Very soft olive rolls, made with type 2 flour. The olive rolls are a very simple and very tasty preparation that will allow us to bring something delicious and economical to the table, suitable for the whole family. I prepared the olive rolls with semi-wholemeal type 2 flour, a slightly unrefined, nutritious and wholesome flour, but you can substitute it with re-milled durum semolina or with half stone-ground whole wheat flour and half all-purpose (type 0) flour. To be honest, you can make the olive rolls recipe with any type of flour you have on hand, the only precaution to keep in mind is to adjust the amount of water depending on the needs of the flour you use. In fact, not all types of flour absorb water the same way. I love making bread at home, it reminds me of my childhood and when my grandmother used to bake it in a stone oven, so from time to time I start kneading and preparing it. At my house everyone goes crazy for olive bread, while I personally adore bread with sun-dried tomatoes. A few days ago, to make my loved ones happy, I decided to prepare olive bread, but instead of the usual loaf I made the rolls you see in the photo and they were snapped up. Would you like to try the recipe and discover how to make olive rolls? Let’s go to the kitchen then, but first I remind you that if you want to stay updated on all my recipes, you can follow my Facebook page (here) and my Instagram profile (here).

Also check out:

Difficulty: Medium
Cost: Very affordable
Rest time: 3 Hours
Preparation time: 30 Minutes
Cooking methods: Oven
Cuisine: Italian
Seasonality: All seasons

Ingredients to make wholemeal olive rolls

4 3/4 cups type 2 flour (semi-wholemeal) (or whole wheat flour and re-milled semolina)
cups water (approximately)
12 g (about 0.4 oz) g fresh baker's yeast (or 3.5 g active dry (about 1 tsp))
2 tsp salt
9 oz oz green olives in brine (pitted (about 1 1/4 cups))
1 tsp sugar

Tools

Bowl
Baking sheet
Oven
Dough scraper

Steps to make wholemeal olive rolls

Pour the flour into a bowl, then add two-thirds of the water and dissolve the yeast and sugar in it. Mix, then add the salt and the remaining water; work roughly in the bowl, first with a spoon and then with your hands. The dough does not need to be fully developed or homogeneous. Cover it with plastic wrap and place it in a warm spot to rise until doubled.
It may take from about 90 minutes up to 3 hours, depending on how warm the environment is.
Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface and knead it until it becomes elastic and homogeneous, minimizing the addition of extra flour. If you don’t want to work by hand, feel free to use a stand mixer, even for the first phase.
Form a ball and let it rest for 15 minutes.
Stretch the dough open with your hands and distribute the olives over it. Then roll it up to form a cylinder.
With the help of a dough scraper, divide the cylinder into pieces of about 2.5 oz, then shape them into the classic round form. Arrange them on a nonstick baking sheet or on parchment paper and let them rise for 35-40 minutes or until doubled. Bake them in a convection oven at 392°F for 15-20 minutes or until they reach the desired golden color.
Remove from the oven, let cool slightly and enjoy.
The olive rolls are ready; they are delicious warm or at room temperature, can be filled and are also great eaten on their own. They keep for 2 days like any other bread if stored in a plastic bag. If you wish, you can freeze them in appropriate bags and thaw them as needed to enjoy with sweet spreads, cheeses or cold cuts.