Asiago Cheese & Black Olives Sourdough

Sharp taste of asiago cheese & black olives sourdough bread… OMG, this flavor is unbelievable! And the smell… the whole house smelled so cheesy, when I was baking this sourdough loaf. Ready for the recipe?

Ingredients

Sourdough Starter 

• 5g sourdough starter
• 35g water
• 30g all purpose flour or bread flour
• 5g rye flour

Dough

• 270g bread flour (90%)
• 30g stone ground whole wheat flour (10%)
• 207g water (69%)
• 24g (8%) cold water added along with salt, total hydration 77%
• 50g sliced black olives
• 40g shredded Asiago cheese 
• 60g levain (20%)
• 6g salt (2%)

Directions 

Starter 

• 7 am add starter to the water and whisk together, add flour, mix well, cover loosely, let it sit at a room temp 74-78F for about 8-10 hours until starter reaches its peak (at least triples in volume).
• Learn how to make starter from scratch here.

Dough

• 5 pm mix water with flour and cover, let it rest 1 hour for autolyse.
• During the autolyse process flour absorbs water, becoming fully hydrated. This activates gluten development.
• 6 pm add sourdough starter. 
• Mix on low speed of your mixing machine for 2-3 min, or KitchenAid on speed 3 for 3-4 min until well incorporated.
• Cover, let it rest for 30 min.
• 6:30 pm add salt and extra water. 
• The process of adding extra water is called bassinage, it helps to tighten up gluten. Mix on low speed of your mixing machine for 2-3 min, or with KitchenAid on speed 3 for 5-6 min until well incorporated. The dough should come up together, but still be sticky on the bottom.
• We will continue gluten development and structure building by performing stretches and folds during the warm fermentation period.
• Leave to rest 30 min. At 74-78F /23-26C
• 7 pm spray your work surface with water, wet your hands to perform lamination.
• Lamination is the process of stretching the dough as thin as you can without ripping it.
• Spread the shredded Asiago cheese and sliced black olives all over the dough, fold and it let rest for 45 minutes.

• 7:45 pm 1st stretch and fold.
• 8:30 pm 2nd stretch and fold.
• 9.15 pm 3rd stretch and fold.

Performing stretches and folds will help with gluten development. Keep monitoring the dough, if it rises too fast, you can shorten the time between stretches to 40 minutes or less.

After the final stretch let the dough proof for 30 minutes at 76-80F/ 23-26C. You should see some bubbles on the surface, the dough has to become lighter. We are looking for 50% rise. 

Preshaping sourdough 

• 9:45 pm transfer the dough on to a work surface and dust its top with flour. Flip the dough over so the floured side faces down.
• Fold the dough onto itself so the flour on the surface remains entirely on the outside of the loaf. This will become the crust.
• Place the dough round on a work surface and let it rest for 30 minutes uncovered.

Shaping sourdough 

• 10.15 pm dust the dough with flour. Use a dough scraper to flip it over on to a work surface so the floured sides face down.
• Starting with the side closest to you, pull the right 2 corners of the dough to the left, then fold them up into half of the dough. Repeat this action with the other side too.
• Finally, roll the dough. Shape it into a smooth, taut roll.
• Transfer the roll, seam side up, to a prepared proofing basket (loaf pan with kitchen towel).
• Cover it with plastic and return the dough to the 80F (27C) environment for 15 minutes.

• Then transfer the dough to rise for 14-24 hours in the refrigerator.

Baking

Next morning

• Preheat your oven to 500 F, place a cast iron pan with the lid inside for 45 minutes -1 hour.
• Remove the dough from the fridge. 

• Flip it over on a parchment paper, score it with a sharp knife or a scoring lame. 
• Transfer on to the hot cast iron pan, cover with the lid (to create steam for a beautiful and crusty crumb).
• Bake at 500F for 15 minutes with lid on.

• Remove the lid, lower temperature to 450F. 
• Bake for 20 more minutes until golden brown.

Enjoy your asiago cheese black olives sourdough!

Asiago Cheese & Black Olives Sourdough

1626kcal

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Prep 45 minutes mins

Cook 35 minutes mins

Overnight Levain Rise 8 hours hrs

Total 1 day d 3 hours hrs

A savory artisan sourdough loaf packed with sharp aged Asiago cheese and briny black olives. Uses a lamination step during bulk fermentation to fold inclusions neatly into a high-hydration dough without damaging gluten structure.

