Basic olive bread recipe baked in the Kubaneh style (see a typical Kubaneh bread recipe) with grated Asiago cheese on top. It looks nice, but I’m not sure I’d recommend this bread.

Ingredients

• 3 & 3/4 cups of all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons of salt
• 1 & 1/3 cups of whole milk
• 2 tablespoons of butter
• 3 tablespoons of honey
• 1 envelope of yeast
• 1-2 cups of olives, halved with pits removed
• 1 cup (or more) cheese (anything you can grate)
• 1 head of roasted garlic

Preparation

1. Roast garlic by removing outer paper and leaving paper around each clove. Put head in an oven safe container, sprinkle sea salt and olive oil, and cover with aluminum foil. Bake at 425 degrees for 1 hour. Take 30 minutes to prep olives and cheese. When garlic is done, squeeze garlic paste into bowl to add to flour.
2. Mix milk, butter and honey and cook on medium-low heat until mixture reaches 110 degrees.
3. Add yeast and wait 10 minutes.
4. Put flour and salt into a large bowl.
5. Fold in milk, butter and honey mixture – by hand or electric mixer.
6. Fold in olives, cheese and garlic – by hand or electric mixer.
7. Dough should be sticky but not stick to your hands if you touch it, if it sticks to your hands add a teaspoon of flour and work in until it stops.
8. Cover dough with plastic and let rise in relatively warm location,
   at least 2 hours but preferably more (up to 36 hours).
9. Before rolling dough, boil 6 cups or more of water in a kettle and
   preheat oven to 350 degrees.
10. Scoop dough from bowl, roll it out until it is 8 inches by 8
    inches, then roll it into a log.
11. Press and smooth seam so that dough looks like one whole piece.
12. Grease bread pan with butter.
13. Place loaf in loaf pan.
14. Pour boiling water into long glass pan, place on bottom rack in
    oven and wait 10 minutes for oven to get humid.
15. Place loaf pan above water and bake at 350 degrees for 45-55 minutes.
16. Remove from oven when bread’s internal temperature is above 190
    degrees (use a thermometer from the side to the center of the bread).
17. Remove from oven when done and let cool for 15 minutes.

Kubaneh-style

9. Two hours before going to sleep for the night, start preparing the bread.
10. Separate dough into pieces small enough to fit in your hand.
11. Roll each out with a rolling pin, make into a log, then roll out again in the opposite direction, creating a 4″ wide, +12″ long strip.
12. Roll strip that into a 4″ round loaf, seal the seam, and place in a Dutch oven, squashing down the top. Fill up Dutch oven leaving room in between each so they can expand.
13. Brush the top of the bread with olive oil.
14. Grate cheese over the top of the loaf.
15. Let sit for an hour or two for dough to rise again.
16. Before bed, turn the oven on to 200 degrees, and let cook overnight.
17. Loaf is done when internal temperature is above 190 degrees.