KS Quotient
Easy: All ingredients added at once. No hand-shaping.
Herbed olive breads often feature rosemary, and sometimes oregano or thyme, but this unusual, wonderfully savory Cypriot version goes in a deliciously different direction with chopped fresh cilantro, mint, and chives. The bread surface is crackly crisp, but the olive-studded inside is tender and almost soft, due to the ample addition of olive oil. The loaf is a large, shaggy-looking round with a slightly open texture. Wedges or chunks are pretty irresistible "plain," and sumptuous dunked in olive oil.
You'll need a Dutch oven or similar heavy pot or deep, flat-bottomed casserole for baking this bread. See chapter Getting Started: Basic Know‐How, Ingredients, and Troubleshooting if you aren't sure what to use.
Yield: 1 large loaf, 14 to 15 wedges or slices
4¼ cups (21.25 ounces) unbleached all-purpose white flour, preferably unbleached, plus more as needed
1¾ teaspoons table salt
¾ teaspoon instant, fast-rising, or bread machine yeast
2 cups ice water, plus more if needed
3 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro leaves
2 tablespoons chopped fresh mint leaves
2 tablespoons chopped fresh chives or finely chopped scallion tops
¼ cup good-quality olive oil, plus more for brushing dough top
1 cup thoroughly drained, chopped (pitted) Kalamata olives
About 3 tablespoons cornmeal for dusting baking pot
First Rise In a large bowl, thoroughly stir together the flour, salt, and yeast. In another bowl or measuring cup, vigorously whisk together the water, cilantro, mint, and chives. Stir the mixture into the bowl with the flour until the dough is just lightly mixed. Then add the olive oil, scraping down the bowl sides and mixing until thoroughly blended. The dough should be very stiff; if necessary, add in enough more flour to stiffen it. Gently stir in the olives until evenly distributed throughout. Brush the top with oil. Tightly cover the bowl with plastic wrap. If desired, for best flavor or for convenience, you can refrigerate the dough for 3 to 10 hours. Then let rise at cool room temperature for 12 to 18 hours.
Second Rise Using an oiled rubber spatula, lift and fold the dough in towards the center all the way around until thoroughly loosened from the bowl; don't deflate any more than necessary. Evenly brush the inside of a 3½- to 4-quart Dutch oven or other heavy pot or large, deep, flat-bottomed ovenproof casserole with olive oil. Add the cornmeal, then tip the pot back and forth to distribute it on the sides. Invert the dough into the pot; don't worry if it's ragged-looking or lopsided. Shake the pot to center the dough. Brush the surface with olive oil. Top the pot with its lid.
Let Rise Using Any of These Methods For a 1½- to 2½-hour regular rise, let stand at warm room temperature; for a 1- to 1½-hour accelerated rise, let stand in a turned-off microwave along with 1 cup of boiling-hot water; or for an extended rise, refrigerate for 4 to 24 hours, then set out at room temperature. Let rise until the dough has doubled from its deflated size.
Baking Preliminaries 20 minutes before baking time, place a rack in the lower third of the oven; preheat to 475°F.
Baking Reduce the oven temperature to 425°F. Bake on the lower rack, covered, for 55 to 60 minutes or until crisp and lightly browned. Brush the loaf with olive oil and continue to bake, uncovered, testing until the top is well browned and a skewer inserted in the thickest part comes out with just a few crumbs on the tip (or until the center registers 207° to 208°F on an instant-read thermometer), 12 to 15 minutes longer. Bake for 5 to 10 minutes more to ensure that the center is done. Cool in the pot on a wire rack for 15 minutes. Run a knife around the loaf and remove it to the rack; let cool completely.
Serving and StoringThis loaf tastes good warm, but will cut better when cool. Cool completely before storing. To maintain the crisp crust, store draped with a clean tea towel or in a heavy paper bag. Or store airtight in a plastic bag or foil: The crust will soften, but can be crisped by heating the loaf, uncovered, in a 400°F oven for a few minutes. The bread will keep at room temperature for up to 3 days, and may be frozen, airtight, for up to 2 months.