Feta Brined Olive Bread
Prep TIme: 9-12 hours Bake TIme: 50 minutes
My new favorite scrappy ingredient: feta brine. Leftover feta brine can be used to brine chicken and vegetables and can replace some of the water when cooking grains and baked goods. It adds a creamy richness to this olive bread. Cook this bread in a lidded cast iron skillet for a crispy crust.
INGREDIENTS
4 cups white flour
1 cup whole wheat flour (for complexity)
1 cup sourdough starter OR 1/2 tsp all purpose yeast
1 cup feta brine
2 cups water
1 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1/2 cup olives of choice, roughly chopped
PREPARATION
In a stand mixer, add flours, sourdough starter OR yeast, feta brine, olive oil & water. Mix on low for 10 minutes. Dough will be very wet, like a focaccia.
Pour dough into a greased bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise for 8-12 hours. The longer the better! A longer fermentation means more flavor.
Preheat the oven to 425 F. Grease your cast iron skillet with olive oil.
Chop the olives and mix them into the dough. Scrape the dough into the cast iron skillet.
Bake with the lid on for 30 minutes. Remove the lid and bake for another 20 minutes.
Let your bread cool for at least 30 minutes before cutting into it. Enjoy!!