Recipes

Italian Olive Bread

3rd October 20213rd October 2021 Marc Coffey

Italian Olive Bread

INGREDIENTS

2 ¹⁄₂ – 3 cups flour
2 ¹⁄₄teaspoons yeast (1 pkg)
2 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon salt
¹⁄₃cup hot water
2 eggs
¹⁄₄cup butter, room temperature
¹⁄₂cup green pimento stuffed olive
¹⁄₂cup pitted ripe black olives (or other olive of choice)
1 egg yolk, beaten

DIRECTIONS

In a mixing bowl, pour 2 cups flour and add the dry ingredients. Stir to blend.
Form a well in the flour and pour in the hot water.
With a wooden spoon, pull flour into the water to form a batter.
Break the eggs and drop into the batter.
Vigorously stir the eggs and batter together till the eggs have been absorbed.
Cut the butter into 2 or 3 pieces and drop into the mixture.
With a wooden spoon or mixer flat beater, mix till the batterlike dough is smooth and silky, about 2 minutes.
Stir in flour, 1/2 cup at a time, till the dough is a ball and can be turned out of the bowl onto a floured surface.
The dough should not be sticky because of the high fat content of the butter and eggs, but if it is, add sprinkles of flour.
Knead by hand or under a dough hook till smooth and elastic, about 8 minutes.
Knead with a strong push-turn-fold motion and occasionally lift the dough and throw it back onto the work surface. Be aggressive!
First rising:.
Place the dough in a greased bowl and set aside at room temp to rise. (because of its richness, the dough may be slow to rise, but it will double in about 1 1/2 hours – or less if using rapid rise yeast).
Shaping:.
Drain the olives and mix the green and black together so they can be uniformly scattered over the dough. Set aside.
Punch down the dough and turn onto the floured work surface.
Pat and push the dough into a 14 inch square.
Allow it to relax for 3-4 minutes before scattering the olives.
Press the olives lightly into the dough.
Roll up the dough as for a jelly roll to enclose the olives and place seam side down on a baking sheet/stone.
Tuck the open ends of the dough under to make a smooth surface.
Pat the loaf to flatten and shape into an oval about 2 inches thick.
Second rising:.
Cover the loaf with waxed paper or plastic wrap and leave at room temp till puffy, about 30 minutes.
Preheat oven to 350 20 minutes before baking.
Uncover the loaf and brush with beaten egg yolk.
Bake in oven till richly browned, about 45 minutes. (Watch your time, depending on how your oven heats – don’t over brown, but bake till the loaf sounds a bit hollow when tapped).
Place on a rack and cool for at least 10 minutes. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Italian Olive Bread

INGREDIENTS

2 1⁄2 – 3 cups flour

2 1⁄4 teaspoons yeast (1 pkg)

2 tablespoons sugar

1 teaspoon salt

1⁄3 cup hot water

2 eggs

1⁄4 cup butter, room temperature

1⁄2 cup green pimento stuffed olive

1⁄2 cup pitted ripe black olives (or other olive of choice)

1 egg yolk, beaten

DIRECTIONS

In a mixing bowl, pour 2 cups flour and add the dry ingredients. Stir to blend.

Form a well in the flour and pour in the hot water.

With a wooden spoon, pull flour into the water to form a batter.

Break the eggs and drop into the batter.

Vigorously stir the eggs and batter together till the eggs have been absorbed.

Cut the butter into 2 or 3 pieces and drop into the mixture.

With a wooden spoon or mixer flat beater, mix till the batterlike dough is smooth and silky, about 2 minutes.

Stir in flour, 1/2 cup at a time, till the dough is a ball and can be turned out of the bowl onto a floured surface.

The dough should not be sticky because of the high fat content of the butter and eggs, but if it is, add sprinkles of flour.

Knead by hand or under a dough hook till smooth and elastic, about 8 minutes.

Knead with a strong push-turn-fold motion and occasionally lift the dough and throw it back onto the work surface. Be aggressive!

First rising:.

Place the dough in a greased bowl and set aside at room temp to rise. (because of its richness, the dough may be slow to rise, but it will double in about 1 1/2 hours – or less if using rapid rise yeast).

Shaping:.

Drain the olives and mix the green and black together so they can be uniformly scattered over the dough. Set aside.

Punch down the dough and turn onto the floured work surface.

Pat and push the dough into a 14 inch square.

Allow it to relax for 3-4 minutes before scattering the olives.

Press the olives lightly into the dough.

Roll up the dough as for a jelly roll to enclose the olives and place seam side down on a baking sheet/stone.

Tuck the open ends of the dough under to make a smooth surface.

Pat the loaf to flatten and shape into an oval about 2 inches thick.

Second rising:.

Cover the loaf with waxed paper or plastic wrap and leave at room temp till puffy, about 30 minutes.

Preheat oven to 350 20 minutes before baking.

Uncover the loaf and brush with beaten egg yolk.

Bake in oven till richly browned, about 45 minutes. (Watch your time, depending on how your oven heats – don’t over brown, but bake till the loaf sounds a bit hollow when tapped).

Place on a rack and cool for at least 10 minutes. Serve warm or at room temperature.

2 ¹⁄₂ – 3 cups flour

2 ¹⁄₄teaspoons yeast (1 pkg)

¹⁄₃cup hot water

¹⁄₄cup butter, room temperature

¹⁄₂cup green pimento stuffed olive

¹⁄₂cup pitted ripe black olives (or other olive of choice)