No Knead Olive Bread

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Homemade no knead olive bread is the perfect intersection between artisan bread and salty Mediterranean flavor. This simple recipe is so easy that you only do 10 minutes of work! This artisan-type bread is perfect for dinner parties, holidays, special occasions, and potlucks.

Baked no-knead olive bread in a dutch oven.

No-knead olive bread is the kind of recipe that makes you feel like a bread-baking pro with minimal effort. It’s a rustic, crusty loaf loaded with the rich, salty goodness of olives. It is perfect for dunking into creamy mushroom soup, serving alongside lemon garlic pasta, vegan pasta puttanesca, or dipping into olive oil and balsamic vinegar for dipping bread.

If this is your first time making no-kneed bread, get ready to make the easiest bread ever! Start by mixing the ingredients in a large bowl. Then let it rest for 16 hours, shape, rest, then bake. The yeast does all the work, and the extended rise gives the bread a rich flavor.

If you have a dutch oven, you will want to bake this bread in it. The dutch oven will mimic a commercial bread oven. Which have steam pumped through them. The steam gives the bread it’s crisp golden crust. But, if you do not have a dutch oven, you can still make no kneed bread using a baking sheet. The crust will be less crusty, but the bread will still be delicious!

I am such a fan of no-kneed bread that I have made a traditional artisan version and a no kneed focaccia bread. I have to make focaccia no kneed because it’s the one bread I can never get right, making it the traditional way. Once you are ready to enjoy your bread, remember the olive oil and balsamic vinegar dip!

No Knead Olive Bread

Recipe at a Glance

EASE: Easy! Perfect for bakers of all levels
COURSE: All day, special occasions and holidays
FLAVOR: Mild bread with salty punches from the olives
TIME: 15 Prep | 16 Hours Rest | 45 Minutes Baking

Why You Will Love This Recipe

  • Easy no-knead bread recipe that only takes 15 minutes of hands-on work.
  • No kneading or mixer is needed. In other words, the yeast does all the work while you sleep.
  • Artisan bread brings the WOW factor!
  • The olives give it an artisan Mediterranean flair!
A slice of olive bread showing green and kalamata olives.

Key Ingredient Notes

Ingredients used in making this recipe.
  • Flour – All-purpose flour is the perfect flour for this bread recipe. Bread flour is also a great choice!
  • Olives – Use your favorite olives or olive mix for this recipe. Be sure to choose pitted olives. If you can’t find pre-pitted ones, you’ll need to remove the pits yourself. While there are many varieties, three easy-to-find types are:
    • Black Olives: These olives are easy to buy and slice, making them an easy choice. They are also very mild in flavor, making them perfect for people who like olives but don’t love them.
    • Kalamata Olives: They have a strong salty flavor. This is the perfect choice for olive lovers (I eat them like candy; I love them so much!) During baking kalamatas, the deep purple color will darken and look black. This is normal.
    • Spanish Olives: They are the perfect middle ground. They have an olive flavor, but not too overpowering.
  • Yeast – This recipe uses dry active yeast, the equivalent of one package. Always check the package to ensure the yeast has not expired.

See the recipe card for a complete list of ingredients and measurements.

Step-By-Step Instructions

Step One: Mix Ingredients

  • In a large bowl, combine flour, yeast, salt, and water.
  • Stir the mixture until a sticky dough forms.

Note: Place the salt and yeast on opposite sides of the bowl initially. Direct contact between them can deactivate the yeast, but once they’re mixed with the flour, this is no longer an issue.

Water added to flour, yeast and salt.

Step Two: Add the Olives

  • Drain the olives and pat them dry.
  • Remove the pits, if necessary, and give the olives a rough chop.
  • Pat the chopped olives dry again to remove excess moisture.
No knead olive bread with the olives added.

Step Three: Rest and Rise

  • Cover the bowl with plastic wrap or a clean kitchen towel.
  • Let the dough rest at room temperature for 16–18 hours. Yes, it takes that long!

