Carrots and Peppers and Olives Oh My

This morning my refrigerator looked like it should be in a chemistry lab. Decided I only really needed one starter as a base so I gathered up the rest and made two loaves of bread. Since the Carnival season that culminates in Mardi Gras starts next week, I thought it would be fun to use the leftover olive salad from making Muffaleta sandwiches. I chopped the salad which basically consists of a jar of Italian Gardenia (pickled cauliflower, carrots, celery, onions and peppers) drained and mixed with olive oil. The colors of the vegetable bits look like little pieces of confetti. Not the big holes and deep flavor of a long fermentation but the olives make up for some of that depth of taste. The crust is crispy and the crumb is soft. All in all, a pretty tasty bread for half a day. Have to admit I couldn't quite winnow the number of starters to just one-but did get it down to one Tartine and one Silverton.

Mardi Gras Bread2 cups starter1 1/2 cup to 2 cups room temperature water (depending on how thick your starter is) 1/2 cup nonfat dry milk (I used the non instant type)5 cups all purpose flour1 Tablespoon sugar1 Tablespoon salt2 teaspoons instant yeast1 1/2 Tablespoons chopped fresh rosemary2/3 cup chopped olive salad mix with some added Kalamata olives, with its oil left on (about one tablespoonful)                 (This is basically well drained Italian garden mix with added olives, well drained and then covered in olive oil)Place starter and water into mixing bowl with dough hook, slosh around until mixed. Add rest of ingredients and mix until the dough cleans the bowl and reaches around 75 degrees F. By then it should no longer be sticky. Turn out onto a lightly floured counter and knead for a minute or so. Place in oiled bowl, cover with damp towel or plastic wrap. Let ferment until double in size, about 1 1/2 hours. Gently degas, turn dough over in bowl and let it rest for about 30 minutes. Divide, shape and let proof for about 1 1/2 to 2 hours, until doubled. Slash and bake at 475 degreesF with steam for about ten minutes, remove steam, turn oven down to 450 degrees F and continue baking until browned. For my oven, that was about 22 minutes total baking time. Interior temperature should be around 200 degreesF.