Although yeast breads can be a bit time consuming to make, there is nothing to compare to a loaf of freshly baked bread enjoyed straight from the oven. Leftover tomato olive bread can be toasted the next day, and served along with breakfast. The bread can also be sliced thinly and used for creating a variety of sandwiches. The bread would also work well in a variety of panini sandwich recipes.
Ingredients for Tomato Olive Bread
- 2 teaspoons dry yeast
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- Approximately 1 1/4 cups warm water
- 3 cups unbleached bread flour
- Extra bread flour for kneading
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup corn meal
- Extra corn meal for dusting bread dough
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 tablespoons fresh oregano - chopped
- 1 cup black olives - drained, pitted and chopped
- 3/4 cup sun dried tomatoes packed in olive oil - drained and chopped
Directions for Tomato Olive Bread
- Add 1/2 cup of the warm water to a small bowl.
- Add the granulated sugar and stir until thoroughly dissolved.
- Sprinkle the yeast on top of the water and set aside until the yeast has begun to turn frothy. This step will take approximately 10 minutes.
- In a large bowl, sift together the bread flour and salt.
- Stir in the 1 cup of corn meal.
- Add the yeast mixture, olive oil and oregano to the bowl of dry ingredients.
- Add 2/3 cup warm water, and thoroughly mix the liquids into the dry ingredients.
- Add a bit more warm water, if necessary, to form a soft dough.
- Form the dough into a ball and knead on a floured work surface for 3-5 minutes.
- Add additional bread flour to the ball of dough, if necessary, to prevent it from sticking to the work surface.
- Coat the bottom of a clean bowl with non-stick cooking spray.
- Place the bread dough into the bowl.
- Cover the top of the bowl with a clean kitchen towel.
- Let the dough rise, in a warm location, such as on top of a refrigerator, until doubled in size. This step can take between 1 and 2 hours.
- Return the dough to the floured work surface and knead in the black olives and sun dried tomatoes. Add the vegetables a little bit at a time. Don't be alarmed if some of the black olives or tomatoes poke through the top of the dough.
- Form the dough into a loaf shape. Roll the dough in a bit of corn meal then place the dough into a bread pan which has been sprayed with non-stick cooking spray.
- Use a serrated knife to cut diagonal lines across the top of the dough.
- Set the pan of dough aside and let it rise for 30 to 60 minutes, or until it fills the pan.
- Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.
- Place the pan of dough in the oven, and let bake for 35-40 minutes.
- Remove the pan from the oven, and let cool slightly before slicing.
Bread Baking Tips
Fleischmann's dry yeast is available in 1/4 ounce foil packets. Each packet contains approximately 2 teaspoons of yeast.
Other fresh herbs, such as thyme, marjoram or parsley, may be substituted for the oregano, if desired.
Make sure that both the black olives and sun dried tomatoes are well drained before adding them to the bread dough. If there is too much moisture on the olives, or too much oil left on the tomatoes, the bread dough will turn into a sticky mess.
Serve the bread, fresh from the oven, with softened butter or margarine.
Additional Recipes
The Herb Infused Bread Dipping Oil article includes recipes for making two varieties of flavored oil. Serve one or more dipping oils along with the tomato olive bread for a unique treat. The Onion Herb Bread article contains a recipe for making homemade bread flavored with herbs, poppy seeds and onion. A terrific recipe for making rosemary, garlic or red onion flat breads, can be found in the article Focaccia Bread Three Ways.
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