I am going to be honest, I am not a baker. And I am certainly not a bread baker. But when I originally found the no-knead bread recipe published by Mark Bittman in the New York Times, originally created by Jim Lahey of Sullivan Street Bakery in Manhattan, the world of bread baking was completely transformed.
Who knew you could bake a crusty loaf of bread in your home kitchen without the technique of kneading? I was instantly amazed.
Table of Contents
- What is Olive Bread?
- Where did olive loaf originate?
- What is an olive loaf made of?
- How to make olive bread?
- An important tip for using olives
- Is olive bread healthy?
- What to serve with olive bread?
- Olive Loaf Variations
- A few tips for making the best recipe
- Other bread recipes you might also like
- Homemade No-Knead Olive Bread Recipe
But then I realized, the 4-ingredient no-knead bread recipe is such a fantastic base, why not make it more interesting? And since olives are one of my pantry staples, as they are so prominent in Mediterranean cuisine, I knew I was on to something. So I got to work.
After a few trials and errors, this olive loaf bread became my new favorite. Warm from the oven, my husband and I simply couldn’t get enough. Once we tried it with Olive Oil Bread Dip, it was simply perfection. It makes a great go-to bread to bring to all of our upcoming holiday parties, too! Just think of this rustic bread as a delicious way to impress all your friends!
What is Olive Bread?
Olive bread, sometimes referred to as olive loaf (not to be confused with the cold cut version studded with olives), is a bread where the loaf of bread is laced with whole or chopped olives. This ensures a quintessential olive artisan bread flavor.
Where did olive loaf originate?
From my research, the olive loaf recipe seems to have originated in the Mediterranean, mostly in Italian and Greek cultures. And it makes sense since olives are such a staple ingredient in this region. Many times, you will find artisan bread makers with a version of olive bread in their shops. But today, it can easily be made in your home kitchen!
What is an olive loaf made of?
Homemade olive bread requires 5 simple ingredients:
- Bread Flour
- Active Dry Yeast
- Kosher Salt
- Lukewarm Water (more on that later below)
- Chopped Kalamata Olives (but you can use any of your favorite olives – more on that below)
How to make olive bread?
This no-knead olive bread comes together in 3 folds.
- First, mix the dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl. Pour in the lukewarm water. Mix with a wooden spoon. At this point, the dough will be sticky.
Stir in chopped kalamata olives and ensure they are evenly distributed throughout the dough. (Feel free to also use your hands!) Cover the bowl with a clean kitchen towel and allow it to rest 18-24 hours in a warmer part of your kitchen.
PRO TIP: Warm water is very important to activate the yeast. Though you might ask, what is the exact temperature you are referring to when you say, “lukewarm water”?
Typically, this is a temperature between 100-110 degrees. You can use an instant-thermometer to know for sure. If you don’t have one, you can simply stick your finger in the center, if it feels slightly warm to the touch, you are good to go!
- Second, transfer the dough from the bowl onto a lightly floured surface. It will be sticky. But if you gently remove the olive bread dough from the bowl, you will notice it will all come out easy and fold onto itself. If you need a visual, be sure to check out the quick how-to video in the recipe card below.
Form the dough into a ball by tucking the sides of the dough under. Transfer to a large piece of parchment paper, lightly dust with flour, cover with a kitchen towel and allow to rise once more in a warmer part of your kitchen until doubled in size, 1-2 hours.
- Lastly, towards the end of rising time, place your dutch oven in the oven and preheat the oven to 450 degrees F. When ready to bake, remove the very hot dutch oven from the oven with potholders.
Using the edges of the parchment paper, carefully place the dough in the dutch oven, cover and bake for 30 minutes. Then, remove the lid and bake another 20-25 minutes, or until golden brown. Remove the olive loaf from the dutch oven and place it on a cooling rack to cool for 30-45 minutes before slicing.
PRO TIP: To know for sure that your bread is fully cooked through, once you remove it from the dutch oven, gently lift it over and tap the bottom of the bread loaf. If it sounds hollow, it’s done!
An important tip for using olives
Make sure the kalamata olives are completely drained as this rustic loaf recipe is already very moist and sticky. To ensure your olives are completely dry, chop first and pat them with paper towels to get rid of excess liquid.
