Rosemary and olive bread.

Rosemary and olive bread is a grate and tasty thing to eat. The flavours of the olives and rosemary punctuating threw out the crisp crust and soft centre. This recipe you can make as one big loaf or just as individual loaves. And the great thing is that it is not to difficult to make.

You will need the following ingredients to make this version of the bread.

15g/½ oz fresh compressed yeast
240ml/8floz warm water
325g/12oz strong or bread flour
1 tsp sugar
2tsp salt
3 to 4 tbsp olive oil
110g/4oz black olives
A good bunch of rosemary

Now if you can make this one of two ways. Both are as good as each other. One you make the dough and then decorate the bread with the rosemary and the olives before you bake it. Normally you make it in a large flat loaf, making indentations in to the top of the bread. With your finger poke a hole in the dough and them spiking in the olives and rosemary. Alternate between olive and rosemary and you get a very effective looking loaf of bread.

My preferred way is a little different and every one gets a little of the rosemary and the olives. Take your olives and slice them up and them strip the leaves of the rosemary and chop them up. Add the rosemary and olives to a pan with the olive oil and just warm threw so that all the flavours get to start working with on e another. Then place this to one side and allow to cool.

Now take your yeast and place that in to a blow. Sprinkle with a little sugar and then add some of the warm water. The sugar really starts the yeast working and helps speed the whole bread making process along. But be careful not to use too much or your yeast will be exhausted before you finish. When it has got a good frothy top on it you know it is ready.

Now take your flour salt and sugar put them in to a bowl. Add the olive and rosemary mix from the frying pan and just start to stir that in to the dry mix. Then add the yeast and water and the rest of the warm water and work it all together till you get a dough that comes cleanly away from the sides of the bowl. Then you need to knead the bread, now if you are doing this by hand really go for it. If you knead bread and do not feel a little out of breath at then you have not done it right.

Now let it rise, I just place a tea towel over it and put it in a nice warm place. Once it has doubled in size then take it out of the blow and knock it back. By this I mean knead it a little and them shape it in to the shape that you want. And now just leave it once more and let it rise. Once more when it has doubled in size once more then you can bake it.

Pre heat the oven to 200°c , 400°f or gas mark 6. Bake fro about 30 minuets till crispy and golden brown. When it is done just tap it on the base and see if it sounds hollow.

Then let it cool a little cut of a good chunk and have some cheese and a good red wine at hand and you have a real treat in store.


Recipe, Rosemary and olive bread .

Simple to make classic bread recipe .