread

Ingredients

• 250g sourdough starter (100% hydration)
• 275g water
• 1 lemon, zest only
• 350g white bread flour
• 150g wholemeal flour
• 200g olives, pitted and roughly chopped
• 2tsp italian herbs
• 2tsp salt

Method

• Measure the water into a mixing bowl and mix in the starter and the lemon zest.
• Add the flours, the herbs, and the salt and mix until well incorporated. Add the olives, and fold until they are part of the dough. Cover the bowl and rest the dough for 30 minutes.
• Transfer the dough to an oiled surface and knead it about 10-12 times. Shape it into a ball, put the dough back in the bowl and cover it. Rest the dough for 30 minutes. Repeat this process three more times.
• After the last knead, put the dough back in the bowl, cover with a cloth and rest it for 1 hour. 
• Transfer the dough onto a lightly floured surface and pre-shape it into a ball. Cover the dough and let it rest for 15 minutes. 
• Shape the dough into a tight ball and put it in a floured bread basked, seam side up, and proof it for about 4 hours. 
• Bake in a pre-heated oven to 230C for 30 minutes, reduce the temperature to 220C and bake for a further 20 minutes or until done.