Making, Eating This Kalamata Olive Bread Is A Sheer Joy

This is a story that started with a glorious cake and ended with a fabulous bread, with many fascinating discoveries in between. Most of all, it is a story about the sort of generosity and sharing among professional bakers that results in elevating quality for everyone who loves to bake or eat bread.

It all began on a recent visit to San Francisco when my friend and colleague, Flo Braker, wanted to surprise me by introducing me to another colleague, Kurtis Baguley. His signature dessert, the bostini, was based on orange glow chiffon cake, one of the cakes featured in my book, “The Cake Bible.”

Flo invited me to lunch at Scala, where Baguley is the pastry chef. But before we ever got to dessert, we were both so bowled over by his Sour Dough Kalamata Olive Bread that ordering the main course seemed almost irrelevant.

All we wanted was more of that extraordinary bread, with perhaps a thin film of sweet butter that seemed to elevate it to yet another level. The texture of the bread was exceptionally light and airy, yet substantially chewy, and the flavor of the small chunks of aubergine-hued olives dispersed throughout was so tantalizing that it kept us going back for more.

We did, of course, order a main course, but when Baguley came out to greet us, my first words to him were: “You’re doing the wonderful food a great disservice by offering so much of this unbelievable bread first. No one will ever get past the bread.”

When I requested the recipe, not only did Baguley promise to send it, he immediately offered me a container of his sourdough mother starter, homemade from organic green grapes.

The recipe, hand-written in careful detail, arrived within a few weeks. It took me three months to research the mysteries of sourdough starters, bread flour, mineral water and bannetons (bread-raising baskets).

I searched for just the right kind of bread flour and made a series of adjustments in Baguley’s bakery-size recipe, until, finally, there it was: unequivocal success, plus a whole new understanding about mixing dough for bread.

One of the two major breakthroughs turned out to be the higher-protein flour necessary to develop a network of gluten to support a higher rise which, in turn, results in lighter texture. The second was the use of a heavy-duty mixer rather than my previously preferred technique of hand kneading.

By perfecting this bread in the home kitchen, I discovered what I consider to be the most important secret for light bread: very moist dough. Because significant mixing is necessary to develop the gluten, only a heavy-duty mixer or bread machine can accomplish this without the dough becoming unmanageably sticky. A very wet dough sticks unmercifully to one’s hands but not to the dough hook.

Fortunately for the success of this recipe, I recently discovered an excellent high-protein bread flour. King Arthur Special Flour is available in many stores throughout the country, and also by mail order from King Arthur. In addition, the company carries a superb 200-year-old sourdough starter and many other accouterments for bread making. To order, call (800) 827-6836.

Baguley’s olive bread has become my favorite bread. I make it just for the pure pleasure of the process as well as the sheer joy of eating it.

Kurtis Baguley’s Kalamata Olive Bread

1-1/4 cups water (unchlorinated; see note)

1 packed teaspoon fresh yeast or 1 scant teaspoon dry yeast (not rapid-rise)

1/3 cup liquid sourdough starter

About 3-1/4 cups (17 ounces) high-gluten bread flour (preferably King Arthur Special Flour), measured by dip and sweep (dip measuring cup into flour and level off top with metal spatula or knife)

1 teaspoon salt (preferably sea salt)

3/4 cup (4-1/4 ounces or 2/3 cup pitted) kalamata olives, coarsely chopped

2 tablespoons bread flour

2 tablespoons cornmeal

Combine water, crumbled yeast, sourdough starter and about 1-1/3 cups flour in large mixer bowl. Whisk until very smooth, about 100 strokes.

Sprinkle remaining flour over top, then sprinkle evenly with salt. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and allow to stand at least 4 hours (overnight for best flavor).

Using dough hook, knead dough on medium-low speed until smooth and very elastic, about 10 minutes. Allow dough to relax 10 minutes.

Place olives in small bowl and toss with 2 tablespoons flour. Add mixture to dough and mix about 1 minute to incorporate olives. (Dough will darken in places from olives and color will not be uniform.) If necessary, add flour, 1 tablespoon at a time, until dough cleans sides of bowl. Dough should still be sticky enough to barely cling to fingers.

Scrape dough into large oiled bowl. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and set aside in warm spot (80 degrees) until doubled in bulk, about 1-1/2 hours.

Punch dough down and divide into 2 balls. Place each in floured banneton or bowl. Sprinkle top lightly with flour. Cover with plastic wrap or waxed paper and set aside to rise until doubled in bulk, 1-1/2 to 2 hours.

Preheat baking stone or heavy baking sheet at least 15 minutes at 425 degrees. Very gently invert dough onto well-greased rimless baking sheet, removable tart bottom or wooden paddle, and slip it onto preheated stone that has been sprinkled with cornmeal. Quickly slash top of each round with sharp knife or straight-edged razor blade to make large cross.

Spray oven door with water. Bake at 425 degrees 15 minutes, spraying oven door with water 2 more times during first 5 minutes of baking. Reduce temperature to 375 degrees and bake 10 to 20 minutes longer. Bread is done when skewer inserted in center comes out clean and instant-read thermometer registers 190 degrees.

Cool bread, uncovered, on wire rack. (Bread will keep 2 days at room temperature, 3 months if frozen.)

Yield: 2 (7-inch) round, 3-inch high loaves, about 1 pound each.

Note: For unchlorinated water, use bottled mineral water or allow tap water to stand, uncovered, 8 hours. Chlorinated water adds an unpleasant taste to the bread.