The summer breeze brought some really nice fresh herbal smells into the air. That got me thinking about this week @JustinParke’s Plant Power Cooking Challenge.
As its mushroom season and there are pretty much available everywhere here, I got munchies for a Mediterranean Mushroom Bread. It's popular everywhere by the Mediterranean seaside, but most famous for it would be Italy, as its a form of Focaccia, shaped in a loaf.
I just got a beautiful ceramic Dutch oven as a present and I couldn't wait to try it out.
Ingredients:
- 200g wholemeal flour
- 175g of all-purpose flour (and some more for kneading)
- 2 teaspoons of dry yeast
- 2 teaspoons of sugar
- 1 teaspoon of salt
- 250 ml of warm water
- 2 tablespoons of olive oil
- 200 g of button mushrooms
- 3 tablespoons of olive oil
- 4 garlic cloves
- rosemary
- thyme
- marjoram
- basil
- parsley
- 0.5 teaspoon of salt
- 150 g of canned olives
- Shake dry ingredients over a sieve into a large bowl. Slowly start adding warm water, while combining with a wooden spoon. When all mixed, start kneading with your hands on a floured surface. Knead until the dough gets soft and sticky. Cover it with 2 tablespoons of olive oil and place it back in a bowl and leave it to rise.
- While we wait for the dough, we can chop the mushrooms, garlic and herbs. For this occasion is best to use fresh herbs like: rosemary, thyme, marjoram, basil and parsley (you can use up to your taste).
- Place a large pan on the stove and heat up 3 tablespoons of olive oil. Add mushrooms and fry for about 6-8 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add garlic, herbs and 0.5 teaspoon of salt, cook for another minute and take off the heat. Cool it down before mixing it into the dough.
- Drain the olives and dry them in a paper towel. Roughly chop them.
- When the dough has doubled the size, it's ready to knead again. Add fried mushrooms and chopped olives and knead it into the dough. Add Some flour to get smooth and soft dough, but it should be very sticky.
Form a loaf, cover it with a kitchen cloth and let it rise again.
- Preheat the oven on 240 ⁰C and place your Dutch oven in.
- Take your Dutch oven out (be careful and use extra protection as its very hot!) and place the loaf inside and put on a lid.
- Place Dutch oven back in your oven for about 30 minutes, then take it out, put off a lid and place it back in the oven uncovered, for about 10- 15 minutes.
- When your bread is done, flip it out of the Dutch oven and cool it down before cutting and serving.
