Green Olive & Rosemary Artisan Bread
NOTE: This recipe has been updated to include an additional step in which the dough is cold proofed in the refrigerator prior to baking.
Equipment
-
Digital scale
-
Spatula
-
Dough scraper
-
4 Qt mixing bowl
-
Parchment paper
-
3 Qt Dutch oven
Ingredients
- 1½ cups water, room temperature (at or near 70°F/21°C)
- 1 teaspoon active dry yeast
- 3¼ cups bread or all-purpose flour, plus for more dusting
- 1 teaspoon kosher or fine sea salt (optional, see note)
- 1½ tablespoons rosemary, finely chopped
- 1½ cups pitted green olives Castelvetrano or marinated in chili oil (optional), dried and roughly chopped
- Optional: Ground flaxseed for dusting ~1-2 tablespoons or 7-10 grams
Instructions
-
Add the yeast to the water and let it sit for 10-15 minutes.
-
Whisk together flour, salt and rosemary in a large mixing bowl and let sit for 10 minutes.
-
Add yeast mixture and olives to the bowl and mix just until combined. The dough should look a little sticky and stringy and there should still be a little flour around the edges of the bowl. Cover and let rise somewhere warm (see note below) until it has doubled in size, about 8-10 hours.
-
Once the dough has doubled in volume, use your hands (or a dough scraper if you have one) to pull the dough out onto a floured surface. With floured hands, gently fold the dough into itself several times until a soft, flour-covered ball is formed. Seam side up, lift and place it into a flour dusted proofing bowl like this one. Dust with flour, cover and refrigerate for a minimum of 1 hour or as long as 24 hours. You can even leave it for as long as 48 hours at this point if you’re not able to bake it right away.
-
When you’re ready to bake your bread, preheat oven to 450ºF (232ºC) with a Dutch oven or covered baking vessel inside the oven.
-
Uncover then invert the bowl to turn the dough out onto parchment paper seam side down. If needed, gently turn it with your hands and nudge it into the shape of a loaf. If using ground flaxseed, sprinkle several teaspoons across the top and sides and use your hands to gently press it into the loaf. Score the top with a razor blade or the tip of a sharp knife with a design of your choosing. This will allow steam to escape while it’s baking.
-
Once the oven is preheated, remove the Dutch oven from the oven and transfer the dough, still on the parchment, into the Dutch oven. Cover and bake for 30 minutes, then remove the cover and bake for 15-20 minutes more. Your bread will be done once the top is browned, and it sounds hollow when you tap the top.
-
Using parchment edges, lift bread from Dutch oven and transfer it to a wire cooling rack to let cool for up to an hour before slicing.
Notes
Salt: Salt may be added or omitted according to preference and the type of olives you’ve selected for your loaf. The best way to know is to taste them first. If they’ve been soaked in a salty brine, you may want to forego the additional salt.
Seasoning: If you don’t have rosemary, thyme, sage, oregano and savoury are all delicious substitutes. Dried herbs may also be used if fresh herbs are not available.
Rise time and temperature: An ambient rise temperature somewhere between ~70º-75º/20º-23ºC is ideal but even high 60’s/18º-19ºC should work if the dough is kept away from drafts. Note that rise times can vary based on temperature, environment and ingredients used. You will know your loaf is ready to bake when it has doubled in size, and this can take a minimum of 8 hours or as long as a full day.
Storage: This bread will keep well on the counter for up to 3 days and in the refrigerator for up to a week. Sliced bread will freeze well for up to 3 months.