Rustic Onion and Olive Bread

Mix the flour and salt in a bowl. Make a well in the flour, pour in some of the water and dissolve the yeast together with the sugar. Let stand for a moment, then mix everything together well.

Drain the olives and cut into thin slices. Add the rest of the water, milk, olive oil, olives, fried onions, Parmesan, Italian seasoning mixture and herbs. Knead all the ingredients together until you have a smooth and supple dough. Shape into a ball and let rise in a warm place covered for 50-60 minutes, until the amount of dough has roughly doubled.

Divide the dough into two long loaves of bread. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and dust a little with flour. Place the two loaves of bread on top and let rise for another 30-40 minutes, covered. Preheat the oven to 180 degrees approx. 15 minutes before the end of the time (top and bottom heat).

Place a fireproof container with hot water on the bottom of the oven (ensures a nice crust without the bread drying out), and brush the bread all around with a little water. Bake in the oven for about 30 minutes until the dough is lightly browned.

A nice accompaniment to soups, dips, antipasti, tzatziki or just with herb butter - also goes well with grilling, of course :-).