Savory Olive Bread

By mirelsonp

While it looks like a country-style pie, this round loaf is a hearty yeast bread chock-full of onions and olives.

Ingredients

• 2 to 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 package active dry yeast
• 1 cup warm water (120 to 130 degrees)
• 1 Tbsp olive oil
• 3/4 tsp salt
• 3 cups slivered red or yellow onoins
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 Tbsp olive oil
• 1 6-oz can pitted ripe green olives, drained and halved
• 2 to 3 Tbsp snipped fresh sage or 1 tsp dried sage, crushed
• 1 egg yolk
• 1 Tbsp water
• Fresh sage sprigs (optional)

Preparation

Step 1

In a large mixing bowl, combine 1 cup of the flour and the yeast. Add the warm water, the 1 tablespoon olive oil, and the salt to the flour mixture. Beat with an electric mixer on low to medium speed for 30 seconds, scraping sides of bowl constantly. Beat on high speed for 3 minutes. Using a wooden spoon, stir in as much of the remaining flour as you can.

Turn dough out onto lightly floured surface. Knead in enough of remaining flour to make a stiff dough that is smooth and elastic (8 to 10 minutes total). shape dough into ball. Place in lightly greased bowl; turn once to grease furface of dough. Cover and let rise in warm place until double in size (1 hour).

Punch dough down; divide into two equal portions. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Cover; let rest 10 minutes.

About 15 minutes before shaping bread, in a skillet, cook onion and garlic in the 2 tablespoons olive oil until onion is tender but not brown. Remove from heat; cool slightly. Stir in olives and sage. Set aside.

Grease a 9-inch pie plate. On a lightly floured surface, roll one portion of dough to a 12-inch circle. Line the prepared pie plate with the dough. Spoon onion mixture over dough.

On a lightly floured surface, roll the remaining portion of dough to a 10-inch circle. Cut dough into 3/4-inch-wide strips. To make lattice top, lay half of the dough strips on top of filling at 1-inch intervals. Fold alternate dough strips back halfway. Place another dough strip in the center of loaf across the strips already in place. Unfold folded strips; fold back remaining strips. Place another dough strip parallel to stripin center. Repeat weaving steps on both sides of center strip until lattice covers filling. Brush edges lightly with water. Press ends of strips into crust rim. Fold bottom dough over strips; seal and crimp edge.

Cover and let rise in a warm place until nearly double in size (45 to 60 minutes). Press tines of fork into the center of each crimp.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a small bowl, combine egg yolk and water; brush over top of loaf. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes (if necessary, cover with foil for the last 10 minutes of baking to prevent overbrowning). Cool slightly on a wire rack.

Just before serving cut into thin wedges. If desired, garnish each wedge with a sprig of fresh sage.