Olive Bread

Delicious with any soup or salad… and great toasted the next day!

Step: 1

Place water, yeast, and molasses in a mixing bowl; stir to mix. Let stand for a few minutes until mixture is creamy and foamy.

Step: 2

Add olive oil and salt; mix. Add flour, about a cup at a time, until dough is too stiff to stir. Add olives and fresh herbs.

Step: 3

Turn dough out onto a lightly floured board. Knead, adding flour as needed to keep from being sticky, until smooth and elastic. Place in well oiled bowl, and turn to coat the dough surface with oil. Allow to rise until doubled in bulk, about an hour or so.

Step: 4

Punch the dough down, split into two pieces, and form into two round loaves. Place on greased baking sheet . Spray with cold water and sprinkle with sesame seeds if desired. Let loaves rise for 25 to 30 minutes.

Step: 5

Bake at 400 degrees F (205 degrees C) for about 45 minutes, or until they are brown and sound hollow when tapped on the bottom.

Per Serving: 186 calories; protein 5.7g; carbohydrates 32.3g; fat 3.6g; sodium 383.9mg.

The quality of the flour could make a real deal to your bread. Different brands do vary. Great taste or Canadian flours, which are naturally higher in gluten, may give you a better rise than standard bread flours – especially if you’re make wholemeal dough , which doesn’t always getting bigger as well as clear bread.

To make this in a dough , add all the ingredients to your breadmaker and follow the manufacturer’s instructions.

A bread first rising can be done in the fridge 24 hours . This slows down the time it takes to rise to double its size, giving it a deeper flavour. It’s also a great limit , as you can work it night before , then clear it off the next day.