French Olive Bread (Perfect for Beginners)
This Olive Bread recipe will give you a delicious loaf of bread thatās easy to make and gives delicious results every time even if youāve never baked bread before.
Thatās right, this is the perfect recipe for first-time bread bakers and gives an old-style French Olive Bread that goes well with just about everything.
Serve it on the side of some soups or stews or have it on its own with some butter or olive oil. It also goes great alongside a cheese platter or charcuterie board.
Try this recipe once, and youāll want to make it every day. Simple, easy, and gives perfect results every single time!
What is Olive Bread?
Olive Bread is a delicious loaf of bread that has a mix of whole or chopped olives laced in the dough and baked for the perfect crust.
Itās a classic bread that you can have with a variety of different dishes or just on its own because it tastes that good!
But this Olive Bread recipe that Iām sharing with you today, will take it to the next level. It features the classic artisan olive bread flavor but in a recipe thatās so easy to make that even first-time bread bakers that try it.
This delicious loaf of bread is eaten throughout the Mediterranean, especially in Italy and Greece since olives are a staple part of their diet.
The recipe Iām sharing with you today is a classic spin-off of the classic French bread that we all absolutely love.
Try it once, and youāll fall in love with just how easy it is to make and how beautiful it tastes every time. This is seriously a foolproof recipe you need to try!
What Type of Flour Do I Need to Bake Olive Bread?
Iāve used all-purpose flour for this recipe, but you can also use bread flour to make this delicious bread.
All-purpose flour is readily available and is usually in the pantry already, and it will give you a softer texture, and thatās what Iāve gone with in this recipe.
On the other hand, using bread flour will give you a chewy texture, so itās more a matter of preference than anything else. This is because this type of flour has a higher protein percentage with higher gluten.
What Kind of Olives Should I Use to Make this Bread?
You can use whichever kind of olives you like best, but make sure to buy pitted ones. Kalamata olives are commonly used when making Olive Bread, but you can use a mix of green olives and black olives, or either one.
Make sure to drain your olives completely before incorporating them into the recipe.
What You Need to Make Olive Bread at Home
This is an incredibly easy recipe for any first-time bread baker or well as an experienced home baker. Here are the seven ingredients youāll need to make this bread at home:
All-purpose flour: All you need is some basic all-purpose flour for this recipe. You can alternatively also use bread flour, but itās important to note that it will result in a chewier texture.
Salt: Weāll be using some salt to lightly add flavor to the bread so that the olives can shine.
Sugar: Youāll need some sugar while activating the yeast. Sugar makes the process faster as the yeast will have something to eat. It also helps to make the bread softer as some of the water will be absorbed by it and it slows down the formation of gluten strands.
Yeast: Weāll be using some active dry yeast in this recipe that weāll activate with the help of some sugar and water.
Water: To activate the yeast, weāll use some warm water with dissolved sugar.
Olives: This is definitely the star ingredient in this recipe. Go for whichever olives you love best. Iāve used black olives while making this bread.
Olive oil: Weāll add a teaspoon of olive oil to give our bread a subtle, rustic flavor and bring out the slight fruity taste in the bread to take it to the next level.
How to Make Olive Bread Step by Step
Making this delicious Olive Bread is super easy. Hereās what you need to do step by step:
Letās first start by activating the yeast. Add the sugar and yeast in half-cup warm water, and stir to dissolve.
Next, in a bowl, sift or whisk the flour with salt.
Then add the yeast mixture and oil to the flour and knead until smooth. It will take approximately 10 minutes by hand. You can also use a stand mixer, but it turns out great when kneaded by hand as well.
Now dry the olives with a kitchen towel and add to the dough. Knead just to combine.
The dough might get sticky now, so add little flour and knead until the dough is no more sticky and smooth.
Cover the dough and let it proof for 1 hour and 15 minutes.
Then punch the dough to take out all the air. Roll the dough to a log around 13ā long.
Place on the baking sheet and let it rise again for 40 minutes. Make light cuts on the loaf, that is, score the loaf.
Preheat the oven to 400F or 200 C. Bake your loaf for 16 minutes, then let it cool on a wire rack before slicing.
Your delicious Olive Bread is ready to be served!
What Can I Serve With This Bread?
This Olive Bread is honestly absolutely delicious on its own. My family and I also love it with a little bit of butter or olive oil.
It also goes great with stews and soups, or you can also try it with some delicious salad for a light lunch. My Arabian Lamb Stew recipe is perfect if you want to soak your bread in some delicious stew for a comforting and hearty meal.
If youāre in the mood for some soup instead, try my Cream of Mushroom Soup recipe or Creamy Potato Soup recipe for your soup fix!
You can also serve your Olive Bread along with a cheese platter or charcuterie board.
How to Store the Bread
The best way to store this bread is by wrapping it with plastic wrap, placing it in a freezer-friendly bag, and freezing it for up to 6 months.
To thaw, lightly spray the bread with water and then heat it in the oven. If you want to thaw or warm the frozen bread in the microwave, you donāt have to spray it with water but microwave it for a few seconds.
French Olive Bread
Ingredients
- 1 Ā¼ cup all-purpose flour
- Ā½ teaspoon salt
- Ā½ tablespoon sugar
- 1 ā teaspoon dry active yeast
- Ā½ cup warm water
- Ā¼ cup + 2 tablespoon chopped black olives
- 1 teaspoon oil
Instructions
- In half-cup warm water add the sugar and yeast, stir to dissolve.
