Olive Bread Baked in a Cloche

I bought this "cloche" during a weak moment in my favorite kitchen store.  And like all the gadgets I buy it kept getting pushed farther back on the shelf, until I eventually forgot about it.  While cleaning out my cabinets last week I rediscovered it and concluded it was time to either use it or give it away - to make room for more new gadgets.   
The cloche (also called a cooking bell) is a natural clay baking dish with a dome cover, used to bake bread, that simulates a hearth oven.  It fits perfectly in your home oven and eliminates the need to spritz your bread while baking.  The result is consistently chewy, crusty bread.  
My first attempt at using the cloche was making olive bread. It lived up to its reputation and has elevated its status in my kitchen!

Olive Bread Recipe
Ingredients
1/2 medium red onion, finely chopped
1-2 tablespoons olive oil, for frying
6 cups white bread flour
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
12 ounces lukewarm water, 1-1/2 cups
1-1/2 teaspoons instant yeast
3 tablespoons olive oil, or 5 T. olive oil and no honey
2 tablespoons honey
1 cups kalamata olives, pitted, roughly chopped
2 tablespoons oregano, fresh, chopped
cornmeal, for dusting


Preparation
Fry the onion in the olive oil until soft. Remove from pan and put aside till later.
Sift the flour and salt into the large mixing bowl of an electric mixer.   Stir the  instant yeast into the flour. Make a well and  add the water and the olive oil.
Attach bowl to mixer, and attach dough hook.  Mix on speed 2 for two minutes.  Add onion, olives and herbs, and mix until dough is smooth and forms a ball, approximately 4 minutes longer.  Place in a clean, lightly oiled bowl, cover with plastic wrap and let sit for 10-20 minutes.
Sprinkle the bottom of the cloche with cornmeal and place the ball of dough in the center. Cover with the lid and let rise in a warm, draft free place until doubled in size, approximately 45 minutes to 1 hour.
Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.  Slash the top of the loaf with a razor blade or sharp knife.  Place cloche with lid in the preheated oven.  Bake for 40 minutes or until the loaf is golden and sound hollow when tapped.  The cloche should be removed for the last 5-10 minutes of baking.
Cool on a wire rack.   Serve while still warm, if desired.