I love a really hearty bread with good flavour. This will stand up to your savoury soup, stew, and chicken thighs to sop up every last drop! Upon putting olive bread on the table, we had a debate with a group of friends whether olives belonged in bread or not and suffice to say- I converted many people to olives in bread that day!
I'm definitely into a good "slap it together without thinking" plain loaf of bread. It's easy for kids and beginners to make. But if you're looking for something a step up, this fits the bill.
Whether you prefer a wild game stew or are roasting a whole chicken for Sunday dinner, this bread pairs perfectly. And if you're looking for something a bit sweeter, my Christmas bread is great any time of year.
Why You Need This Recipe
- Who doesn't need more sourdough options? If you've got a happy and healthy starter, this is another recipe for your book.
- Customize your add-ins with other herbs or salty goodies.
- Show off the pretty slices on a grilled cheese sandwich.
Key Ingredients
Flour - just regular all-purpose here.
Starter - make sure your starter is happy and fed and still quite active. Remember that this is your yeast for the bread, so if it isn't active, your loaf will be flat and sad.
Olives - choose your favourite variety that you love to eat on its own. Not a fan? Maybe try some roasted red peppers. Think of anything savoury you'd use on a cheese board.
Rosemary - dried or fresh is fine. I think rosemary is quite lovely with olives, but you can use whatever you have or prefer and swap it out for another herb if you swap out the olives.
How to Make Olive Sourdough Bread
***See recipe card below for precise measurements and instructions.***
Step 1: I like to stir the olives into the flour first, then add remaining ingredients.
Step 2: Give it a stir until it just comes together. This is a wet dough, but it shouldn't feel super sticky.
Step 3: Let rest 20 minutes or so, then you can knead by hand and determine if it needs more flour.
Step 4: Either place in two lined loaf pans or shape in a rustic boule.
Step 5: Let rise and sour, a good 6-8 hours depending on your house. Then add a deep slash and bake!
Tips and Tricks
- Stir the olives into the flour, much like you coat blueberries for muffins so they don't sink.
- The texture of your starter, plus the humidity in the house, all play a role in the dough so just go by feel.
- Use a thermometer to tell if your bread is done!
FAQs
It becomes something you just know by feel. I always think that a loaf like this isn't super smooth like you think of classic yeast bread. It's fine to be a bit shaggy and loose, but it shouldn't stick to your hands when you knead. It's easy to add a bit more flour to your hands at this step until the dough is cohesive.
You can't always go by colour as all ovens are different and it depends if your heating element is on the top or bottom. A loaf of bread should sound hollow when tapped. For a foolproof way, use an instant-read thermometer as that's truly the best way. I aim for at least 180°F in the center of the loaf.
This gives the bread a direction to expand in. If you want a beautiful loaf that grows up instead of out, and looks delicious, make sure and give it a deep slash across the top with a very sharp knife. This way the bread kinda pushes out from there, rather than pushing out all over and making cracks in the surface.
Photos by Dante from Shire by the Sea
More Sourdough Recipes
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If you like this recipe, I’d love if you reviewed it so others can find it easier. Sharing this recipe on Facebook or Pinterest is another way you can help us out at no cost to you. Thanks, xo Kate
Rosemary Olive Sourdough
Ingredients
- 2 - 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 ½ teaspoons salt
- ½ teaspoon dry rosemary
- ½ cup sliced or chopped olives of choice
- ¾ cup active sourdough starter
- 1 cup warm water
- 2 tablespoons honey
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
Instructions
- Combine flour, salt, rosemary, and olives and toss to coat.
- Add in remaining ingredients and mix until just combine. This is a wet dough, but it shouldn't be super sticky.
- Let sit 20-30 minutes then with a wet hand gently knead it. This is when you add more flour if you want.
- Let rise until doubled, about 6-8 hours in a warm house with happy starter.
- Shape into one large rustic loaf on a baking pan or two smaller loaves in loaf pans.
- Let rise until almost doubled then turn oven on to 375°F.
- Give it a good slash on top.
- Bake single loaf for 25 minutes, turn around and then another 20 minutes. For two smaller loaves, do 20 and 15 minutes.
- I always check the temperature of my loaves to make sure they are done. Aim for about 180°F in the center of the loaf.
Notes
- Make sure you are using active starter, as this is your yeast for the bread!
- Don't add too much flour - let it rest 20 minutes before kneading and determining if it needs more.
- Not a fan of olives? Try some roasted red peppers, drained and dried before chopping.
Kelle
What did I do wrong? Followed amounts noted. Dough was sticky after 20 min rest. I added about another 1/4 c flour, even used bread flour at this point knowing it absorbs more water than AP. Didn't want to add too much so left it to rise. Took about 5 hours in closed microwave with light on, about 74-72°F.
Tried to split the dough when I poured it out and it was still very sticky. Floured my hands and got it into my 8x4 lined loaf pans. It's baking now, will do 20, turn, bake 15 and temp.
Should I have added flour when I turned it out and done a bench rest?
More flour from the start? I did 3 cups to start.
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Kate says "Sometimes your starter consistency or flour humidity is way different than mine depending on where you live- i want it to be tacky sticky but not gloppy before it rises" (sorry for the delayed reply!)