Ready in just 10 minutes
This fresh olive bread transports you straight to Tuscany
© Foxy’s Forest Manufacture / Shutterstock
You’re sitting in a sunny piazza in a small Italian town, eagerly awaiting your pizza or pasta. But to sweeten your waiting time, a basket with crusty olive bread lands on the table instead. A suitable appetizer or side dish for many dishes! We’ll show you how to bring a little bit of Italy right into your kitchen.
It’s that easy:
Ingredients:
- 300 ml lukewarm water
- ½ cube of yeast
- 1 tsp salt
- ½ tsp sugar
- 3-4 sprigs of rosemary
- 6 tbsp olive oil
- 500 g flour (type 405)
- 200 g green olives (pitted)
- 1 tbsp capers
- Optional: some oregano and thyme
Here’s how it works
- For the dough we first activate our yeast. The best way to do this is to put lukewarm water in a measuring cup and add the yeast by rubbing it between your fingers over the water. Then add salt and sugar and stir the liquid until there are no lumps.
- Rinse the rosemary under running water and drain. Pull the needles from the stalk and chop them finely. The olive oil and rosemary are now added to the yeast mix. Thyme and oregano can also be added to taste.
- Now the dough is almost done: As a last step, put the flour in a bowl and form a hollow in the middle: You can simply use your fingers for this or form the flour crater with a tablespoon. Then add the yeast mixture and knead the dough with the help of dough hooks or your food processor. After about five minutes it should be nice and supple.
- Then let the dough rest for about 20 minutes. During this time, prepare the olives and capers. Both ingredients are cut into small pieces – if you have the opportunity, you can chop the ingredients in a food processor. After the resting time, the olives and capers can be kneaded under the dough by hand.
- Next, line a baking sheet with parchment paper and place the dough on it. Try to shape it into an elongated body on the sheet metal. This works best if you carefully pull the mass apart at both ends. Optionally, you can twist the ends in opposite directions for a unique looking pattern.
- After you have spread out the dough, it has to rest under a covered kitchen towel for another 20 minutes. During this time you can already preheat the oven to 190 degrees circulating air or alternatively 210 degrees top/bottom heat.
- Before the bread ends up in the oven, it is spread with olive oil on top and on the sides. Now the bread can bake for about 25 – 30 minutes. It should cool down well before cutting.
What does the fresh bread go with?
You can use and combine the olive bread in many ways: Whether as a side dish for a barbecue or a starter for pizza or pasta – it will probably taste good in every situation. Alternatively, you can serve it up as a light snack with some good olive oil to dip in, or with a range of tasty dips. We recommend, for example, a fresh bruschetta topping or a sweet date dip to go with the bread, which harmonizes perfectly with the slightly salty bread. Have fun enjoying!