Serves 8 - 12 depending on hunger
Welcome to a lifetime of cooking in your Grande.
This no-knead, super-easy bread will have your troops begging for more. It’s simple. It’s delicious. And it’s a great way to season in your new Grande with all that lovely olive oil.
And don’t be shy of being adventurous with your toppings. Crumbled feta, halved cherry tomatoes, sliced red onions, moist hot smoked salmon, crunchy walnuts… the list is endless and life is Grande!
THE DOUGH
2 ⅓ c warm water
2 t maple syrup
2 T yeast
2 t fine-grain salt
6 c white flour, regular or gluten-free
TO ASSEMBLE
½ c extra virgin olive oil
6 long sprigs of rosemary
1 c olives or more!
1 T salt flakes
METHOD
In a bowl, mix all dough ingredients together with a spoon. The mix should be sticky and a little bit shaggy. Now leave to rise, covered, in a warm place for 1 hour, or until doubled in size.
Beat down with hands and ‘knead’ the dough for 1 minute. Don’t take the dough out of the bowl, just fold it over itself a few times.
Drizzle the olive oil in the bottom of your Ironclad Grande Pan. Place the dough into the middle of the pan in a lump and turn it over in the pan so both sides are liberally covered in olive oil.
Using your fingertips dig into the dough, right to the bottom of the pan so the olive oil oozes up through the holes and the dough spreads out to the edges of the pan. Make sure the sides of the pan have plenty of olive oil on them too.
Scatter olives on top of the mix then sprinkle with rosemary and salt and leave to rise in a warm place for 30 - 45 minutes.
Bake for 20 – 25 minutes at 220°C, until golden and crispy.
Use two fish slices to remove the bread from the pan to a wire rack as soon as cooked to prevent the bottom of the bread from going soggy.
Serve with EVERYTHING.
