OLIVE BREAD

500g plain flour

2.5 tbsp yeast
1 tsp salt
1 pinch sugar
300ml lukewarm water
100g olives, chopped

1. Preheat oven to 220°C.

2. In bowl add flour, yeast, salt and sugar.

3. Add water and knead on a lightly floured surface until smooth and silky. This will take approximately five minutes. Add a little more flour to your bench top if the dough starts to stick.

4. Leave to rise in a lightly oiled bowl, covered for an hour until doubled in size.

5. Knead olives in to the dough and form in to an oval shape.

6. Place on a baking paper lined tray, cover with tea towel and leave to rise again for an hour.

7. Brush the loaf with olive oil and bake for 25 minutes until browned on top.

Notes

• You can form this bread in to a flatter loaf or three small loaves, whatever you like.

• If you don’t like olives or want to mix it up, you could always put fried rosemary, potato or date and walnut in to the loaf instead.

• I like to serve my bread sliced and toasted with a side of tuscan herbed oil for dipping.