You may have noticed that my website’s been going on and off the last few weeks – unfortunately, it looks like my server was hacked. Fortunately, it looks like we’re finally back in action – so here’s a sketch that’s been inspired by my recent baking experiments.

I’ve always been a really big fan of baking. I think of it as a kind of therapy with a byproduct of delicious treats. Although the sketch shows cookies (which I baked several hundred of over the December holidays) I’ve actually been baking bread lately. Specifically, olive bread. I originally tried this recipe, but found that the baking temperatures simply didn’t work – the bread came out burned or hard as a brick. So, I made my own adjustments – both flavor wise and temperature wise. Here’s the recipe I ended up with.

Olive Bread
Ingredients

• 2 teaspoons active dry yeast
• 2 tablespoons and 1 teaspoon white sugar (divided use)
• 1 1/4 cups warm water (110 degrees F)
• 3 cups bread flour
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon rosemary
• 1 teaspoon oregano
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1-1 1/2 cup chopped black olives (1 can)
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 tablespoon cornmeal
• 1 egg (whites only)

Directions

1. Pour warm water into a large bowl. Add one teaspoon sugar, and active dry yeast. Place a damp cloth over the bowl, and set the bowl aside in a warm place for 20 minutes, or until yeast is foamy. If the yeast does not produce foam, the yeast is bad – you will need to start over with a new packet of yeast otherwise your bread will not rise.
2. In a separate bowl, combine flour, garlic powder, rosemary, oregano, and salt – mix thoroughly.
3. Once yeast is proofed, combine yeast with dry ingredients, olive oil, and olives.
4. Turn out dough onto a floured board. Knead until smooth and elastic, 5 to 10 minutes.
5. Set dough aside in a light oiled bowl and cover it with a damp cloth. Place the bowl in a warm place – this helps the bread rise faster. Let rise about 45 minutes, until the dough is doubled in size, then punch it down and knead again for 5 to 10 minutes. Let rise for about 30 minutes, until it doubles once again in size.
6. While the bread is rising, oil your baking pans and dust them lightly with cornmeal or flour. Pam for baking (the kind with flour in it) is also a good alternative.
7. Divide dough in half, and shape into two long, thin loaves – like baguettes. Place loaves onto pans. Whisk egg whites well, and then glaze the loaves with egg whites. Let rise a further 30 minutes in a warm place – perhaps on the stove top above the pre-heating oven?
8. While the bread is rising for the third time, put a pan of water in the bottom of the oven. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
9. Bake at 400 degrees for seven minutes, glaze a second time and remove the pan of water from the oven, then bake for a further 20-35 minutes at 350 degrees or until bread is cooked through.

And here’s a picture of a sandwhich I made with the finished product! My sandwhich is prosciutto, genoa salami, tomatoes, mozerella and pesto.