← Nouns Cooking · Greek

Ingredients

• 7 g fast-action dried yeast (1 sachet)
• 1 tsp Sugar
• 330 ml lukewarm water
• 300 g strong bread flour
• 300 g plain flour, plus extra for kneading
• 1½ tsp Salt
• 4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 200 g Kalamata olives, pitted and roughly chopped
• 2 tsp Dried oregano
• 1 sprig Rosemary, leaves finely chopped (optional)

Method

1. Stir the yeast and sugar into the warm water and leave for 5 min until foamy.
2. Mix both flours and the salt in a big bowl, pour in the yeast water and oil and bring together into a shaggy dough. Knead for 10 min until smooth and elastic.
3. Pat the olives dry, then knead them in with the oregano and rosemary until evenly spread. Put the dough in an oiled bowl, cover and leave somewhere warm for 1–1½ hours, until doubled.
4. Knock the dough back, shape it into a tight round or oval loaf and set it on a lined tray. Cover and leave for 45 min until puffy.
5. Heat the oven to 220°C (200°C fan, 425°F). Slash the top, brush with a little oil and bake for 15 min, then lower to 200°C (180°C fan, 400°F) and bake for 20–25 min more, until deep golden and hollow-sounding underneath.
6. Cool on a rack for at least 30 min before slicing.

Tips

• Dry the olives well; wet olives make sticky, heavy patches in the crumb.
• Add a handful of chopped sun-dried tomatoes or a little feta for a festive version (feta makes it non-vegan).

Sources

Written in our own words after cross-checking these recipes:

Dimitras Dishes Diane Kochilas