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Greek Olive Bread with Rosemary and Oregano
This hearty loaf is our take on eliopsomo, a traditional Greek olive bread. Bolstered by whole-wheat flour and honey, the dough is soft and subtly sweet—a nice contrast to the savoriness of Kalamata olives. Kneading chopped olives directly into the dough interferes with gluten development, resulting in a weaker crumb structure, so instead we flatten the dough into a rectangle, sprinkle on a filling of chopped Kalamatas mixed with rosemary and garlic, then roll it up into a log. After baking, slicing the loaf reveals a salty, herbaceous spiral that runs through it. For making this dough, we also employ a brief autolyse, or resting time after combining the flours and liquids. This step allows the whole-wheat flour to hydrate and jumpstarts gluten development.
Makes one
1½-pound loaf
Tip
Don’t be tempted to add extra flour when mixing the dough; it may look quite sticky, but will firm up as it rises. Unlike many bread doughs, this one will be wet enough to cling to the bowl—it will not clear the sides—when kneading is complete.
3¼ hours
45 minutes active, plus cooling
Ingredients
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1
cup warm water (100°F), plus more if needed
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1½
tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for brushing
Directions
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01In a liquid measuring cup or small bowl, stir together the water, oil and 2 teaspoons honey. In the bowl of a stand mixer with the dough hook, mix both flours, the yeast, dried oregano and pepper on low until combined, about 5 seconds. With the mixer running, add the water mixture and mix until a soft, slightly lumpy dough forms, about 3 minutes, scraping the bowl once or twice. Feel the dough; it should be sticky. If not, add water 1 teaspoon at a time, mixing after each addition, until the dough feels sticky but not wet. Let rest in the mixer bowl for 5 minutes.
