Black Olive Ciabatta

A classic ciabatta studded with black olives – perfect for dunking into olive oil and balsamic vinegar, or slicing and stuffing with deli meats or cheese.

INGREDIENTS

130g + 370g Finest Strong White flour

1g + 6g sachet dried fast action yeast

7g fine sea salt

70ml + 300ml water

100g black olives, pitted and chopped

YOU WILL ALSO NEED

Baking sheet, damp tea towel, small container with lid, wire rack and oiled bowl/tub

METHOD

1. Firstly make your overnight mix (Biga). Put 130g flour, 1g yeast and 70ml water into a bowl. Mix the ingredients together to form a rough dough. Place in a small container with a lid and leave overnight (12 hours).
2. The next day, put the remaining 370g flour and 6g yeast in a large mixing bowl, add 300ml water, the overnight mix (Biga) and salt. Bring together to a dough and knead in the bowl until you get a silky, developed soft dough. Briefly fold in the chopped olives with a wet hand. Cover with a damp tea towel in a lightly oiled bowl/tub and leave to rise for 1 hour.
3. After 1 hour, fold the dough gently over itself in the bowl from the edges, bringing the dough into the middle with oiled hands. Fold, turning the bowl, until you’ve made your way around. Cover again for another 1 hour. Repeat this process once more, so the dough has proved for 3 hours in total, and been folded gently twice.
4. Turn out onto a well floured worksurface, roughly shape into a rectangle then cut the dough in half to look like two ‘slippers’. Flip the dough so it’s flour side up and transfer to a parchment lined baking tray. Cover (as before) and leave to rest for 20 mins.
5. Heat the oven to 240C/fan 220C/gas 9. Slide the baking tray into the oven and bake for 20-25 mins until golden brown and crisp. Cool on a wire rack before slicing.

 

Recipe tip – Once baked and cooled, slice into the dough at 4cm sections, keeping the loaf whole, and stuff with garlic butter. Wrap in foil and bake for another 10 mins for an olive garlic bread.