Whether you mix the bread in a bread machine or by hand, this kalamata olive bread with rosemary is a fabulous bread for any olive lover!
If your child loves a particular food or recipe, you find yourself bending over backwards to make the dish that brings them so much happiness. Middle-Child is very vocal about his likes and dislikes.
When he likes something he LOVES it, and I’m sorry for you if you serve him something he doesn’t like. Middle-Child is obsessed with pickles, olives, artichokes and hearts of palm.
When Santa comes to visit every Christmas, a small jar of olives is always found in his stocking. When family members come over to our house, they bring him olives or pickles, and get a big hug and smile in return.
One of his favorite breads is, you guessed it, olive bread. But after shelling out $5 at my local Albertsons for a small round of olive bread, I finally began baking my own.
My main motivation was remembering that I had my mother’s old bread machine tucked away in the cabinets. If the machine did all the hard work, it would save me oodles of time and frustration!
See my Homemade Olive Bread Web Story for a quick visual guide to making this recipe.
Why this recipe is so awesome
The first time I made olive bread in a bread machine I wasn’t so successful. I added the olives too late and they were baked all clumped together on the bottom of the loaf.
Middle-child didn’t mind. He gobbled up the olive-ridden portion of the bread in no time.
My second loaf proved a success, but I didn’t like the looks of the bread machine loaf. Also, the olive bits were so small and the bread was purple. But, it tasted great.
I also didn’t like the shape of the loaf and I wanted a crunchier crust. I wanted a traditional artisanal olive bread boule, a round loaf.
I decided to use the bread machine to mix my bread dough and let it rise in there. After awhile, I ended up ditching the machine altogether.
I actually enjoy kneading bread – it’s relaxing and therapeutic to transform a gloppy sticky mess into a smooth ball of bread dough.
Years later we bought an oven that has a proof setting – score! Instead of hunting around for a warm place for my bread to rise, I stick in the oven, set it to proof and let it do it’s magic. It takes about 2 hours for the dough to double in size.
I baked the bread in a 400ºF oven for 20 minutes. the result was a whiter bread with big chunks of olives mixed into it. This was exactly what I wanted in an olive bread.
Every time I make this bread it is gone within 24 hours. My boy tells me it is even better than what I get at the store’s bakery. You can use regular all purpose flour or bread flour.
Feel free to use green olives if you prefer them to kalamata olives. Both are delicious in baked bread. Skip the rosemary if you want, but it really adds tremendous flavor that compliments the olive.
Ingredients you need
- Yeast: You use quick active dry yeast or instant yeast. I’ve used both with this recipe.
- Unbleached all-purpose flour: If you prefer more gluten in your bread, you can also use bread flour.
- Sugar: This is food for the yeast. Don’t worry, this olive bread recipe is not a sweet bread.
- Fresh rosemary: Dried rosemary is brittle and rough to eat, even when baked. Fresh rosemary is so much more aromatic and tender.
- Extra virgin olive oil: Choose a high quality flavorful olive oil. Taste it by itself to make sure it is not rancid. I like using an olive oil with bite and flavorful in this bread recipe, but you can also use a mild buttery oil. Learn more about baking with olive oil here.
- Kalamata olives: We prefer Greek kalamata olives in our olive bread, but you can also use green olives or a combination of olives.
- Salt
Step-by-step directions
1. In a small bowl mix together yeast and warm water. Let it rest for 5 to 7 minutes until yeast is foamy. If using instant yeast combine yeast with flour.
2. In a larger bowl whisk together flour, sugar, rosemary, and salt. Create a well in the center of the bowl and pour in 2 olive oil and foamy yeast mixture.
3. Using a fork at first, start mixing dry ingredients into wet ingredients until a coarse dough is formed. Using well-floured hands, continue to mix dough until a rough ball is formed.
4. Turn dough onto a lightly floured work surface, and knead adding in the chopped olives as you work. Continue to sprinkle in more flour (up to ¼ cup) while you knead until dough is smooth and not sticky, about 10 minutes.
5. Place dough ball onto a baking sheet with a silicone baking mat, cover with a clean kitchen towel, and place in a warm area to rise until it doubles in size, about 2 to 3 hours.
6. Remove the towel and cut two lines into dough. Brush with 1 teaspoon of olive oil.
7. Bake at 400ºF until bread is golden, about 15 to 20 minutes.
Recipes tips and FAQs
Whenever I bake a loaf, Middle-Child eats olive bread with dinner. He eats olive bread sandwiches for lunch. He even eats olive bread for breakfast or as a snack.
