Olive Oil Bread Recipes

Steps:

• Tip the flour into a mixing bowl. For easy-blend dried yeast, stir this into the flour. For fresh yeast, crumble it and rub into the flour as you would with butter when making pastry. Add the salt and sugar.
• Boil the kettle and measure 100ml into a jug. Top up with cold water to the 300ml mark. Test the temperature with your finger - it should feel perfectly hand-hot. Add the oil.
• Make a well in the centre of the dry ingredients and pour in the liquid all at once. Mix quickly using your hands or a wooden fork to make a soft and slightly sticky dough. Wipe the dough around the bowl to pick up any loose flour.
• Sprinkle the work surface with flour and tip out the dough. Knead by stretching it away from you, then folding it in half towards you and pushing it away with the heel of your hand. Give it a quarter turn and repeat, developing a rhythm.
• When the dough is smooth, put it back into the mixing bowl, cover with a tea towel and leave to rest for 1 hr (no need to find a warm place). The dough is ready when it springs back when you press it with your finger. (At this stage, you can add other flavourings - see 'Goes well with', right).
• Tip dough onto a floured surface, knead to remove air bubbles. Shape into a round, place on an oiled baking sheet and slash top with sharp knife. Cover and rise for 30 mins. Heat oven to 240C/220C fan/gas 8. Bake for 30-35 mins until browned and crisp.

Steps:

• Pour the olive oil onto a salad plate. Use a garlic press to press the garlic cloves onto five different spots on the plate. Drizzle the balsamic vinegar over the oil and garlic. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese and oregano. Season with black pepper.

Steps:

• Stir together the olive oil, basil, parsley, garlic, thyme, oregano, black pepper, rosemary, salt, red pepper, and lemon juice in a bowl. Sprinkle the Parmesan cheese over the surface of the oil mixture.

Steps:

• In a large bowl mix together the warm water, yeast, sugar, salt, and olive oil.
• Stir in 2 cups of the flour in order to make a soft ball.
• Knead in additional flour so that dough is soft and not sticky.
• Place kneaded dough in a medium size greased bowl. Cover and let rise until doubled in size.
• Punch down dough, and form into ball or loaf shape.
• Place onto a greased cookie sheet.
• Cover and let rise for 15 to 20 minutes.
• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
• Bake in the preheated oven for 30 to 40 minutes, until golden brown.

Steps:

• In a large bowl mix together the warm water (110 degrees), yeast, sugar, salt, and olive oil. Stir in 2 cups of the flour in order to make a soft ball. Knead in additional flour so that dough is soft and not sticky. Place kneaded dough in a medium size greased bowl. Cover and let rise until doubled in size.
• Punch down dough, and form into ball or loaf shape. Place onto a greased cookie sheet. Cover and let rise for 15 to 20 minutes. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
• Bake in the preheated oven for 30 to 40 minutes, until golden brown.

Steps:

• Combine the flour, yeast, and salt in a food processor. Turn on the machine and add the olive oil through the feed tube, followed by 3/4 cup water. Process for about 30 seconds, adding more water, 1 tablespoon at a time, until the mixture forms a ball and is slightly sticky to the touch.
• Turn the dough onto a floured work surface and, by hand, knead in the rosemary until the dough feels smooth. Put it in a bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and let rise until the dough doubles in size, about 2 hours. (You can cut this rising time as short as 1 hour if you are in a hurry, or you can let the dough rise more slowly, in the refrigerator, for up to 8 hours. At this point, you may also wrap the dough tightly in plastic and freeze for up to a month; defrost in a covered bowl in the refrigerator or at room temperature.)
• Lightly dust a work surface with flour. Shape the dough into a boule, sprinkling with flour as necessary but keeping it to a minimum. Line a colander or large bowl with a well-floured kitchen towel, set the loaf in the bowl, and cover with another towel (this keeps it from spreading too much). Let the dough rise for at least an hour and preferably longer, up to 2 hours.
• About 45 minutes before the dough has risen, heat the oven to 425°F. Put an ovenproof skillet (preferably cast iron) on the floor or the lowest rack while the oven heats. If you're using a baking stone, put it on the rack above the skillet while the oven heats; if not, line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
• Once you're ready to bake, slide or turn the dough out onto a lightly floured peel or flexible cutting board, seam side down, or just transfer it to the prepared baking sheet. Rub the loaf with a little flour (this helps prevent scorching) and slash the top with a sharp knife or razor blade. Use the peel or cutting board to slide the loaf onto the baking stone or slide the baking sheet into the oven. Partially pull out the rack with the heated skillet and very carefully pour 1 cup hot water into the skillet (it will create a lot of steam). Slide the rack back in and immediately close the oven door
• Bake for 45 to 50 minutes, turning the bread or the baking sheet halfway through, until the crust is golden brown, the bottom sounds hollow when tapped, and the internal temperature reaches 200°F on a quick-read thermometer. If the bread is browning too quickly, lower the temperature to 400°F. Remove and cool on a wire rack.
• Variations:
• Rosemary Olive Oil Bread With Olives or Tomatoes: In Step 2, knead 1 cup halved pitted oil-cured olives, roughly chopped dried tomatoes, or a combination into the dough along with the rosemary.
• Olive Oil Bread With Onions and Mint: A nice combo; you can make this with olives too (see the preceding variation), but omit the rosemary. In Step 2, knead 1 large onion, chopped, into the dough in place of or along with the olives. Add 1 tablespoon chopped fresh mint if you like.
• Pancetta and Black Pepper Bread: Rich, savory, and packed with flavor: You can use olive oil here if you'd rather not use the pancetta pan drippings: Omit the rosemary. Chop 1 pound pancetta (or bacon) and cook until it's crisp. Drain the meat and set it aside, reserving 1/3 cup of the rendered fat. If you don't have enough, add olive oil or good-quality lard to make up the balance. Proceed with the recipe, using the reserved fat in place of the oil. In Step 2, knead in the pancetta pieces and 2 tablespoons coarsely ground black pepper.