- In a bowl, sift the flour with salt.
- Add the yeast mixture, and oil to the flour and knead until smooth for 10 minutes by hand With a stand mixer it will take lesser time.
- Place the olives on a kitchen towel and cover it with another layer of kitchen towel. Press down gently just to remove some of the moisture from the olives. Add it to the dough, and knead just to combine.
- The dough might get sticky now, so keep on dusting your hand with flour and knead until the dough is no more sticky and smooth.
- Cover the dough and let it rest for 1 hour and 15 minutes in a warm place.
- Punch the dough to take out all the air. Roll the dough into a 13ā long log.
- Place the log on a baking sheet, cover it, and let it rise again for 40 minutes. Make a few cuts into the dough.
- Bake the bread in a pre-heated oven 200C/400F, bake the loaf for 16 minutes, and then let it cool on a cooling rack.
Notes
- Although this bread is made using either all-purpose flour or bread flour, you can replace 1/4 cup of all-purpose flour with whole wheat flour.
- Make sure to remove as much moisture as you can from the olives.
- Do not use minced olives, or the dough will turn soggy.
- Use regular oil or olive oil in the recipe.
- This post was first published in 2016 and is now updated with more information.
Who wouldn’t love this bread?! Looks amazing and so delicious! Nothing beats homemade… Love your pics too!!!
Thanks Sandra š
The bread came out beautiful and so delicious! We enjoyed it… I am actually eating right now š Thanks for sharing your recipe, Muna!
You are most welcome, your recipes are on point Sandra, and my husband want me to try another recipe from your blog š
So easy!! And delicious even the first time you bake it. Try this recipe . I double the recipe and make 2 loaves at a time!
It looks scrumptious! You bake so well, Muna.
I love baking more than cooking to be honest š , thanks Angie.
This bread looks so soft and fluffy! Need to try making this soon! š
Hi Marsha, you’ll love this bread, and I would love to know how you liked it when you bake it š
I love making homemade bread too. Ever since I start to do so, I’ve never bought commercial ones anymore. I’ve yet to try one with olives though. I’m inspired. š
Hi Girl, I saw the bread you make back at your blog, it looked so fluffy, yum! Hope you like my version of this French Bread š
oh man.. Two of my favorite things! French bread and black olives!!! My mouth is watering just looking at this- it’s brilliant! It’s supposed to snow this weekend.. I’m totally making this
Ah, snow! I like to watch it fall, but it’s not my best friend when it freezes on the road, becomes slippery, and make me fall! More soups will be made this winter, and this bread is a great companion š
What a delicious bread you have made. I love black olives and I think adding them to french bread is a genius idea. I will have to give this a try. The color on this bread is just perfect.
Hi Cynthia, thanks for you kind comment, I didn’t wash this bread with anything before baking it, it just comes out beautiful, give it a try and you’ll love it.
Your bread is beautiful. I hate to admit that making bread has always scared me. It is on list to overcome my fear of yeast this year. I will have to pin this for later.
Beautiful bread and it looks fairly easy to make. I have a fear of yeast…it is on my list to overcome that fear this year. Your bread looks like it might be a good one to start with.
Hey Lisa, when you start baking your own bread, believe me you wouldn’t want store bought. Let me know how the bread came out when you try it š
My son loves olives and he’ll be thrilled to see olives in the bread (he might pick out more from the bread! he he he). Beautiful loaf, Muna!! I love the lighting coming onto bread.. so beautiful!
Thanks Nami! It is a wonderful bread, tastes good and stays fresh for long time. Hope your son and family enjoys every bite š
Homemade bread is always the best. This one looks delicious. Perfect for any meal.
I agree, nothing beats a good homemade bread. Thanks for stopping by š
Oh my goodness, this looks amazing! I know we could eat the whole loaf in one sitting š
Thanks Chris, it is our favorite and is delicious on its own š
That is a great looking bread. Bravo!
Thank you, I’m glad you like it š
The bread came out beautifully. It looks so soft. You bake well. I love those olives!
Baking is my passion, I love baking and sometimes I start baking late at night. This bread is very tasty, hope you give it a try š
Hi Munathy,
I recently stumbled upon ur website and tried this bread twice already. Simply amazing and easy recipe.Came out perfectly every time. I am going to try more of your receipes soon.
Thabks a lot
Nandhini
Thank you š
Hi! I just wanted to Thank you for sharing your recipe, I loved it! I just added 2 extra ingredients (walnuts and Rosemary)to make it a little bit different and it was delicious!
I ate it with feta cheese! Thanks again!
Hi, Thanks for suggesting these two ingredients, I’m sure my readers will appreciate it š
This recipe looks wonderful. Canāt wait to try it. What kind of black olives do you suggest? Iām assuming not the bland canned black olives?
Hi Chris, it’s best to use black olives that are stored in jars and are sold at farms, but the canned black olives also taste good in this recipe.
I just made it today because I had extra olives. Basic ingredients is a perfect recipe. I made it in two smaller loaf in case I cant finish. Its my first bread and I’m thrilled it became bread and not something else LOL. Just wondering if the texture is supposed to be slightly chewy inside and crispy outside? Just to check if I did it right. do you think i can make it into bun shapes? hehe
Hi Nelly, Thanks for trying my recipe. You should knead the dough a little more to make it softer, and yes it should be slightly crispy from the outside. I’m sure you did a great job š
Bake time 16 mins ????
Yes, but it depends on your oven too. I hope this helped.