Olive Sourdough

Method

For this variation, exchange the whole-wheat four with whole rye four, which holds up well to the strong flavour of the olives. However, you can also make it with whole-wheat four with excellent results.

Once the dough is developed after kneading, add 100g of olives and continue mixing until evenly incorporated. I like whole kalamatas but have also made olive bread with other types of olives, including a mix of black and green olives. I roughly chop about 75 percent of the olives but leave the others whole. Some of those whole olives will get broken up during the rest of the bread making process (and when the baked loaf is sliced or ripped apart), but it is satisfying to fnd some whole pieces of olive in the middle of the loaf.

The smooth and oily olives tend to slip out of the dough, but just keep tucking them back in as you fold, divide and shape—they’ll eventually become incorporated. The addition of the olives will increase the yield of the dough, so you may want to divide this variation into three loaves— or make one into a fougasse.