Bread with Olive Oil and Pitted Olives

To prepare the bread with Olive Oil and Pitted Olives, place the water in a bowl and dissolve the sugar with the yeast. Add the two types of flour and our Olive Oil. Mix and knead rapidly by hand to blend all the ingredients. Cover and leave for 30 minutes in a warm place.

Chop the Pitted Olives into small pieces.

Transfer the dough onto a slightly dampened work surface, add the salt and knead for a minute. Spread the dough out slightly and add the olives. Fold and knead the dough thoroughly to obtain a smooth, elastic consistency (if it is sticky, dampen your fingers for kneading).

Form a ball and place the dough in a bowl. Cover and leave for 2 hours in a warm place. The dough for the bread with Olive Oil and Pitted Olives should double its volume.

Take the dough and place it on a clean work surface lightly dusted with flour. Use a spatula to divide the dough into two halves, to obtain two medium-sized loaves.

Open up the dough gently and fold the left edge inwards first, then the right, towards the center. Turn the dough over and turn it round on the work surface, pressing it lightly with your hands to obtain a tight, smooth surface.

Place the two halves of the dough for the bread with Olive Oil and Pitted Olives on an oven tray covered with baking paper. Dust each loaf with a little flour and cover with a clean cloth. Leave to rise for 1 hour.

Pre-heat the oven to 250°C. Place the bread with Olive Oil on the lowest shelf of the oven and turn down the temperature to 230°C. Bake the loaves for 20 minutes until golden brown.

Remove from the oven and leave to cool on a grid before cutting.