Thom Leonard’s Kalamata Olive Bread
Flavorful olive sourdough bread with tender crumb and hard crust!
Servings Prep Time
2loaves 20min
Cook Time Passive Time
45min 27hr
Servings Prep Time
2loaves 20min
Cook Time Passive Time
45min 27hr
Ingredients
Day 1
Day 2
Instructions
Day 1
  1. 10:00 pm Dissolve stiff sourdough starter in a small bowl.
  2. Add flour and mix with spoon until batterlike and smooth. Cover the bowl with a clingwrap and let it ferment overnight for 12 hours, or until fully risen and started to sink in the middle. Note: Bowl should be at least 3 times the volume of the mixture it contains
Day 2
  1. 9:00 am Pit the olives.
  2. 10:00 am Add part of water to a bowl with fermented levain and stir with spoon until loosened up and dissolved.
  3. In a large mixing bowl combine the flours. Add dissolved fermented levain and remaining water, stir with plastic scraper or hand until forming rough dough.
  4. Turn the dough onto unfloored counter and knead until the dough is very smooth and shiny, about 10 minutes. Use a windowpane test to confirm sufficient gluten development.
  5. Sprinkle the salt onto the dough and knead until the salt is fully dissolved.
  6. Gently knead pitted olives into the dough until evenly distributed. You want the bread at the end to look marbled purple rather than completely purple. Note: You might want to turn the dough back into the bowl when olives are added and knead it in the bowl until the most of the olives are incorporated. Turn the dough onto the counter to complete the kneading.
  7. 10:30 am Place the dough into a container at least 3 times its size, cover the container tightly with plastic wrap. Let it ferment at 24 ºC (75ºF), until nearly doubled, about 3 hours.
  8. Turn the dough onto a counter and stretch and fold in 20 minutes intervals during the first hour of fermenting. That means at 20, 40 and 60 minutes. Leave the dough undisturbed the remaining time.
  9. 1:30 pm Turn the dough onto a lightly floured counter, cut it in half. Gently round each piece, use more flour if needed. Loosely cover with plastic wrap and let them rest for 15-20 minutes.
  10. 1:50 pm Shape each peace into a tight loaf without deflating the dough. Place each loaf top side down into a floured linen basket, or with a seam down onto a floured linen couche. Sprinkle with flour and cover with plastic wrap. Proof until the dough is well expended, about 3 hours.
  11. 3:50 pm Preheat oven to 220ºC (425ºF), rack in the middle fitted with baking stone.
  12. 4:50 pm Use razor blade or sharp knife to cut each loaf, making several decisive cuts along the length of the loaf. Use dusted wooden board to transfer the loaves to the baking stone. Use water bottle to spray inside the oven and create steam.
  13. Bake the breads until dark and evenly browned, 40-45 minutes. Rotate the breads halfway into the bake.
  14. 5:35 pm Transfer the loaves to the cooling rack and let cool completely.