El sweet oil bread or the "oil pump" it is a traditional bread from Provence, in southeastern France. Its texture is not as fluffy as that of brioche, but its flavor is unique and very aromatic. Although in its region of origin it’s usually made during the Christmas season, I assure you it’s worth breaking with that tradition and enjoying it for breakfast or as a snack at any time of the year.
One of my favorite moments of the weekend is the Sunday afternoon snack. With back to school and extracurricular activities, it's hard for all of us to get together during the week. And since Saturday is shopping day, the last day before getting back to the weekly routine is perfect for all of us to sit at the table and end up nibbling on a sweet olive oil bread, accompanied by a piece of chocolate or a comforting drink.
The tradition of the sweet olive oil bread recipe
The "oil pump" it is usually shaped like a giant donut, circular and with a hole in the center, and it is usually decorated before baking with pearl sugar or sliced almonds. This gives it a crispy texture on top in addition to making it prettier. But since we're not in Provence and it's not Christmas, we'll make a simple round sweet bread, using the De Buyer tall round stainless steel ring.
The tradition of Provençal cuisine says that This sweet olive oil bread isn’t cut, it’s shared. The best way to do it is to set it in the middle of the table and pinch off pieces directly, without cutting or dividing it. And served with a cup of tea, a good coffee with milk, or a hot chocolate to dip each piece into, amid chats and laughter, Sunday snack time becomes a special family moment that puts a smile on my face from Monday to Friday.
So you can share it in snippets, here's the sweet oil bread recipe.
Ingredients
For the preferment
- 200 g Wheat Flour
- 25 g of fresh baker's yeast
- 150 g of lukewarm water (at 25 °C)
For the dough of the sweet oil bread
- Preferment (all of the preferment above)
- 300 g of wheat flour
- 75 g of unrefined brown sugar
- 10 g of salt
- 150 g of olive oil
- 50 g of orange blossom water
- Zest or candied strips of orange and lemon peel
Preparation
From the preferment
- Dissolve the yeast in the warm water.
- Add the flour and mix until you get a ball.
- Cover and let rest for ¾ of an hour in a warm place.
From the dough
- Add to the preferment the flour, olive oil, orange blossom water, salt, and brown sugar.
- Knead gently for 5 minutes.
- Finish by adding the orange and lemon zest.
- Cover and let rise for 3 hours in a warm place.
- While the dough rests, cut a strip of baking paper to line the inside of the De Buyer tall round stainless steel ring.
- Once the time has passed, shape the dough into a ball and flatten it slightly.
- Place the ring on a baking sheet lined with a smooth baking mat or with parchment paper and place the ball of dough in the center of the ring. Leave to rest for 1 hour in a warm place.
- Bake in a preheated oven at 220 °C for 20 minutes.
- Once out of the oven, brush with a little olive oil and let it cool on a cooling rack.
Notes
- If you prefer, you can replace the zest or the strips of candied orange and lemon peel with chocolate chips.
- Before baking, you can sprinkle a little pearl sugar on top or some sliced almonds, in the traditional Provençal style. It will give the outer layer a very appealing crunchy texture.
Comments
Claudia&Julia said:
Hola Daniel,
Lo sentimos, pero no tenemos en el blog esta recepta adaptada con harinas sin gluten.
Saludos
Claudia&Julia
Daniel said:
¿ Disponen de una versión “sin gluten” de esta misma receta ?
Claudia&Julia said:
Hola Mary,
En la receta usamos harina de trigo común, de todo uso. No necesitas usar harina con una mayor fuerza que la que tiene esta harina.
¡Un saludo!
Mary said:
Hola. ¿Qué grado de fuerza de harina usas? Gracias.
Claudia&Julia said:
Hola Annie,
Puedes usar el molde en el que hagas el bizcocho o también hacerlo en una cacerola que sea apta para el horno.
¡Un saludo!
Annie said:
Hola Familia,
Que otra opción existe si no tienes el aro redondo?
Gracias!!!!