His two favorite foods are my chicken noodle soup and this olive bread. I know you will love it, too!
Honestly you can enjoy olive bread a hundred different ways. You can enjoy it alone or with some butter. You can serve it as an appetizer and dip it in some extra olive oil and balsamic vinegar. Serve it with soup, slice it to make sandwiches, serve with salad, pasta, roast chicken… you name it!
In our house, olive bread is eaten within 24 hours of baking. So leftovers are never a problem. But if you find yourself with leftovers, wrap it You can also freeze olive bread. Wrap the bread in in freezer safe resealable bags and remove any excess air. Bread can be frozen for up to 2 months.
The traditional way to store fresh bread, like olive bread, is to wrap it in a clean dish towel or paper bag and keep it in a dry place You can wrap bread in plastic of foil which keeps the bread soft long, but also softens the outer crust. My work around for this is to toast the bread in my toaster oven to crisp the outer crust again.
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Olive Bread with Rosemary
Whether you mix the bread in a bread machine or by hand, this kalamata olive bread with rosemary is a fabulous bread for any olive lover!
Ingredients
- ¾ cup warm water (100ºF)
- ½ teaspoon quick active dry yeast
- 2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour, plus ¼ cup more for kneading
- 1 TBS sugar
- 1 TBS fresh rosemary, coarsely chopped
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 2 TBS extra virgin olive oil, plus 1 teaspoon to brush on the top
- ⅔ cup coarsely chopped kalamata olives
Instructions
1. In a small bowl or measuring cup mix together the yeast and warm water. Let it rest for 5 to 7 minutes until yeast is foamy.
2. In a larger bowl whisk together flour, sugar, rosemary, and salt. Create a well in the center of the bowl and pour in 2 tablespoons olive oil and foamy yeast mixture.
3. Using a fork at first, start mixing dry ingredients into wet ingredients until a coarse dough is formed. Using well-floured hands, continue to mix dough until a rough ball is formed.
4. Turn dough onto a lightly floured work surface, and knead adding in the chopped olives as you work. Continue to sprinkle in more flour (up to ¼ cup) while you knead until dough is smooth and not sticky, about 10 minutes.
5. Place dough ball onto a baking sheet with a silicone baking mat, cover with a clean kitchen towel, and place in a warm area to rise until it doubles in size, about 2 to 3 hours.
6. Preheat oven to 400ºF.
7. Remove the towel and cut two lines into dough. Brush with 1 teaspoon of olive oil and bake until bread is golden, about 15 to 20 minutes.
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
10Serving Size:
1 sliceAmount Per Serving: Calories: 177Total Fat: 7.2gSaturated Fat: 1gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 352mgCarbohydrates: 24.8gFiber: 0.9gSugar: 1.3gProtein: 3g
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My husband and I made this today, but with green olives (his preference). We also made another loaf of it but with some tomatoes I had roasted with olive oil, salt, and sugar last summer and then frozen. (I took them out a day ahead and drained them and chopped them.). We were both a little concerned because we had to add in more flour because of adding in our respective ‘wet’ ingredients. Next time we do this, I will let the olives air dry a bit before chopping them and perhaps drain the tomatoes just a bit more. But both… Read more »
Wow Cindy! These look incredible! Love that you made one loaf with roasted tomatoes. You could also try sun dried tomatoes. You can pat the wet ingredients dry and dust them with a little flour before adding to the dough. Glad you liked the recipe and thanks for sharing!
Thanks for this recipe! If I used the bread machine, do I add the entire 2 1/4 cups of flour at one go at the beginning?
Is it possible to use bread flour, if so, do we need to adjust the liquids? Thank you!
If I remember correctly, you add all 2 1/4 cups of flour into the bread machine. I got rid of my bread machine years ago, so haven’t used it in a long time. You can use bread flour. Since you aren’t kneading it by hand, I’m not sure if you need to add more liquid or not. This article from Bob’s Red Mill gives you more details on that substitution: https://www.bobsredmill.com/blog/baking-101/breaking-difference-bread-flour-vs-purpose-flour
Delicious! ! Got it at first time !! Question.. can I use instant yeast instead of active dry ?
Hi Rosie!
So glad you loved the bread! Yes you can use instant yeast too. With instant yeast you don’t need to mix it first with warm water. I just recently made this bread with instant yeast, since it was all I could find right now.
Laura