Rustic Olive Bread Sticks

This is my new favorite recipe.  These things are killer good.  I served them with garlic butter.

Ingredients:

8 cups flour
4 tsp. salt
4 rapid rise yeast
3-1/2 cups water
4 T. olive oil
2 cups sliced good Italian green olives

• Put the flour into the bowl of a large free standing electric mixer with a dough hook
• Add the salt to one side of the bowl and the yeast to the other side
• Pour in three-quarters of the water and begin mixing on a slow speed
• As soon as the dough starts to come together, slowly add the rest of the water, still mixing
• Turn up to medium speed and mix for a further 5-8 minutes
• The dough should now be wet and easy to stretch when pulled
• Add the olive oil and mix for a further 2 minutes
• Add the olives and mix with your hands or a spoon until evenly distributed in the dough
• Place the dough in an oiled bowl and cover with plastic wrap
• Leave it to rise until tripled in volume...about 1 hour.
• Towards the end of the rising time heat the oven to 450 degrees
• Heavily dust the worktop with flour and semolina if you have it and line 3 baking trays with parchment paper
• Carefully tip the dough onto the floury surface
• The dough will be very loose and flowing. don't deflate, you should dust the top of the dough with flour and then gently stretch it out with your fingertips until it’s about 1" thick
• Starting at one long side, cut the dough rectangle into about 18 strips using a large knife or pizza cutter
• Lay the strips on, spaced well apart, on the lined baking sheets – 6 strips to a sheet
• Place in the heated oven and bake for 10-15 minutes until golden
• Transfer to a wire rack to cool while you shape and bake the second batch of breadsticks

Gently stretched out.

Six per sheet.

They only need to rise about 20 minutes.

Cool on racks.

Mmmmmmm!