This was the first bread I ever made that tasted and looked like it came from a bakery. This one is best using white flour, but it is still very good with half whole wheat, I am still mastering a great whole grain bread. Note there is no salt in this recipe, the olives add so much salt it isn’t needed. Based on the Jim Lahey no knead breads.
No Knead Olive Bread
Servings
8 Servings
Ingredients
- 3 cups bread flour
- 1 1/2 cup cups any kind of olives chopped (I have made it with green ones with pimentos and with kalamata)
- 3/4 teaspoon active dry yeast
- 1 1/2 cup cool water
Instructions
- Mix your yeast and flour together in a large bowl and then toss in your chopped olives. Add your water and mix everything together using your hand or a large spoon.
- After a few seconds you should have a pretty moist ball of dough. It should be very wet. You wouldn’t be able to knead this even if you wanted to.
- Cover this and let it sit at room temperature for 14-18 hours. The longer the better, the result will look like a bubbly mess, that is good.
- Next, take a large tea towel and sprinkle it liberally with flour and corn meal if you have.
- Scrape your dough out onto a floured surface and just fold it a few times, liberally flouring both sides if it is sticking. Eventually you want to form a ball or loaf with it. Turn this onto your floured towel with the seam side down on the towel.
- Cover that towel and let the loaf ferment and proof for another two hours.
- After your bread has been proofing for about 90 minutes, preheat your oven to 500 degrees with a heavy enameled cast iron pot inside, lid off. If you don’t have a cast iron pot you can find other methods in this post.
- Once your oven and pot is blazing hot, about 30 minutes, pick up the towel with the dough on it and roll the dough into the pot so the seam side is up again!
- Put the lid on the pot and cook it for 30 minutes. Then take off the lid (be really careful of escaping steam). Cook it for another 20 minutes or so until the crust is a dark, walnut brown.
- Let it cool on a wire rack for an hour before slicing it.
- Notes: when I use whole wheat the bread does not rise as much and the cooking time must be shortened a bit to avoid burning.
Thanks
Oh no, I will have to find another one source, you can put it on a baking sheet, but you will want to create some moisture in the air of the oven, so either put a tray of ice cubes in the bottom of the oven and/or spray water into the oven after you put the bread inside from the beginning.
Mostly time, you will want to keep an eye on it and probably decrease the bulk rise, but this recipe is very forgiving so I wouldn’t worry too much.
What can I use if I don’t have a cast iron pot? The link in the article isn’t working.
I’m in St Thomas USVI. It is very warm and VERY humid. What changes should I make? Thanks
I have been using the no knead recipes for bread for my everyday bread not challah. I never tried the olive version. For my family I use 1 cup white and 2 cup whole wheat and have been using 450 to 475 for my baking heat.
For those who are scared……….these recipes are so easy, the mixing is so fast with a spoon and the tastes of non knead bread is unbelievable! We live in an area with plenty of bakeries and these non knead ones beat all the bakeries.
Totally agree, this olive bread version is my favorite, but I have not perfected my plain bread yet either. It is good, but I know it could be better.
Just posted about no kneads. Mine turned out pretty good but there’s room for improvement. http://www.cookingatcafed.com/2013/03/easy-no-knead-bread-really.html
An olive bread – especially kalamatas – sounds fabulous. Pinned your recipe to try.
Olives in homemade bread – what’s not to love? Thanks for the recipe!
Sounds amazing. Will have to try this once the weather cools down and I don’t mind using the oven.
Thanks for asking. A bread machine is really helpful in kneading bread, this bread doesn’t need to be kneaded so it would not work in a bread machine and you would have no reason to use one, Just mix everything a bowl and let it sit.
Can this be made with bread machine?
Thank you
Shirley