Is olive bread healthy?
Yes, especially a dutch oven olive bread. Since olives have heart-healthy fats and we are making the bread from scratch with top-quality bread flour, it is good and good for you! So go ahead, have two, ahem, three slices!
What to serve with olive bread?
The rustic olive bread recipe is absolutely divine with Olive Oil Bread Dip (and a glass of wine!). But with the colder months coming, it also pairs perfectly with hearty fall and winter soups. Try it with Vegan Butternut Squash Soup, Ribollita Soup, Lentil Soup, Turkish Red Lentil Soup, or Homemade Vegetable Beef Soup.
Olive Loaf Variations
The beauty of this rustic olive bread recipe is the number of variations you can make. I would recommend replacing the olives altogether or adding one additional ingredient to keep it simple. Here are a few of my favorites:
- Olive Cheese Bread: Add 1 cup shredded white cheddar
- Green Olive Bread Recipe: Replace the purple kalamata olives with chopped green olives
- Olive and Herb Bread: Add 1 teaspoon each dried thyme and oregano to the dry ingredients
- Olive Garlic Bread: Add 1 tsp garlic powder to the dry ingredients
- Black Olive Bread: Replace the kalamata olives with black olives. I especially like the extra special briny bite of pitted, black oil-cured olives.
- Sun-Dried Tomato and Olive Bread Recipe: Add 1 cup sliced sun-dried tomatoes
- Olive Tapenade Bread: Replace the chopped olives with ½ cup strained olive tapenade
- Rosemary Olive Bread Recipe: Add 2 teaspoons dried rosemary
- Walnut Olive Bread: Add 1 cup chopped, toasted walnuts
A few tips for making the best recipe
- Can I freeze this olive bread? You sure can. As a matter of fact, I usually make a few loaves on the same day. Let them cool completely, slice, place in freezer bags, and freeze until I am ready to use. When ready to serve, I toast a slice (or more) and serve.
- Do I have to slice it before I freeze? Can I freeze the whole loaf? You can. However, (1) be sure to place it in an airtight container (I usually wrap it in a clean kitchen towel, place it in a freezer bag, and get as much air out as possible), and (2) be sure to thaw it in the fridge overnight before serving.
- What is the best size of the Dutch oven to bake this olive loaf? I have made this baked bread in 3 different sizes of Dutch ovens and brands and they all worked well. The brands and sizes are as follows (the links below are affiliate links)
Le Creuset Signature Cast-Iron Round Dutch Oven, 3 1/2-Qt
Lodge 6 Quart Enameled Cast Iron Dutch Oven
Staub Cast Iron 5.5-Qt. Round Cocotte - A few requests for whole wheat olive bread have been mentioned. I have not tested this recipe with whole wheat flour as the structure and protein content is different than bread flour. If you are adventurous and want to try a whole wheat version of this bread on your own, I would start with replacing 25% of the bread flour with whole wheat and work your way up from there. I would love to know the results if you try it out!
Other bread recipes you might also like
- Brioche
- Foolproof Challah recipe
- Turkish Simit
- Easy No-Knead Skillet Bread – From Baker Bettie
- Bread Maker Olive Bread Recipe – From Family Spice
Homemade No-Knead Olive Bread Recipe
Ingredients
- 3 cups bread flour, (360 gr. )
- ¼ teaspoon active dry yeast
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt*
- 1 ⅓ cup lukewarm water (between 100-110 F degrees), (316 ml)
- 1 cup chopped kalamata olives, drained well
Instructions
- Mix the dry ingredients; bread flour, active dry yeast, and kosher salt, in a large mixing bowl.
- Pour in 1 ⅓ cups (316 ml.) lukewarm water.
- Give it a mix using a wooden spoon. At this point, the dough needs to be quite sticky. Stir in the chopped olives and ensure that they are equally distributed throughout the batter. (Alternatively, you can use your clean hands to mix and feel the stickiness.)
- Cover the bowl with a clean kitchen towel and let it sit in a warmer part of your house for 18-24 hours.In my tests, I found that the bread baked after 18 hours of rising time was perfect, but the 24-hour one was also good. One important thing to mention here is that at the end of the rising time you might see a thin (kind of hard – for the lack of a better word) layer at the top of the dough. Don’t be alarmed by that. In the next step, we will fold that into the dough and since it is a sticky one, the additional rising time will help soften it.
