Olive Oil Bread
Makes 1 kg of dough or 2 loaves
Description:
This recipe makes two loaves with enough left-over dough to use as ferment for
the next mix. Olive oil dough is very wet and hard to mix by hand. If you do
have an electric mixer now is the time to use it. Automated mixing is easier
and will give you consistently better results, but you will gain a better
appreciation of how the dough is changing and developing if you mix a dough by
hand first. Letting the dough rest between mixes and adding an additional knock
back, will help improve your chances of a well-developed dough.
Ingredients:
600 g strong flour
13 g fresh yeast [divide by 3 if using dry active yeast)
400 ml water
20 ml extra virgin olive oil
20 ml milk
15 g sea salt
180 g ferment (see page 121) (optional)
Directions:
To mix the olive oil dough by hand:
Put the flour and yeast in a large bowl and pour in the water. Use a spoon to
mix together until well combined, then set aside for 10 minutes. Add the oil,
milk and salt, mixing well. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work
surface and start kneading. Knead for 10 minutes, then allow the dough to rest
for 10 minutes. Add the ferment (if using) and knead for a further 10 minutes.
If you are using an electric mixer:
Put all of the ingredients, except the ferment, into the bowl of the mixer
fitted with a dough hook. Mix on low speed for 2 minutes, then increase the
speed to high and continue mixing for 5 minutes. If using the ferment, break it
up with your hands and scatter into the bowl. Continue mixing on low speed for
1 minute, then increase the speed to high and mix for 5 minutes, or until well
combined — this may take an extra couple of minutes — the dough should come
away from the edges of the bowl and have a silky complexion when done.
Place the dough in a container that has been sprayed with olive oil, cover with
plastic wrap and set aside to build prove for 1 ½ hours. Knock back the dough
every 30 minutes during the bulk prove — this means you will need to knock back
the dough twice in total.
To knock back the dough:
Turn it out onto a lightly floured surface and press out into a rectangle,
about 2.5 cm thick. Use your hands to fold one third back onto itself, then
repeat with the remaining third. Turn the dough ninety degrees and fold it over
again into thirds. Place the dough back into the oiled container, cover with
plastic wrap, and continue to bulk prove for a further 1 hour. Once the dough
has finished the bulk prove it is ready to be divided and shaped.
Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Press the dough evenly into
a 20 cm (8 inch) square block. Use a divider or blunt knife to cut the dough
into even halves. Trim both halves into oblongs — they should weigh 500 g each.
If you horribly miscalculate the size of a loaf you can add to the weight by
stretching a piece of dough and pinching it onto either end of the loaf. Make
sure that when you place it on the tray it is renovated side down.
Ferment:
The trimmings that litter your bench are now ferment that can be used for
tomorrow’s loaves. Place the ferment in a container that has been sprayed with
olive oil, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight.
Place the loaves on baking trays lined with baking paper. Dust with a little
flour and set aside in a warm, humid place (25ºC) to prove for about 40 minutes
depending on the climate of the room — the loaves should have risen by
two-thirds and should bounce back when pushed. The dough should look airy and
spongy — on a good day, a good dough should look like spun silk.
Preheat the oven to its highest temperature. Place the loaves in the oven and
spray the oven with water. Bake for 20 minutes, then turn the loaves around and
bake for a further 10 minutes, watching carefully to make sure that the loaves
do not burn. Tap the base of the loaves with your fingers and listen — if they
sound hollow the loaves are ready. Baking should not take longer than 40
minutes in total.
Notes:
Once you have mixed the basic olive oil dough you can also use it to make
panninis, flatbreads, schiacciata, grossing or the chorizo and thyme rolls on
the following pages.
Source:
Bourke Street Bakery by Paul Allam and David McGuinness, p. 122