Servings 1 Loaf (~800 g)

Cuisine Italian-American / Artisan Bread

Ingredients

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Sourdough Starter Levain (Night Before)

• ▢ 5 g Sourdough starter culture
• ▢ 35 g Water
• ▢ 30 g All-purpose or bread flour
• ▢ 5 g Rye flour

Main Dough Base

• ▢ 270 g Bread flour 90%
• ▢ 30 g Whole wheat flour 10%
• ▢ 207 g Water 69% – autolyse mix
• ▢ 60 g Active levain 20% – from the build above
• ▢ 6 g Salt 2%
• ▢ 24 g Cold water 8% – bassinage adjustment water

Savory Inclusions

• ▢ 40–60 g Aged Asiago cheese shredded or finely cubed
• ▢ 50–60 g Black olives pitted, thoroughly drained, and sliced

Equipment

• ▢
  Digital Kitchen Scale
• ▢
  Stand Mixer (or large bowl for hand mixing)
• ▢
  Proofing Basket (Banneton)
• ▢
  Cast-iron Dutch Oven with lid
• ▢
  Scoring Lame or Razor Blade
• ▢
  Parchment Paper

Method

Prevent Sleep ModePrevent Sleep Mode

Night Before: Build Levain

1. 7:00 AM / 10:00 PM: Whisk 5 g starter into 35 g water. Add 30 g bread flour and 5 g rye flour. Cover loosely and let ferment at 74–78°F (23–26°C) for 8–10 hours until tripled in volume.

Autolyse & Mix Dough

1. 5:00 PM (Autolyse): In mixer bowl, combine 270 g bread flour, 30 g whole wheat flour, and 207 g water. Mix until no dry patches remain. Cover and rest 1 hour.
2. 6:00 PM (Levain Integration): Add 60 g peak levain. Mix on low speed for 2–3 minutes (KitchenAid speed 3). Cover and rest 30 minutes.
3. 6:30 PM (Bassinage & Salt): Add 6 g salt and 24 g cold water. Mix on low speed for 2–3 minutes, then medium for 5–6 minutes until incorporated and dough comes together cleanly. Rest 30 minutes.

Lamination & Stretch-and-Folds

1. 7:00 PM (Lamination): Lightly mist work surface with water. Stretch dough out thin into a large rectangle without tearing. Scatter shredded Asiago cheese and sliced olives evenly over dough. Fold dough over itself to trap inclusions. Rest 45 minutes.
2. 7:45 PM: 1st Stretch & Fold
3. 8:30 PM: 2nd Stretch & Fold
4. 9:15 PM: 3rd Stretch & Fold
5. Rest dough untouched for 30 minutes at 76–80°F (24–27°C) until puffy (~50% rise).

Preshape, Shape & Cold Proof

1. 9:45 PM: Turn dough out on a floured surface, fold onto itself, and round into a loose ball. Bench rest uncovered for 30 minutes.
2. 10:15 PM: Flip dough floured-side down, pull corners inward, and roll into a taut log. Place seam-side up into a floured proofing basket.
3. Cover tightly and rest at 80°F (27°C) for 15 minutes, then transfer to refrigerator for 14–24 hours cold fermentation.

Bake in Dutch Oven

1. Preheat oven with Dutch oven inside to 500°F (260°C) for 45–60 minutes.
2. Invert cold dough onto parchment paper. Score top cleanly with a lame.
3. Transfer to hot Dutch oven, cover with lid, and bake at 500°F for 15 minutes.
4. Remove lid, lower temperature to 450°F (232°C), and bake uncovered for 20 minutes until deep golden brown. Cool on a wire rack for 2 hours before slicing.

Nutrition

Calories1626kcalCarbohydrates250gProtein73gFat36gSaturated Fat15gPolyunsaturated Fat4gMonounsaturated Fat13gCholesterol64mgSodium2660mgPotassium616mgFiber13gSugar2gVitamin A877IUVitamin C0.2mgCalcium1053mgIron6mg

Notes

• Drying the Olives: Slice pitted black olives ahead of time and press them between paper towels. Excess brine will bleed into the dough and weaken your gluten matrix.
• Choosing Asiago: Aged Asiago (Asiago d’Allevato) has lower moisture and a sharper flavor profile than soft, fresh Asiago (Pressato), preventing gummy dough pockets around the cheese.

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