Olives are amongst the oldest foods known to man and certainly amongst the most delicious. Widely used in many countries in the world today, the Biblical symbolism becomes more and more relevant in our current economic circumstances. Add olives to your bread mix so that you need nothing else – butter would spoil it, as would anything else and it doesn’t need olive oil or salt, so there you go! Making bread is most satisfying and while it does take time, it isn’t too difficult – the most bothersome thing about baking bread is that it requires kneading. Be generous with the olives and try to use the best flour you can find.

Ingredients

• 500 g strong white flour
• 200 g black olives (Gaeta olives are really good here), pitted and halved
• 100 g butter, melted
• 25 g fresh yeast
• 250 ml water, warm
• pinch of salt

Method

• Mix the flour and salt in a large bowl and make a well in the centre.
• Dissolve the yeast in the water and mix with the flour into a dough.
• Transfer it onto a floured working surface (your table will do) and knead for at least 15 minutes, incorporating the butter as you do so – I usually add half the butter in the beginning and then the rest as you go on.
• Once it’s firm, smooth and springy, form a ball and put into a buttered or oiled mixing bowl, cover with cling wrap or (a cloth) and allow to rise until doubled in size (about an hour or thereabouts).
• Once the dough has risen, knead down and incorporate the olives, making sure that it has mixed well.
• Shape into a ball again and put back, covered, into the oiled bowl for about 1½ hours.
• Pre-heat the oven to 240 C.
• Grease the baking sheet well, dust with flour, shape the dough and bake for 40 minutes until the top is golden and the brown sounds hollow when you knock on it.

Remove from the oven, allow to cool and serve.