NO-KNEAD OLIVE ARTISAN BREAD RECIPE 🍞

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NO-KNEAD OLIVE ARTISAN BREAD RECIPE 🍞
A rustic, crusty loaf with briny olives, minimal effort, and big flavor.

🧡 INTRODUCTION

There’s something soul-soothing about baking bread—especially when it’s no-knead, stress-free, and leaves your kitchen smelling like a cozy countryside bakery. This No-Knead Olive Artisan Bread is a Mediterranean dream: golden crust, chewy interior, and studded with juicy, salty olives. Serve it with a bowl of minestrone soup, a hearty tomato ragu, or just warm with a drizzle of olive oil and balsamic vinegar. Once you try this, you might never go back to store-bought bread again.

🫒 HISTORY

The no-knead bread method was popularized by Jim Lahey of Sullivan Street Bakery in New York, bringing professional-level artisan bread into home kitchens with minimal tools and effort. Incorporating olives into bread has deep Mediterranean roots, especially in countries like Greece, Italy, and France, where olive trees have been treasured for centuries.

📝 INGREDIENTS

Dry:

  • 3 cups (360 g) all-purpose or bread flour
  • 1½ tsp salt
  • ½ tsp instant yeast
  • ¾ cup pitted Kalamata or green olives, chopped
  • 1 tsp dried rosemary (optional, for an herbal touch)

Wet:

  • 1½ cups (360 ml) lukewarm water (around 100°F or 38°C)

🥣 INSTRUCTIONS

🔹 Step 1: Mix & Rest (The Night Before)

  1. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, salt, and yeast.
  2. Stir in chopped olives and rosemary.
  3. Add the water and mix with a wooden spoon or spatula until you have a shaggy, sticky dough.
  4. Cover the bowl tightly with plastic wrap or a clean towel and let it sit at room temperature for 12–18 hours.

🔹 Step 2: Shape the Dough

  1. After resting, the dough will look bubbly and very soft.
  2. Lightly flour a clean surface. Turn the dough out and fold it over itself a few times to form a round loaf.
  3. Let it rest, seam-side down, on parchment paper for about 30–45 minutes.

🔹 Step 3: Preheat & Bake

  1. Preheat your oven to 450°F (230°C) with a Dutch oven (or heavy pot with lid) inside.
  2. Once preheated, carefully lift the dough (using the parchment) and place it into the hot pot.
  3. Cover with the lid and bake for 30 minutes.
  4. Remove the lid and bake another 10–15 minutes until the crust is deeply golden and crackling.

🔹 Step 4: Cool & Slice

  1. Carefully remove bread from the pot and let it cool on a wire rack for at least 30 minutes before slicing.
  2. Resist the urge to cut it hot—this helps the crumb set and develop flavor.

🛠️ METHODS

  • No-knead fermentation: Uses time, not kneading, to develop gluten.
  • High-moisture dough: Creates steam inside the pot for that crispy artisan crust.
  • Dutch oven baking: Simulates bakery-style steam ovens.

💌 CONCLUSION

This loaf is proof (pun intended) that you don’t need a bakery or fancy mixer to make world-class bread at home. Whether you serve it with pasta, dip it into soup, or tear off chunks to snack on, this bread delivers every time. And the olives? They’re little bursts of briny joy in every bite.

💕 LOVERS OF THIS RECIPE SAY:

“This bread tastes like it came from a European bakery. I served it with spaghetti bolognese and my whole family raved!” — Melissa R.

“The crust was phenomenal, and it was the easiest bread I’ve ever made.” — James B.

“I used green olives and sun-dried tomatoes—chef’s kiss!” — Nadia G.

🌿 VARIATION LOVERS’ METHODS

  • Add-ins: Try chopped sun-dried tomatoes, garlic, feta, or caramelized onions.
  • Flour swaps: Use half whole wheat for a nuttier flavor.
  • Herbs: Add thyme, oregano, or basil for more Mediterranean flair.

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