Kalamata Olive Bread

Before you start

Olive bread is a lean, crusty country loaf with whole pieces of briny olive scattered through a moist, open crumb. This version uses a small amount of instant yeast, a fairly wet dough at 70% hydration and a series of folds during the rise instead of heavy kneading. A little whole wheat flour adds flavor and color, and the Dutch oven traps steam so the crust bakes up thin, blistered and crackly.

Olives bring both salt and moisture, so a few adjustments help. The added salt is slightly lower than in a plain loaf, and the olives should be drained, patted dry and folded in after the gluten has started to develop, not mixed in at the start, where their brine and oil weaken the dough and stain it purple. Halve them rather than chopping them small; larger pieces stay juicy and look better in the slice.

Ingredients

• 450 g (3¾ cups) bread flour
• 50 g (⅓ cup + 1 tbsp) whole wheat flour
• 350 ml (1½ cups) water — about 30°C (85°F)
• 3 g (1 tsp) instant yeast
• 1¼ tsp (7–8 g) fine salt — reduce slightly if your olives are very salty
• 150 g (1 cup) pitted kalamata olives — drained, patted dry and halved
• 1 tbsp fresh rosemary — finely chopped; optional
• As needed rice flour or semolina — for the proofing basket

Method

1. Mix the bread flour, whole wheat flour, yeast and salt in a large bowl. Add the water and mix with a wet hand until no dry flour remains. Cover and rest for 30 minutes.
2. Do the first set of folds: with a wet hand, lift one side of the dough, stretch it up and fold it over the top. Rotate the bowl a quarter turn and repeat 4 times. Cover and rest 30 minutes.
3. Spread the olives and rosemary over the dough and do the second set of folds, tucking them in as you go. Some will poke out; that is fine. Cover and rest 30 minutes.
4. Do a third set of folds, then let the dough rise undisturbed for 45 to 75 minutes, until it is about doubled, domed and jiggly, with bubbles on the sides. The total bulk rise is 2 to 2½ hours at about 24°C (75°F).
5. Turn the dough onto a lightly floured counter. Fold the edges into the center to make a round, flip it seam side down and drag it toward you with a bench scraper to tighten the surface. Place it seam side up in the dusted basket.
6. Cover and proof for 45 to 60 minutes, until it has risen by about half and a floured fingertip leaves a dent that springs back slowly. Meanwhile, put the Dutch oven with its lid in the oven and heat to 245°C (475°F) for 45 minutes.
7. Turn the loaf onto parchment, score a cross or a single curved cut 1 cm deep, and lower it into the hot pot. Cover and bake for 20 minutes.
8. Remove the lid, lower the oven to 230°C (450°F) and bake 20 to 25 minutes more, until the crust is deep brown and the center reads about 96°C (205°F).
9. Cool on a rack for at least 1 hour. The crumb is still setting, and slicing early makes it gummy.

Tips for success

• Taste an olive before measuring the salt. Very salty olives call for 7 g; mild ones can take 8 g.
• Dry the olives well on paper towels. Excess brine makes wet spots in the crumb.
• Use the bench scraper, not more flour, if the dough sticks while shaping. Extra flour leaves raw streaks in the loaf.

Substitutions

Kalamata olives

Castelvetrano or other green olives give a milder, buttery loaf. Oil-cured black olives are stronger and saltier; use 120 g and reduce the salt to 6 g.

Whole wheat flour

Use all bread flour for a lighter, whiter crumb, and reduce the water by 10 ml.

Instant yeast

Use 4 g (1¼ tsp) active dry yeast dissolved in the water. The bulk rise may take 30 minutes longer.

Variations

Olive and lemon

Add the finely grated zest of 1 lemon with the olives.

Overnight olive bread

After shaping, refrigerate the loaf in its basket for 10 to 14 hours, then bake straight from the fridge for a tangier flavor.

Troubleshooting

Purple, dense streaks in the crumb

The olives went in too early or were wet. Add dried olives during the second fold, after the gluten has formed.

Flat loaf that spread out

The dough overproofed or was shaped without tension. Watch for a slow spring-back rather than a full collapse, and tighten the round before it goes in the basket.

Pale crust

The lid stayed on too long or the oven was not fully heated. Preheat the pot for 45 minutes and bake uncovered until the crust is a deep brown.

Storage

Store the loaf cut side down on a board, or in a paper bag, for up to 3 days. Freeze sliced bread in a sealed bag for up to 3 months and toast from frozen.