Rosemary Olive Bread

Ingredients

• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 275 g wheat flour
• 2 tbsp black olives (pitted)
• 0.25 tsp Salt
• 20 g yeast
• 2 sprigs Rosemary
• flour (for the work surface)
• salt water (for brushing)

Instructions

1. 1.

   Crush the yeast and dissolve it in 2 tbsp lukewarm water. Add another 100 ml water and mix with the yeast and salt. Stir in wheat flour and oil. Knead everything into a smooth dough, cover, and let rise at a warm place for about 1 hour.

2. 2.

   Meanwhile, roughly chop the olives. Wash the rosemary and shake it dry. Pull the needles off the stems; set aside some needles for garnish, finely chop the rest. Briefly knead the dough again, incorporating the olives and chopped rosemary.

3. 3.

   Shape the dough on a lightly floured surface into an elongated flat loaf. Make several 3–4 cm deep slashes along one long side. Lightly crumple the loaf and place it on a parchment-lined tray. Twist the cut edges with your fingers, cover, and let rise at a warm spot for about 30 minutes.

4. 4.

   Preheat the oven to 200 °C. Place a heat‑proof dish of boiling water in the oven. Brush the loaf’s surface with salt water, sprinkle rosemary needles, and bake for 30–40 minutes until golden brown.