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Olive Bread

Olive Bread

How to make Olive Bread at home, the Italian way!

Course Bread
Cuisine Italian
Prep Time 2 hours
Cook Time 25 minutes
Total Time 2 hours 25 minutes
Servings 6
Author Manuela Zangara

Ingredients

  • 500 gms – 4 cups all purpose flour
  • 7 gms – 2 ½ tsp active dry yeast
  • 300 ml – 1 ¼ cup lukewarm water
  • 2 tsp sugar
  • 1 ¼ tsp salt
  • 3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
  • 180 gms – 6 ½ oz. olives pitted and sliced

Instructions

  1. Dissolve the yeast and sugar in the lukewarm water. Mix well and let it activate for 5 minutes or until frothy.
  2. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the hook attachment add the flour, extra virgin olive oil and salt. Mix and add the yeast and water mixture.
  3. Knead well, then add 2/3 of the sliced olives and knead again, on low, until just combined. Do not over knead or the olives will break and the bread will become dark in coulour.
  4. Knead the dough by hand for a couple of minutes, make it into a ball, then cover it and let it sit in a warm place for 1 hour or until doubled in size.
  5. Punch down the dough and knead it again for a minute or two, add the remaining olives and flatten the dough into a 3 cm – 1 ¼ inch thick rectangle. Cut it into 6 bâtons and transfer them to a baking dish lined with baking paper. Dust the tops with a little flour. Cover them and let them rest for 30 minutes.
  6. Bake in a pre-heated oven at 200°C – 390°F for 20 – 25 minutes.
  7. When ready, remove from the oven and let the bread cool down on a wire rack.

Recipe Notes

This bread freezes very well. I usually make a double batch and freeze it in Ziploc bags as soon as it cools down to room temperature. When you want to eat it, thaw it at room temperature and put it back in a hot oven for 3 to 5 minutes, or until the crust is crunchy again. It will be exactly the same as when you first baked it!