ONION & OLIVE BREAD
A tasty, soft crumb, slightly crusty onion and olive bread. Perfect, to enjoy with soups and stews or as sandwich bread.
Ingredients
- 2½ cups bread flour (plain flour) 340g
- 1½ tsp instant active dry yeast
- 200 ml warm water
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp sugar
- 1 medium onion finely chopped
- ⅓ cup olive slices any of your choice
- 1 tsp dried mixed herbs
- ¼ cup tiny cubes of cheddar cheese
- extra olive oil for greasing
- extra flour for dusting
Instructions
- Mix the flour, mixed herbs, salt and sugar together in a big bowl.
- Add the yeast and mix well.
- Add oil and rub into the flour.
- Add water and bring the dough together.
- Dust the worktop lightly with flour.
- Knead the dough using the heel of your palm and fold repeatedly for at least 10-15 minutes till its smooth and silky.
- Alternately, knead in a dough machine for 5-7 minutes.
- Lightly grease the bowl with oil.
- Form a nice tight ball with the dough.
- Place it in the the greased bowl. Cover it with a lid or a damp tea towel.
- Leave the bowl in a warm place for about 1½ hours or till the dough ferments or rises and is double the size.
- Gently deflate the dough.
- Lightly dust the worktop with some flour.
- Pat the dough out on the worktop into a rough rectangle or circle.
- Spread out the chopped onion, olive slices and cheese cubes on the dough.
- Roll the dough into a log.
- Fold it and knead gently so that the onion, olives and cheese get mixed into the dough. Don't over knead the dough.
- Shape the dough into a round ball, making sure that the edges underneath are pinched together.
- Grease a baking tray lightly with olive oil.
- Place the dough ball on the tray.
- Cover with the tea towel and leave it in the oven which has not been switched on as yet.
- Let the dough ferment for 45-60 minutes.
- Take the tray out of the oven.
- Preheat the oven to 200ºC.
- Brush the top of the dough gently with some water.
- Place the tray with the risen dough into the hot oven.
- Bake for 8-10 minutes.
- Lower the heat to 180ºC and bake further for 20-25 minutes or till golden brown in colour.
- Tap the bread gently at the bottom. It should sound hollow.
- Let the bread cool completely on a wire rack before cutting it.
Notes
- If you're not using instant dry yeast, then you need to let the yeast ferment in the warm water. Add sugar to the water and mix well. Add the yeast and mix gently. Cover and let it ferment for 10 minutes or till its frothy. Use the mixture to knead the dough.
- If you want a softer crust, then don't brush the top with water and bake at 180ºC from the beginning. Brush the top with milk.
- Adding cheese is optional.