Beautiful… Beautiful Bread ❤️

  

If you don’t know it already  I am passionate about baking bread and find time to make a homemade loaf often. Bread takes time and patience and minimal ingredients. I find it magical and always a surprise. 

This recipe yields one loaf and can be made in 2-3 days depending on when you want to bake it. 
Ingredients:

1 tsp honey

1 1/2 tsp dry active yeast 

2 tsp kosher salt

1 & 3/4 cup warm water

3 1/2 cups AP flour (plus some for dusting)

1-2 TB Cornmeal 

1/2 cup reduced fat feta 
1/2 cup katamala olives (chopped) 

Dutchoven 7 or 9 qt 

Cooking spray

Directions:

1. Place the water,honey and yeast in a measuring cup and let proof for 5 minutes.

2. In the meantime place flour, & salt in a very large glass bowl. Mix with wooden spoon to incorporate the salt throughout.

3. Once the yeast has proofed ( becomes activated and foamy) add to the dry ingredients. Mix well with wooden spoon (do not knead) and cover with plastic wrap and allow to rise for 1 hour at room temperature.

4.Punch down the dough. Turn the dough onto a heavily floured surface; pat into a 9-in. square. Fold square into thirds, forming a 9×3-in. rectangle. Fold rectangle into thirds, forming a 3-in. square. Turn dough over; place in a cooking sprayed bowl. Cover with plastic wrap; let rise at room temperature until almost doubled, about 1 hour.

5. Punch the dough down and repeat folding process as mentioned in step 4. Return dough to the same bowl; refrigerate, covered, for 24 to 48 hours.

6. Dust bottom of a parchment paper with cornmeal. Turn dough onto a heavily floured surface. Place the olives and feta on the bread and knead them gently into the dough for 6-8 times; shape into a 6-in. round loaf. Place on prepared parchment paper and cover with plastic wrap. Preheat oven to 500 degrees with Dutchoven in the center of the oven. Allow the Dutchoven to heat in oven for 1 hour. Which allows the dough to rise well agai, dough inch in size. 

7. Once dough has rised for the last time, remove plastic wrap & take a sharp knife and a cut design on the of top of loaf to allow steam to escape. I like to make a few silts diagonally.

8. Reduce oven setting to 450°. Carefully remove the Dutch oven from the oven and remove the lid with silicone gloves. Place the dough on parchment paper in to the Dutchoven. Cover with the lid and place the Dutchoven back in the center of the oven. Bake bread 1 hour. No peaking. Remove loaf to a wire rack to cool. Yield: 1 loaf (16 slices).