Steps:

• In the bowl of an electric mixer, combine the water, flour, yeast, and olive oil; stir with a wooden spoon until all ingredients are incorporated. Cover with plastic wrap, and let rise in a warm place until doubled in bulk, 1 hour to 1 hour 15 minutes.
• Attach the bowl to the mixer fitted with the dough hook. Add the salt, and mix to combine on low speed. Raise the speed to medium, and beat until the dough pulls away from the sides of the bowl but is still sticky, about 3 minutes.
• Turn out the dough onto a lightly floured work surface. Knead it for 1 minute, then transfer to a large, lightly oiled bowl. Cover with lightly oiled plastic wrap. Let rise in a warm place until doubled in bulk, about 1 hour.
• Return the dough to a lightly floured work surface. Fold in the following fashion: Fold the bottom third of the dough up, the top third down, and the right and left sides over, tapping the dough after each fold to release excess flour, and pressing down to seal. Flip the dough seam side down on the work surface, and cover with oiled plastic wrap; let rest for about 15 minutes.
• Dust a large wooden peel with cornmeal; set aside. Transfer dough to a clean work surface. (If the dough is overly sticky, you can lightly flour the surface.) To shape the dough, cup it between your rounded palms; roll it in a circular motion, pulling down on the surface of the dough to form a tight, smooth round. (The bottom of the dough should "catch"or drag a bit on the table as you roll; this will help it take shape.) Transfer the round of dough to the prepared peel, and drape with a piece of oiled plastic wrap. Let the dough rest on the peel until slightly puffed, about 30 minutes. Meanwhile, place a baking stone on the floor of the oven. Preheat the oven to 450°F.
• With a lame or a razor blade, make four slashes on top of the loaf to form a square. Slide the loaf onto the stone, and bake until the crust is dark golden brown, about 35 minutes. Place bread on a wire rack to cool before slicing.
• Follow instructions for Olive-Oil Bread, dividing the dough into 16 pieces (2 1/2 ounces each) with a bench scraper. Shape the dough balls as directed above, and transfer to a baking sheet lined with oiled parchment paper. Let rise, then bake until rolls are golden brown, about 20 minutes. Makes 16.
• Once the loaf is shaped, a square is slashed into the risen dough. The slashes help ensure that the bread will expand evenly as it bakes.

Steps:

• In a large bowl, dissolve yeast in warm water. Add the oil, sugar, salt and 2 cups flour. Beat until smooth. Stir in enough remaining flour to form a firm dough., Turn onto a floured surface; knead until smooth and elastic, about 6-8 minutes. Place in a greased bowl, turning once to grease top. Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 1 hour., Punch dough down. Roll into a 16-in. x 12-in. rectangle. Sprinkle olives to within 1/2 in. of edges. Roll up jelly-roll style, starting with a long side; pinch seams to seal and tuck ends under. Place seam side down on a greased baking sheet. Cover and let rise until doubled, about 20 minutes., Bake at 375° for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown. Cool on a wire rack.

Steps:

• Heat oven to 350 degrees. Butter an 8-inch loaf pan.
• In a large bowl, use a rubber spatula to mix together the grated zucchini, sugar, olive oil, yogurt, eggs and vanilla extract.
• Whisk together the flour, salt, baking soda, baking powder, lemon zest and spices in a separate bowl. Fold the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients. Fold in the walnuts if using.
• Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan and bake for 40 to 55 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through baking. The bread will be done when a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean.
• Cool on a wire rack for 10 minutes. Remove the bread from the pan and cool on a rack completely before cutting and serving.