Mediterranean Olive Bread
When I have guests over for dinner, I like to serve bread most of the time, depending on my menu. Either for appetizers or to accompany my main course, bread is a great food vessel and even better when it comes to dipping in a lovely sauce or gravy.
As we know, bread has been the anchor of human society. Thousands of years ago wheat, barley and other grains have been found at archaeological sites in Asia. Agriculture is what “domesticated” ancient civilizations.
I have a wide variety of bread recipes including French Baguettes, Brioche, Dinner Rolls, Challah, Arepas, Pumpernickel, Focaccia, Breadsticks, Hamburger Buns (perfect during BBQ season), Sourdough, Cornbread, Pita, Naan, and so on. Today, I have another recipe for you… my Mediterranean Olive Bread!
This is such a great recipe… Not only does it make a lovely bread to serve along with your dinner but it also makes excellent bread for sandwiches! Moist and very flavorful, this colorful bread is a good choice during Holidays dinners or for special occasions.
In my recipe, I like to mix things up a little and use green and black olives. When it comes to the green ones, I like to use the Manzanilla stuffed green olives that I carefully slice myself. It gives just a little bit more color to this Mediterranean Olive Bread. I also add herbs and spices to bring it up a notch.
There’s a spice I add to this recipe that might not be too common here in North American. It’s called “Aleppo Pepper”. It’s a spice used a lot in Mediterranean and Middle East cuisine. Its flavor is similar to the ancho chili with a touch of sweetness and saltiness. It’s definitely a spice you should add to your cabinet.
With all the Holidays ahead of us, this Mediterranean Olive Bread is the perfect one to bake. Although it takes some time and there are a few steps to it, it’s an easy recipe to have on hand plus it’s different from the popular breads we usually serve during special occasions. Give it a try, you’ll be quite pleased with the results…
Bon Appétit!
Here are more lovely bread recipes for you to try…
– Arepas
– Popovers
– Cheddar Biscuits
– Homemade Pretzels
– Pita coming on August 19th, 2022
– Pumpkin Chai Bread
and for even more bread recipes, click on this link… Recipe Category • Bread
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Mediterranean Olive Bread
Hover to scale
Ingredients
- 2 1/4 tsp. active dry yeast
- 1 cup lukewarm water (between 105-110ºF)
- 1 tbsp. honey tips & tricks
- 3 cups bread flour
- 1 tbsp. dried rosemary, chopped
- 1 tsp. garlic powder
- 1 tsp. aleppo pepper
- 1/2 tsp. ground Himalayan sea salt
- 3 tbsp. olive oil, plus more for bowl, top of dough and cast iron pan tips & tricks
- 1/2 cup Manzanilla stuffed green olives, sliced
- 1/2 cup black olives, sliced
Directions
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, add yeast, water and honey. Stir and let it sit for 10 minutes until foamy.
- Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, combine bread flour, rosemary, garlic powder, Aleppo pepper and sea salt; whisk until well blended and set aside.
- To the yeast mixture, add oil and 2 cups of the flour mixture.
- With the dough hook attachment, process on speed 2 for 2 minutes. Increase to speed 3 and add 1 tbsp. at a time of the flour mixture to help release the dough from the sides of the bowl.
- When the dough clings around the hook, increase to speed 4 and knead for 4 minutes.
- Transfer the dough to a lightly floured work surface. Sprinkle on some of the remaining flour mixture and knead a little before stretching to a rectangular shape.
- Add ¼ cup each of green and black olives. Knead again, getting all the olives in before adding the rest (if it’s sticky or wet, add more flour).
- When it’s done, form a ball by folding under – if there are leftover olives on the work surface, stick them on.
- Place the dough in a lightly greased large bowl and swirl it to coat with oil. Lightly drizzle some oil over the dough, about ½ tbsp., and cover with a light dish towel.
- Transfer to a draft-free spot such as an oven (temperature off). Let it rise until it triples in size, about 2 hours.
- A couple of hours later, remove it from its spot and transfer it back to a lightly floured work surface. Sprinkle on some of the remaining flour mixture, fold it over and knead briefly. Pull the dough under forming a ball again.
- Drizzle some oil in a 12-inch round cast iron pan and using our clean hands, coat the sides and bottom evenly.
- Place the dough ball in the prepared cast iron pan, cover with a dish towel and transfer to its draft-free spot. Let it rise until it doubles in size.
- 60 minutes later, remove it from its spot and set the temperature to 350ºF.
- Drizzle a little bit more oil over the dough and gently spread it so it covers the surface.
- Transfer to the preheated oven and bake until light golden brown, about 35 to 40 minutes.
- Remove from the heat and let the bread cool off before slicing, about 30 minutes.
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