Tuesday, March 30, 2010

Pane all'Olive - Olive Bread


I've been puttering around in the kitchen today. I made a loaf of olive bread right out of Jim Lahey's My Bread cookbook. It is another one of the no-knead breads so actually I had to start it last night but "starting" it only takes long enough to measure out a few ingredients and mix them with water. Then you cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let it sit for 12 to 18 hours. So while I'm sleeping all those little yeasty organisms are working away.

Lahey says that any pitted olive will "yield something worth eating." But he makes some specific suggestions for the best olive bread. I had a partial jar of kalamata olives that had been sitting on the shelf in the fridge for a while and I had a couple of packs of pitted green olives....totally non-special. So that is what made up the 1-1/2 cups of olives that went into the bread. I hope it yields something worth eating.

I'm dying to cut into the bread to check it out but I'm taking it to a dinner party tonight. I think it makes a better presentation as a whole loaf. My friend Pat always told me that if it looks special then everyone will think it is delicious. I'm not sure that this loaf looks special but people are always impressed with a homemade loaf of bread, so maybe that will make it taste delicious. I'll report back tomorrow on how it tasted.

7 comments:

Calypso said...

I am sure if you made it the bread is great.

Billie Mercer said...

Calypso, I don't know if it will be good or not. All this bread making is a new adventure for me.

Steve Cotton said...

Anything with olives has to be good -- espicially kalamata olives.

Heather said...

It does look yummy!

Sam and Bob said...

Were there any leftovers??

Billie Mercer said...

No, before we got up from the table someone asked to take the leftovers home.

debbie said...

This is beautiful, you've left Guy in the dust with bread making. I'm showing him this one, as a teaser. And, he's taken his last three loaves to other people's houses .... I'm having no knead bread withdrawal!