Olive bread (No knead Dutch oven bread)

Olive bread is a crusty, rustic bread which can be prepared with very little effort. The dough is prepared on day one and left to prove overnight before being baked in a Dutch oven the following day.

This easy bread recipe is suitable for beginners. There are no complicated steps and the dough does not require kneading.

Similar to no knead fruit bread, this overnight bread can be prepared with very little hands on time making it easy for you to make your own artisan style bread.

It is perfect served with pasta dishes such as cannelloni, vegetable pesto pasta or ravioli. It also pairs well with a variety of salads such as feta salad or can be served alongside a cheeseboard.

And if you have some easy bake yeast left over you could use it to make some cinnamon rolls, tear and share bread or apricot and cashew loaf.

This Dutch oven bread recipe will make a loaf which equates to around five servings.

Ingredients

• 400g bread flour - use a strong flour rather than plain flour (all purpose flour) with a protein content of 12% to 14% for flavour and texture. You will also need a little extra flour for shaping.

• 1.25 teaspoons salt

• 0.25 teaspoon easy bake yeast

• 325ml water - the water should be hand hot so that it is the correct temperature to activate the yeast.

• 100g pitted olives - you can use either green olives or black olives.

• 1 tablespoon dried oregano - if you don't have oregano you could substitute other herbs such as rosemary or basil.

Equipment needed

In addition to common kitchen equipment you will also need a cast iron pot with a well fitting cast iron lid (also known as a Dutch oven or French oven).

How to make no knead olive bread

DAY 1

Weigh the flour into a large bowl. Add the salt and easy bake yeast and mix.

Prepare the olives by rinsing and then patting dry with kitchen paper. You can use any type of olives, green or black. Roughly chop the olives (each olive into about 8 pieces) and then add to the bowl with the other ingredients and mix.

Measure 325ml hand hot water and add to the bowl with the other ingredients. The water should be a similar temperature to a hot bath and should still be hand hot at the time it is added to the other ingredients so that it will activate the yeast.

Mix everything together with a fork, cover with cling film and leave to cool.

Cover and leave in a warm place to rise until it has doubled in size.

Place in the fridge and leave overnight (or a minimum of 12 hours) to prove.

DAY 2

Remove the dough from the fridge before you wish to bake the loaf so that it can reach room temperature.

Tip the dough onto a lightly floured pastry board, fold over a few times by hand and form a ball.

How to bake

Pre heat the oven to 220^oC, 425^oF, gas mark 7. When the oven is almost at that temperature place the empty cast iron dish, with lid, in the oven to preheat.

Remove the preheated casserole dish from the oven and line the base with non-stick baking parchment. Transfer the dough into the lined dish. Use a sharp knife to slit the top of the bread dough.

Place the lid on the casserole dish and bake in the centre of the oven for about 30 minutes. Baking with the lid on will help to steam the bread and allow it to rise before the crust forms and the surface of the bread dries out.

Remove the lid and return to the oven for around 10 minutes until browned.

Remove from the dish and place on a wire cooling rack to cool.

How to serve

• Homemade olive bread is delicious served alongside many pasta dishes such as cannelloni, lasagne, ravioli or vegetable pesto pasta.
• It also pairs well with a variety of salads.
• Olive bread makes a tasty addition to a cheeseboard or vegetarian charcuterie board.

How to store

• Store your olive bread in an airtight container.
• As with most types of bread I find that this olive bread is at its best on the day it has been baked. I recommend freezing any bread that isn't going to be eaten the day it is baked.
• To freeze - place slices of olive bread in an airtight container such as a tub or bag. Defrost at room temperature or in a microwave.

FAQs

Other easy bread recipes