- Lightly flour a piece of parchment paper, gently remove the dough from the bowl, and place it onto the parchment. While removing, you will realize that it is quite sticky. However, if you take your time and gently pull it by folding it onto itself, you will see that it will come out easily without any dough remaining in the bowl. For a visual, be sure to watch the video below.
- Form the dough into a ball tucking the sides of the dough under. Lightly dust it with a little bit of flour, cover it with a clean kitchen towel, and let it rise for 1-2 hours or until it doubles in size. Again, I recommend letting it sit in a warmer part of your house.
- Towards the end of the rising time, place your dutch oven in the oven and pre-heat it to 450 F degrees.
- When ready to bake, carefully take the now-very hot dutch oven out of the oven. Using the edges of the parchment paper place the dough into the dutch oven. Put the lid on and bake for 30 minutes. Then remove the lid and continue to bake another 20-30 minutes or until the top is nicely golden brown as you see in the photos.
- At the end of the baking, remove it from the dutch oven, place it onto a cooling rack and let it cool for 30-45 minutes before slicing.
Video
Notes
- I use Diamond Kosher Salt. If you are using Morton Kosher Salt or table salt, please use half the amount of salt.
- It is imperative that you drain the olives well.
- When using olives in any recipe, it is best to give them a taste. If they are too salty, I would recommend letting them soak in water for an hour or so. Obviously, the longer they sit in the water the less salty they will become. Alternatively, you can use less salt, but I personally prefer to adjust the saltiness of the olives instead of using less salt. Because I like my bread dough to be properly seasoned.
- Storage: After it comes to room temperature, cover it with a kitchen towel and keep it on the kitchen counter. It should still be good the next day.
- Freezing: You can freeze the whole loaf or slice it before freezing. Just make sure that it is fully cooled before doing so. Additionally, be sure to place it in an airtight freezer bag and get the air out as much as you can to prevent freezer burn.
- Thawing: If you froze it sliced, you can warm the slices in your toaster without having to wait for it to thaw. If you froze it as a whole, it is best to let it thaw in the fridge overnight.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Iโd like to split this into two smaller loaves. What do I need to change about the baking temp/time?
Hi Lynn,
It is hard for me to give you the exact temperature and time as I have never made this recipe in smaller sizes. However, I think the baking temp would still be the same. The timing might be shorter, perhaps about 4-5 minutes.
I recommend keeping a close eye on it after removing the lid during the second part of the baking process.
Hope this helps.
I like to be accurate and weigh my bread flour. Your recipe calls for 3 cups/360 grams but it seems way off. I weighed my flour and it wasn’t even close to 3 cups. Do I go by the 3 cup measure or with the gram measurement?? Not sure what to do.
Hello Carrie,
If you own a kitchen scale, use 360 grams of bread flour. Hope this helps.
I only have SAF red label instant yeast. Can I use instead of active dry yeast?
Hi Nita,
Sadly, instant yeast will not work in this recipe so I would not recommend using it.
Hope this helps.
I am making this without a Dutch Oven but I intend to buy one. What size should I buy for the olive bread?
Hi Bonnie,
If you are buying a dutch oven to only make this bread, I would recommend one that is 3.5 quarts such as this one. It is perfect for this bread but you can also use it to make soups. However,if it was me, I would get a larger one so that I can use it to make more than just this bread. This 5 1/2 quart one is my favorite and it works perfectly for this bread.
On another note, I know that both of these are rather on the expensive side. If you are looking for a budget friendly option, this Lodge Dutch oven works just as good. I do own one and make this bread in it all the time.
Hope this helps.
Hi Ice!
I live in a tropical climate (Malaysia). My pandemic lockdown skill that I learned was artisan bread baking. However, I’ve found that long rising times quite impossible in the hot and humid Southeast Asian climate. I would typically do the first rise for about one-third the recommended time, and do the second rise in the refidgerator. Unfortunately, that means that my breads seldom acquire the full bodied flavors of breads that have been allowed to ferment for longer during the rise.
