Thom Leonard Kalamata Olive Bread

Paddyscake on 21 Oct 2007 at 18:40

I have a very bad habit of skimming when I read and have made more mistakes because of it. I just got a copy of Maggie Glezer's "Artisan Baking across America" not to be confused with her "Artisan Baking". I had a copy from Mountaindog's post of "Thom Leonards French Country Boule" which I was glancing at while glancing at my book. Long story short..I used the measurements of flour from French Country Boule with the water amounts from Kalmata Olive. One is to make a 4 pound loaf the other 3 pounds. Also, I was using my KA Pro which I just received for my birthday. So now I have this extremely dry ball of dough which this new mixer is not dealing with. I keep adding water, the motor is starting to strain and I'm ticked!! So..I decide to let the dough rest and take a second look at both formulas..hah..well how about that, 200-250 g short on water. That would make a difference, duh! I gradually add some of the water in the KA and I'm still not happy. The dough just seems to make a bowl with the hook spinning around the inside of it, not kneading. I pull out my trusty old Oster with dual dough hooks and in 5 minutes I am a happy camper, nice window pane..phew, saved. My next small problem comes 3 hours later when I read the directions further and see I was supposed to have already added the olives. What is wrong with me!!! double duh!! I also skipped the folds. You would have thought I had learned my lesson and would have thoroughly read the remainder of the instructions. I guess I like to live on the wild side :  ) For all my tribulations I got 2 of the nicest loaves, great spring..taste test to come after cooling. I also baked some sourdough blueberry muffins, which look good, tomorrow we shall see.

Thom Leonard Kalamata Olive BreadThom Leonard Kalamata Olive Bread

Paddyscake, you make some of the prettiest breads! Your slashing is so elegant.

I researched olive breads last Xmas and most recipes said add olives after mixing--it's a bit of a chore, but they hold up better that way. 

Happy anniversary, too.

for the anniversary wishes and compliments. I'm still slashing with my 9" serrated carving knife, not the choice of many!! I ended up gently flattening the dough into a rectangle and then poking the olives in, did a few folds and then shaped into boules. The olives popped out of the the slash with the oven spring.

Oh, I did have to laugh even though I'm sure that was all frustrating.  But we've all done things like that!

 

Your bread is beautiful.  How did you like the flavor?  I was thinking of making Silverton's olive bread but I forgot about this one - how could I! My husband won't eat olives and I love them so I must bake a loaf if just for me.  It looks fabulous and I agree you are a great slasher.

 

Btw, I may have misunderstood what you wrote but do you know that the paperback version is exactly the same as the hardcover version of ABAA?  They just shortened the title on the paperback is all but both volumes are identical.  Mountaindog's post was actually her modifications to that recipe.

the pain..LOL! My husband loves Kalamata olives plain, he'll eat a deli container full. In the bread, they have just the right bite, salty and slightly oily feel..kind of like butter only savory. This is a good bread to have with a minestrone, dipped in olive oil and pepper or a bruscetta. No, I didn't realize they were the same book..I thought that this was a slightly different version..again, just goes to show that I'm still skimming!!!
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AnnieT on 22 Oct 2007 at 19:53

Have any of you tried picholine olives in bread? Dan Lepard uses them in his white thyme and olive bread and they are wonderful. They have to be pitted but the back of a wooden spoon made it easy. I liked them better than the kalamata olives - something else to try? A.

Oh, I have to laugh again, I can't help it.  :o)  You sound like me.  Wow, you really made a great description of those olives in bread.  You're just tempting me beyond!

 

Annie - I also love green olives and those little French ones would be interesting as well.  Thanks for letting us know those are good for bread, too.  I'm an olive freak.  Good ideas!

Annie I don't think I've ever seen them. It sounds like a petite green olive, don't you love my interpretation?  I'll have to look for them. I think next time I would halve the olives, they were pretty big and rather difficult to work into the dough being somewhat round. Sort of like chasing a whole cherry tomato around your plate, rather than a half of one. When trying to shape the boule, they kept popping out.
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edh on 23 Oct 2007 at 16:18

Paddyscake, you are a wonderful writer as well as baker; I'm still chuckling. Your final step reminded me of the batch of cinnamon raisin bagels I made on request, only to find the raisins staring up at me from the bowl, after all the kneading was done. Trying to work them into the dough (by hand) was fairly exciting; they kept popping out and flying off the counter to be chased by the dog.

Thanks for the laugh, but they look great!

edh

and cheap. It's comforting to know we have all found that extra ingredient we forgot to put in..or the dish we discover after Thanksgiving dinner that we forgot to put out!Hey your pooch was lucky to get to play fly ball with raisins. Have you ever seen the canine agility games where the dogs race to "trigger a button" which pops a ball out for them to retrieve and race back with? The other nice thing is that you don't have to get on your hands and knees and look for all those raisins!
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AnnieT on 23 Oct 2007 at 21:24

PLEASE don't let your dogs eat raisins!!! My son and his wife lost a beautiful young healthy black lab. mix dog last Christmas after he got into some organic raisins. One of the other dogs had opened the bag and either wasn't affected (some aren't) or didn't eat them. Sam went into kidney failure and had to go to the emergency vet. hospital where they did everything possible but he didn't make it. So it isn't worth the risk - raisins and grapes are both lethal. Made for a very sad holiday, A.

I'm aware of the raisin risk; the only reason he's allowed to chase them is that I love the look he gives me when he catches them and realizes he's been fooled again;"what, these nasty things again? Where's the steak?" Chocolate chip cookies on the other hand...have to keep those way out of reach!

Thanks for the warning though; it's amazing how many things are a danger to our furry buddies that we don't even think about.

edh

Paddyscake, they are indeed small green olives and the flavor is milder than kalamatas. Dan Lepard says they are crisp rather than soft, and they are, but I can't remember them tasting sweet and nutty. Just good enough to eat right out of the container. Our grocery store has an olive bar and they tend to keep the big stuffed olives so when I saw the picholines I had to try them. I also saw them in a specialty store in a fancy package with a fancy price. Hope you can find some, A.

I've never eaten. The picholine from Provence sound especially intriguing, brined with coriander and Herbs De Provence..in a loaf of bread..mmmm Thanks for the link ZB and the suggestion Annie

Paddyscake, I am wondering whether the olives Dan Lepard described as being "sweet and nutty" are the ones from Provence since he is in England. Ours might have a different flavor after being soaked in citric acid. Very interesting link, ZB. Oh well, I still think they are terrific and I hope you try them, A.
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andrew_l on 31 Oct 2007 at 00:31

If you follow Glezer's methods, though they SOUND intimidating at first, in reality they are quite straightforward and it soon becomes routine. My big problem, once the starter was active, was the feeding and throwing away routine - I hate to waste good flour! But there are ways round that too - I've hardly had to "chuck" any for a couple of years now. Using a good weighing scale is perhaps the best thing you can do to keep your starters and breads consistent.Also, check Zolablue's posts - very helpful stuff there!
Andrew

> I just got a copy of Maggie Glezer's "Artisan Baking across America"
> not to be confused with her "Artisan Baking".

Hmmm.  I also have a copy of ABAA, but my understanding is that 'Artisan Baking' is the same book, albeit paperback and with a modified cover.

Certainly the Table of Contents shown for AB on Amazon is the same as the Contents of the copy of ABAA currently in my lap.

 - Richard 

www.oldwithoutmoney.com