O is for Olive Bread (Jennifer)

Dear friends,

I may have a slight thing for olives. I really, really like them. Ask my family. When you do, they'll tell you the story of me as a little girl, maybe 6, 7, or 8-years old (I don't remember), eating olives from the bowl set out at Thanksgiving. They'll continue the story, sharing that they tried to stop me from eating so many olives. But I couldn't stop; I wouldn't stop. Nothing could get between me and my olives. Well, then, the story continues with a car ride, and well....you know where this one's going. Hey, I was little and it wasn't my fault. I still love olives--I just try not to eat so many at once. : )

Today I have a much happier olive story to share. In this story, olives are baked into a soft, delicious bread dough that's been *lightly* sprinkled with kosher salt. In this story, olives are cut into squares, wedges, and sticks and dunked into olive oil and balsamic vinegar. Bright, summery flavors. Yum. Enjoy!

*I emphasize lightly because I might have gone a bit overboard, forgetting that olives can be quite salty on their own.

Olive Focaccia
Recipe from The Pioneer Woman

Ingredients

• 1-1/2 teaspoon Active Dry Yeast
• 1-1/2 cup Warm Water
• 4 cups All-purpose Flour
• 1 teaspoon Kosher Salt
• 1/3 cup Olive Oil
• 1 cup Olives (any Variety Or Combination), Roughly Chopped
• Olive Oil, For Drizzling
• Kosher Salt, For Sprinkling

Preparation Instructions

Sprinkle yeast over 1 1/2 cups warm (not lukewarm) water. Let stand for a few minutes.
In a mixer, combine flour and salt. With the mixer running on low speed (with paddle attachment), drizzle in olive oil until combined with flour. Next, pour in yeast/water mixture and mix until just combined, and the dough comes together in a sticky mass.

Warm a non-metal mixing bowl in the microwave until warm. Coat it with a light drizzle of olive oil, and form the dough into a ball. Toss to coat dough in olive oil, then cover the bowl tightly with plastic wrap and set it aside for 1 to 2 hours, or store in the fridge until you need it.
To make focaccia, blot olives with a paper towel to remove excess moisture.

Remove dough from bowl and place on a lightly floured surface. Place chopped olives on top of the dough, then very gently knead the olives into the dough. (Don't overknead!) Divide dough in half and roll each half into a large, thin oval/rectangle. Place on separate sheet pans (or cookie sheets) drizzled with olive oil. Drizzle more olive oil on top of the ovals, then cover each one with plastic wrap. Put in a draft-free/warm place for one hour.
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

 Remove the plastic wrap (dough will be puffy) and use your fingertips to press dimples all over the surface of the dough. Drizzle surface with olive oil and sprinkle with kosher salt. Bake for 30 to 40 minutes, or until focaccia is golden brown. Serve immediately and enjoy!

Review:

I really liked this recipe. It was easy and the results were rewarding. The only thing I would say is, though it's titled "Olive Focaccia," it didn't have as much spring-y-ness (don't think that's a word!) as your typical focaccia. And I'm fairly certain I didn't overknead it. I just think this is more of an olive bread, or olive pizza dough-like bread recipe. Nevertheless, it was still yummy and I would make it again!