Olive Oil Bread (Pane Al 'Olio)

Ingredients

• 1 package active dry yeast or 1 small cake fresh yeast
• 1 cup plus 3 tablespoons warm water
• 3 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon olive oil
• 2 to 3 teaspoons lard, at room temperature
• 3 ¾ cups all-purpose unbleached flour
• 2 teaspoons salt
• Sea salt

• Nutritional Information

  • Nutritional analysis per serving (6 servings)

    380 calories; 10 grams fat; 1 gram saturated fat; 6 grams monounsaturated fat; 1 gram polyunsaturated fat; 61 grams carbohydrates; 3 grams dietary fiber; 0 grams sugars; 9 grams protein; 1 milligram cholesterol; 716 milligrams sodium

  Note: Nutrient information is not available for all ingredients. Amount is based on available data.
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Preparation

1. Stir the yeast into the water in a large mixing bowl, let stand until creamy, about 10 minutes.
2. Stir in the oil and lard, then the flour and salt until well blended. Knead on a floured surface until elastic and velvety, eight to 10 minutes. The dough can also be mixed and kneaded in an electric mixer or a food processor. If you use a food processor, first dissolve the yeast in one-fourth cup of warm water in a small bowl, add all the dry ingredients to the food processor bowl, then add the liquids, including the dissolved yeast, through the feed tube with the machine running.
3. Place kneaded dough in a lightly oiled bowl, cover with plastic wrap and let rise until doubled, about two hours. Dough should be very moist and velvety.
4. Divide the dough into 12 to 14 equal pieces, each about the size of a lime, and shape into small balls. Arrange the balls about one-and-a-half inches apart, not touching, in two free-form circles on oiled, parchment-lined baking sheets, or place in oiled ring molds that have been sprinkled with sea salt. Cover with plastic wrap and then a towel and let rise until doubled, one-and-a-fourth to one-and-a-half hours.
5. Heat oven to 400 degrees. If you have made free-form rings, brush the tops of the rolls in olive oil and sprinkle lightly with sea salt.
6. Bake 35 minutes, cool on racks. Makes two rings.

• If you wish, you can substitute additional olive oil for the lard in this recipe.

4 hours 30 minutes