Bread purists might wrinkle their noses at this olive and sun-dried tomato bread that you can prepare in just 3 hours without even kneading it. I admit, when possible, I also prefer using natural yeast and especially longer rising times to ensure better aroma, digestibility, and preservation; however, sometimes you might not have bread at home or simply want to amuse yourself making it without being an expert baker.
I love eating it just warm, by itself, but it’s even better the next day, when it inevitably loses some of its fragrance, reheated on the grill, drizzled with a little extra virgin olive oil, and accompanied by a good selection of cheeses and grilled vegetables.
Now take a minute to read the recipe and then…let’s cook and eat!!
See also
- Difficulty: Very Easy
- Cost: Inexpensive
- Rest time: 2 Hours
- Preparation time: 20 Minutes
- Cooking methods: Oven
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: All seasons
Ingredients
- 4 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 3/4 cups water
- 2 tsp salt
- 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1/2 oz fresh yeast (or 5 g of active dry yeast)
- 2.8 oz green olives (pitted)
- 2.1 oz sun-dried tomatoes in oil
Tools
- 1 Bowl
- 1 Spatula
- 1 Metal Scraper
- 1 Knife
- 1 Food Scale
- 1 Pastry Board
Steps
To prepare the olive and sun-dried tomato bread, you can use either active dry yeast or fresh yeast.
In the first case, add the yeast to the flour and then add the water as shown in the attached video. If you are using fresh yeast, follow the procedure indicated below.
Start by gathering room temperature water in a bowl, then dissolve the fresh yeast inside it.
Add the flour little by little, and mix with a fork or spatula until the water has incorporated all the flour. Let the dough rest for 10 minutes.
Then add the salt and oil, and knead again until fully absorbed.
At this point, also add the sun-dried tomatoes cut into pieces and the pitted green olives cut into rings and, using a spatula, work the dough so that the olives and tomatoes are evenly distributed inside.
Cover the bowl with cling film and let it rise until it doubles in size (the time depends on the external temperature; in summer, 2 hours will suffice).
Once it has risen, transfer your olive and sun-dried tomato bread dough onto a floured pastry board.
Using a dough scraper, fold the dough into thirds and seal the edges to form a loaf.
Transfer it to a lightly floured baking sheet, flour the surface as well, and bake the bread in a preheated static oven at 428°F for 35-40 minutes.