Why is this important? I really want to make your no-knead olive bread, but your rising time is incredibly long. I’m curious to know whether your rising time is a reflection of your climate or the need to ferment the dough for flavor?
Hi Charles,
I used to live on a small island in the Caribbean so I understand where you are coming from.
So, to answer your question – The rising time is because of the need to ferment the dough for flavor. With that being said, you can get away with a shorter rising time. I have made this bread (during hot summer days) after 8 hours of rising. I think you would have to try it a few times and make changes accordingly.
Sending all the good vibes to Malaysia from the US. Cheers!
Ice
Iโve never baked anything from scratch in my life. Not ever. What a wonderfully detailed recipe. I scored mine three times across the top just because Iโve always really wanted to. Itโs so beautiful. Itโs so delicious. I donโt understand why we buy such horribly processed breads when we can bake something this fresh and delicious so easily at home. You are part of the solution. Thank you.
Dear Marc,
This is one of the kindest comments I have ever gotten. Thank you for your sweet words.
I am so happy to be a part of the solution and help you bake a delicious loaf of bread.
You made my day. Cheers,
Ice
First off I want to first off I want to say we just love, love, love this recipe. I noticed that there was somebody who wanted to know if they could do it with whole wheat flour, just to know that I do make it with half and half and it turns out beautifully the only difference that I found is that you have to add just a wee bit more water because the whole wheat does make it dryer. I have cooked this in a roasting pan as well as a cast iron pan with a lid and it works as well as a cast iron pan with a lid and it works great. I also make this with a lovely dip that’s really quite good with a lot of and it’s very. Thanks for sharing this recipe
Thanks so much for sharing your experience Lisa. I will try it with whole wheat flour next time I make it.
First time bread maker here, this recipe made the most delicious olive bread I have ever had! Followed the recipe exactly outside of adding some green olives. Thank you for this wonderful recipe I will be using again and again.
Hello Alexis,
This is music to my ears. So happy that you liked this olive bread recipe.
Thanks for coming by and taking the time to leave a review.
Cheers!
Hello Aysegul,
Thanks for getting back to me. I checked another website for air frying bread. It said to cover it with aluminum foil. So I put it in my air fryer for 30 minutes covered with aluminum foil, I’m pretty sure I kept the parchment paper on the bottom, but it did burn a little.
Then I took the aluminum foil off and cooked it for another 30 to 45 minutes. I kept checking and hitting the bottom for the hollow sound. I have to say the crust was a little tougher then when baking it in an oven, (I might have over cooked it), but overall it was delicious and fine.
Who knew?
Also the website said that when cooking bread in an air fryer to reduce the temperature by 25๏พ however my air fryer only went to 400 so I couldn’t bring it to 425 according to your recipe and it also said to cook it for 20% less time, Which I didn’t end up doing because of the temperature difference.
I decided that I’m expecting the loaf to rise too high and in the end, I think it’s fine the way it is. : )
I just had some with my brunch.. delicious!
Good to know. Thanks for sharing your experience and learnings Jane.
Love this recipe! This is the 3rd time I’m making your olive bread. I messed up my oven schedule on Easter and had to bake it in an Air fryer and it worked! My air fryer only went up to 400 degrees, so I kept it in a little longer. It was slightly doughy, just slightly, but still delicious.
I made this bread last Easter and now twice this Easter week.
It didn’t seem to rise as high this year. It still tasted fine. The 1st loaf I made this week I used platinum superior baking yeast then Red star dry active yeast. I don’t have a thermometer for water, I just used my finger. It seemed to expand from left to right instead of vertically.
Any thoughts?
Hi Jane,
Thanks for sharing your experiments. I have never tried making it in the air fryer but would love to know more about how you cooked it. Did you put the dutch oven in your air fryer as well or just the bread? How long was it there? My air fryer is a bit small to put my dutch oven but I’d love to know more about your experience should you wish to share.
I think the rising time/shape really depends on the length of time it sits and the temperature of your kitchen. I know that when i make this olive bread recipe on a warm August day I get a bigger (and more risen) loaf than when I make it on a cold February day.
Hope this answers your question. Please let me know if I can help in any other way.