Simple No-Knead Olive Bread
Ingredients
- 500 g all-purpose wheat flour
- 1 tsp instant dry yeast
- 1 1/2 tsp salt
- 500 ml finger-warm water
- 100 g pitted mixed olives
Preparation
Add sifted flour to a large bowl, add instant dry yeast and salt, and mix well.
Make a well in the middle and add the water.
Slowly incorporate the flour from the sides with a spatula and keep folding in the flour until it is all incorporated and you have a really sticky dough.
Cover with plastic wrap and let sit at room temperature for 18-24 hours.
Dust your working surface with lots of flour, tip out the dough, sprinkle some flour on top, and flatten it slightly with your fingers.
Place olives on top and fold in the edges to incorporate them.
Pinch together the edges at the top to form a round shape, place the dough on parchment paper, use more flour if too sticky to lift, and cover with a kitchen towel and let sit at room temperature for 1 hour.
Place a Dutch oven in the oven and preheat to 220°C / 430°F.
Carefully remove the hot Dutch oven and place the dough with parchment paper inside.
Trim the edges of the parchment paper so it doesn’t burn, cover with an oven-safe lid, and bake for 30 minutes.
Remove the lid and bake for another 20-30 minutes until the crust is golden brown.
When it is finished, it should sound hollow when you knock on the bottom of the bread.
Let cool for at least 30 minutes on a cooling rack before you slice the bread.
Tips
If you don’t like olives, you can just omit them, and the bread will still be amazing.
It takes a bit of patience but it will be super rewarding.
Flours vary between regions, so you might need less water to achieve the sticky dough and should start with two-thirds of the water.
