1-3/4 cups warm water
1/2 cup olive oil
1-1/2 teaspoons granulated sugar
1-1/4 teaspoons active dry yeast
2 teaspoons salt
3-3/4 cups flour
1 cup yellow cornmeal
1 teaspoon fennel, poppy and sesame seeds, crushed and combined
ground black pepper to taste
coarse sea salt to taste
Combine water, oil and sugar in a large mixing bowl. Stir yeast in this mixture and let stand for 5 minutes. Add the salt, 3-1/2 cups of the flour and the cornmeal and mix into dough. Knead the dough by machine with a hook attachment for 4 minutes or by hand for 8 minutes. Add remaining flour (or more) as needed to obtain dough that feels smooth and elastic, soft but not stiff. Transfer the dough to a large greased bowl, cover with plastic wrap and set aside at room temperature for 30 minutes. Roll out the dough on a work surface into a 1/4-inch thick rectangle. Transfer to a greased 17 x 12-inch baking sheet and press the dough evenly into the pan to fill it. Prick the dough all over with a fork and then rub or brush the surface lightly with olive oil. Sprinkle evenly with the seed mixture as well as coarse pepper and salt to taste.
Set aside to rise for 15 minutes. Heat an oven to 350F. Bake the corn bread for about 30 minutes, or until golden brown. Cut the bread into 3 x 2-inch pieces and serve.