Whole Wheat Olive Flat Bread - Focaccia alle Olive

This wonderful olive bread comes from Judy Francini's new book, Secrets from My Tuscan Kitchen. I won the book in a random drawing held by the folks at the Foodie Blogroll and it has since become the gift that keeps on giving. The bread is easy to make, requires no special equipment and uses ingredients that are available in any well-stocked grocery store. I used kalamata olives for my bread but any ripe, brine cured olive could be used. The beautiful blue olives at the top of the page come from an evergreen tree that's native to the Mediterranean, Asia and parts of Africa. It is short and squat with a gnarled, twisted trunk and leaves that are a silvery green. These trees bare small white flowers and fruit that slowly ripens from green to the rich purple color we associate with black olives. The olives, rosemary and whole wheat flour used in this bread give it enormous flavor. I love to serve it with a hearty soup and salad. It is best served warm with a dipping sauce of olive oil and black pepper. While the bread stales quickly, leftovers can be frozen and reheated. This is a great recipe for beginners and seasoned pros. I hope you'll try it. It will not disappoint.



Whole Wheat Olive Flat Bread

Ingredients:

2-1/4 teaspoons dried yeast

2-1/2 cups water, divided use

2-1/2 cup unbleached flour

2-1/2 cups whole wheat flour

1-1/2 teaspoons salt

1 cup black olives + olives for garnish, patted dry

1/4 cup chopped fresh rosemary + rosemary for garnish

Olive oil

Sea salt or other coarse salt for garnish

Directions:

1) Dissolve yeast in 1/2 cup water.

2) Mix unbleached and whole wheat flour in a large bowl. Whisk in salt. Add dissolved yeast. Stir in 1-1/2 to 2 cups reserved water, adding enough to form a firm dough.

3) Turn dough onto a lightly floured board; knead for a few minutes, adding flour if dough is very sticky. Let rest 10 minutes. Resume kneading until a smooth dough is formed.

4) Place in a greased bowl; cover and let rise until double in size, about 1 hour. Turn onto lightly floured board and knead in olives and rosemary. Roll out dough and press into a 9 x 12-inch baking pan. Cover and let rise until double in height, about 45 minutes.

5) Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Brush dough with olive oil. Lightly pat olives and rosemary into surface of dough. Sprinkle with sea salt. If desired, make indentations in dough with finger tips. Bake until golden brown, about 20 to 25 minutes. Serve warm. Yield: 1 (9 x 12 X 2-inch) flat bread.

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