Olive And Dried-Tomato Bread

Serve slices of this robust, savory bread as an appetizer or a snack.

3 cups bread flour
2 tsp. sugar
1 envelope (1/4 oz.) fast-acting yeast (2-1/4 tsp.)
1/2 tsp. coarsley ground pepper
3/4 cup tomato juice
1/3 cup dried tomato bits (from a jar) or dried tomatoes, snipped in
small pieces
1/4 cup olive oil
1-1/4 tsp. dried rosemary, finely crumbled
1 cup calamata olives (about 40), pitted and finely chopped (3/4 cup)
or 1 cup pitted black olives, chopped
Glaze: 1 egg mixed with 1 tsp. water
Dried rosemary

1. Lightly grease a cookie sheet.
2. Mix 1 cup of the flour, the sugar, yeast and pepper in a large bowl
until blended.
3. Stir tomato juice, dried tomato bits, olive oil and rosemary in a
small saucepan over meidum heat until very warm (125F to 130F).
4. Gradually stir into flour mixture until blended and smooth. Stir
in olives and 1-3/4 cups flour, a little at a time, until a soft dough
forms.
5. Turn out on a floured surfac eand knead 5 minutes, adding more
flour if necessary to keep dough from sticking. Form into a ball.
Put into an oiled bowl and turn to oil top. Cover bowl with plastic
wrap. Let rise in a warm, draft-free place 1 hour or until doubled.
6. Punch down dough and divide in half. Shape each half into a round
and place on prepared cookie sheet. Make four 1/4-inch deep slashes
in top of each loaf. Cover with lightly greased plastic wrap. let
rise 45 minutes to 1 hour until doubled.
7. Heat oven to 400. Brush loaves with glaze, then sprinkle with rosemary.
8. Bake 30 minutes or until loaves are golden brown and sound hollow
when tapped. Remove to a wire rack to cool completely. Store
airtight.