Black Olive Bread, Da Una Parte

This is Part One (Da Una Parte) of this week's Show and Tell.  I'm making Black Olive Bread from Nancy Harmon Jenkins' "The Mediterranean Diet Cookbook".  Nancy recently released her new edition of this cookbook, for those of you who are interested in more of a Mediterranean diet.  From the original book, page 139, is where I got the recipe for the olive bread.  I imagine if you do not like black olives (these are oil-cured), you could use green or kalamata.

I started with SAF Instant yeast from King Arthur Flour Company.  For this special sponge, we needed to bring out the big guns - KAF's "Sir Lancelot Flour" and, their crock for bread starters.  FYI - KAF was mentioned in Nancy Harmon Jenkins' latest cookbook edition.  Yea! Props for some of my favorite peeps!!!

I added 1 & 1/2 cups very warm water to the crock and then the 1 tsp of instant yeast.

The Sir Lancelot flour came next, and then I stirred it to a sloppy-looking mess.  

This sponge is going to sit overnight in a corner of my countertop and come tomorrow, I'll be preparing the rest of the dough.  More flour, water, salt, oil-cured black pitted olives, and orange zest...can't wait!