0: Sweet apples and salty bread provide an intriguing contrast in taste
1: To ensure that the hearth bread remains light and crisp, keep the dough soft: Don't work in too much flour and knead it gently
2: Makes 1 loaf (6 servings) 1
3: In large bowl of heavy-duty electric mixer, combine 1 1/2 cups flour, the yeast, and salt
4: Slowly beat in water, 1/4 cup olive oil, and the honey; vigorously beat mixture 10 minutes
5: Cover bowl with clean cloth and let dough rise in warm place, away from drafts, 40 minutes
6: 2
7: Meanwhile, in a large skillet, melt butter
8: Add apple slices and saute' until very lightly browned; set aside
9: 3
10: After dough has risen 40 minutes, turn out onto floured surface
11: Gently knead in as much of remaining 1/4 cup flour as necessary to form a very soft dough - about 1 minute
12: Gently work apple slices into the dough
13: 4
14: Lightly oil large baking sheet
15: With floured fingers, shape dough into a 9 inch round on oiled sheet
16: Cover with clean cloth and let rise in warm place, away from drafts, until double in size - about 30 minutes
17: 5
18: Heat oven to 400 degrees F
19: With pastry brush, coat top of dough round with 2 tablespoons olive oil; sprinkle with coarse salt, if desired
20: Bake 15 to 20 minutes or until hearth bread is browned
21: 6
22: Drizzle hearth bread with remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil and serve warm
23: Nutritional information per serving - protein: 4 grams; fat: 20 grams; carbohydrate: 34 grams; fiber: 2 grams; sodium: 195 milligrams; cholesterol: 5 milligrams; calories: 335
24: From: Country Living, September, 1992
25: From Gemini's MASSIVE MealMaster collection at www
26: synapse
27: com/~gemini