A rustic olive loaf made with just a few ingredients.
Course Bread
Cuisine Italian
Keyword Appetizer, Bread, Olive Bread, Yeast
Prep Time 15 minutesminutes
Cook Time 30 minutesminutes
Rising Time 1 hourhour30 minutesminutes
Total Time 3 hourshours
Servings 1Loaf
Author Syama
Ingredients
2CBread Flour(240 g) See Notes
1 1/2CWhite WW Flour(180 g )
1 1/4TspFine Sea Salt (8 g)
1CWater(250 g)
2TbspExtra Virgin Olive Oil
2 1/4TspActive Dry Yeast(7 g or 1 Packet)
1Tsp Sugar
1/2 CKalamata Olives Pitted and Roughly Chopped - See Notes
Instructions
Activate the yeast
Warm 1/4 C water to 110 F or just warm to touch. Mix in the sugar and sprinkle the yeast on top . Set aside for 5 to 10 minutes until the mix becomes bubbly.
Make Dough
Take the flour in a mixing bowl (or on clean counter) and add the salt. Make a well in the flour and add the activated yeast to it followed by the oil. Add about half of the water and start kneading by incorporating more of the flour to the water. Add as much more of the water as required to make the a soft dough. Knead for 10 to 15 minutes until the dough becomes soft and relaxes a bit. First rise. Form the dough into a smooth ball and place in an oiled bowl. Turn the dough to coat all sides with oil. Cover and let it rest in a warm place for 1 hour or until it doubles in size
Shape and second rise
Uncover the bowl and punch down the dough. Dust the work surface with flour and place the dough on it. Add half the chopped olives and gently knead in. Repeat the process with the remaining loves , dusting with more flour if necessary. Once the olives are distributed evenly ( 1 to 2 minutes of kneading) shape it into a log .or 2 for smaller loaves . Place parchment paper on a baking sheet or dust it with corn meal and transfer the loaves to it. Lightly brush the tops of the loaves with oil. Cover and let it rise until almost doubled - 25 to 30 minutes
Bake
Place one oven rack in the center and another one just below it. Place a cake tin or small oven proof metal pan on the bottom rack. Pre-heat the oven to 375°F (190°C). Uncover the shaped bread and transfer to the hot oven. Add a cup full of ice cubes to the pan set in the bottom rack . Close the oven and bake for 10 minutes. Reduce the oven temperature to 350°F (175°C) . Depending on the size of the loaf bake for an additional 15 to 25 minutes or until done.
To check whether the loaf is cooked through , tap the bottom of the loaf . When cooked through it will sound hollow.
Transfer to a cooling rack and cool before slicing.
Notes
You could make this bread with all bread flour or high protein all purpose flour
Increase the olive to 1 C for more intense flavors