This dense, chewy, highly flavored bread is wonderful served as is, but dip it in olive oil for a special treat.

Poolish (Starter)
1 cup King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
1/2 cup water
1/8 teaspoon instant yeast

Dough
1/2 cup water
1 cup King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
1 cup King Arthur 100% White Whole Wheat Flour
2 teaspoons instant yeast
1 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons olive oil

Filling
4 1/2 ounces (about 3/4 cup) pitted Kalamata olives
1/2 cup golden baking onions ("french-fried" onions)

Poolish: Combine the flour, water and yeast, and set aside to rest, covered, overnight.

Dough: Add the 1/2 cup water and flours to the poolish, mix till just-combined, cover the bowl, and allow the mixture to rest for 20 minutes. Add the yeast, salt and olive oil, and knead the dough till it's fairly smooth but not necessarily elastic, about 3 minutes by machine, or 5 minutes by hand. Place the dough in a lightly greased bowl, cover the bowl, and allow the dough to rise, at room temperature, for 1 1/2 hours, gently deflating it and turning it over after 45 minutes.

Knead in the olives and onions; this will be a messy process, but just stick with it (literally!), and it'll get done. Shape the dough into a 12-x-6-inch oval, place it on a lightly greased baking sheet, and allow it to rise for about 30 minutes. Cut three deep diagonal slashes, all the way through the dough, in the center of the loaf, and pull it apart to form a ladder shape. Allow it to rise for another 30 to 45 minutes.

Bake the fougasse in a preheated 400°F oven for 20 minutes, or until it's starting to brown. Transfer it to a wire rack to cool. Yield: 1 loaf.