Fluffy Olive Bread

Patricia, author of Sabores y Momentos, surprises us this time with a tasty and super-easy fluffy bread: an olive bread recipe that will become a classic at home — you'll see there won't be a crumb left!

With summer's arrival, meals on the terrace or porch, dinners in the garden with friends and simple but original snacks become a summer staple. At our house we improvise a lot: friends show up unexpectedly, grandparents come and stay for dinner, or suddenly we're 7 for dinner because besides the five of us two little friends of the kids joined... It's non-stop, but we wouldn't have it any other way! Those are the moments you enjoy!

I bring you what looks like a bread but isn't strictly a bread, since the recipe resembles a cake and the texture too, but it serves as bread because of its savory flavor with olive nuances and texture and because it's the perfect accompaniment to any appetizer or meal during these holidays!

I've been making this recipe for years and it’s always a hit. I usually bake it in a rectangular or loaf pan, but this time I wanted a cuter presentation and baked it in the new rectangular stainless steel pan from De Buyer. I loved the experience, because not only it baked quickly and evenly, but demolding was a matter of seconds thanks to the reusable paper it comes with and best of all, this recipe yielded two olive breads so I could place one on each side of the table (there were quite a few of us, haha!).

Le Creuset bowl-style glass, Tokyo Design Textured ceramic plate and Pallarès knife

For this recipe I also used as a novelty Olive Seeds and Olive Flour Set by La Chinata and I loved it! The only thing you need to do when preparing the recipe is replace 5% to 15% of your usual flour with olive seed flour and whole seeds in the mix to enhance the flavor — you can really tell the difference!! It was a real discovery, as the pack contains seeds extracted from the olive pit, presented both as flour and as whole seeds, which gives you lots of options. You can also use it in many recipes, simply replacing a little of your flour with olive flour… muffins, breads, bundts… whatever you can think of!

Ingredients (for 1 normal rectangular pan or 2 loaves with the De Buyer pan)

• 250g of flour
• 25g of La Chinata olive flour
• 125ml of mild olive oil
• 3 eggs
• 1 natural yogurt
• 60ml of water
• 1 pinch of salt and pepper
• 1 packet of baking powder
• 1 cup of olives chopped into small pieces of various varieties (arbequinas, black, marinated… whichever you like best and adds the most flavor)
• 2 tablespoons of La Chinata olive seeds
• A handful of Herbes de Provence: thyme, oregano…

Preparation

1. We begin by preheating the oven to 180º and preparing the pan in which we will bake it; we will grease it with butter (you can do this in a rectangular pan like the Le Creuset one, although this step won't be necessary if you use the De Buyer stainless steel pan). Then set aside.
2. In a large bowl pour the oil and the natural yogurt, and stir until both textures combine. Next add the regular flour, the baking powder and the olive flour and mix well using electric beaters but at very low speed, or even with hand whisks.
3. Then add the eggs one by one, beating between each so they integrate well
4. Pour the water into the mixture, stir well and add the salt and pepper.
5. Finally incorporate the cup of chopped olives, the two tablespoons of olive seeds and the Herbes de Provence, and mix well until everything is completely integrated.
6. Pour the batter into the pan and bake for 25–30 minutes if using a standard rectangular pan, and about 20 minutes in the De Buyer stainless steel pan, or until a skewer inserted comes out clean.
7. Remove from the oven, let cool on a rack for about 10 minutes and unmold. Let it continue cooling but directly on the rack (on a baking paper) or on the board or tray where you'll serve it.

You'll see how delicious this bread is. You can also decorate it with fresh aromatic herbs and serve with a cheese board — it's a great option!

La Chinata Olive Seeds and Flour Set, Bérard flour spoon and Le Creuset bowl-style glasses

NOTES

• You can make this same recipe in the De Buyer rectangular pan, which being narrower gives you more options and also bakes faster than others. With the proportions in the recipe you'll get two loaves with this pan.
• You can also use one of the more common rectangular pans, like the Le Creuset one or the Birkmann one. Being taller and wider they require a bit more baking time, but the results will be just as tasty.