Note: This extended rise is key to developing a rich flavor. If your home is cold, the dough may need more time to rise. If it’s warm, it may rise faster.

Dough after rising over night.

Step Four: Shaping

  • Prepare a sheet of parchment paper by lightly dusting it with flour.
  • Gently release the dough from the bowl using a spatula or your hands
  • Place the dough onto the parchment paper and shape it into a ball.
  • Cover the dough with a lightly oiled piece of plastic wrap to prevent sticking.
  • Let the dough rest for about 30 minutes.
  • While the dough is resting, preheat your oven to 450°F (225°C). Place your Dutch oven, with its lid on, on the middle rack to preheat. It’s important that the Dutch oven is very hot when the dough goes in.
Olive bread in a bowl that has been shaped and is ready to bake.

Step Five: Bake

  • Carefully transfer the dough (still on the parchment paper) into the preheated Dutch oven.
  • Use a sharp knife, to score an “X” into the top of the dough.
  • Cover the Dutch oven with its lid and bake for 30 minutes.
  • Remove the lid and bake for an additional 15–20 minutes or until the crust turns a deep golden brown.
  • To test if the bread is fully cooked, tap the underside. If it’s cooked, it will sound hollow.
Olive dough in a hot Dutch oven ready to be baked.

My Best Tip

  • Use a Dutch oven to bake this bread. It creates an environment that mimics a commercial oven, resulting in a perfect golden crust. If you do not have a bread-specific Dutch oven, I recommend using one with a dark inside. If using a light-colored Dutch oven, note that the steam will cause condensation that can leave stains. You can see this in the Dutch oven directly above.
Hand dipping olive bread into olive oil.

Frequently Asked Questions

Yes! Swap up to half of the all-purpose flour for whole wheat. You can adjust this as you prefer. However, I do not recommend using more than half wheat flour.

Lightly flour your hands when handling the bread. The flour makes it a lot easier to work with sticky dough.

You can bake this bread on a baking sheet instead of a Dutch oven. The main difference is the crust will be much softer than pictured.

Storing Instructions

You can store this bread at room temperature for up to two days. You will want to wrap it in a tea towel or a paper bag. If you store it in plastic, the bread will become soft, and you will lose the crisp crust.

You can slice and freeze the bread if you need to store it longer. First, let it cool to room temperature. Wrap each slice individually in plastic wrap or parchment paper and then in a freezer bag. When you’re ready to eat, take a slice and toast it or warm it in the oven at 350°F for about 10 minutes.

Credit: This recipe was adapted from Jim Lahey no-kneed recipe printed in the NYT in 2006.

If you tried this no knead olive bread recipe or any other recipe on my blog leave a star rating and let me know how it went in the comments below.

Baked no-knead olive bread in a dutch oven.

No Knead Rosemary Bread

No knead Rosemary bread
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Course: All Day
Cuisine: Mediterranean
Diet:
Servings: 12 Slices
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 50 minutes
Total Time: 19 hours

Equipment

  • 1 dutch oven or baking sheet
  • 1 Large bowl
  • 1 wooden spoon or rubber spatula
  • 1 Sheet of parchment paper
  • 2 sheets of plastic wrap

Ingredients

  • 3 ¼ cups (410g) all-purpose flour or bread flour
  • 1 ½ teaspoons (9g) salt
  • 2 teaspoons instant or rapid-rise yeast
  • 1 ½ cups lukewarm water

Instructions

Step One: Mix Ingredients

  • In a large bowl, combine flour, yeast, salt, and water.
  • Stir the mixture until a sticky dough forms.
  • Note: Place the salt and yeast on opposite sides of the bowl initially. Direct contact between them can deactivate the yeast, but once they’re mixed with the flour, this is no longer an issue.

Step Three: Rest and Rise

  • Cover the bowl with plastic wrap or a clean kitchen towel.
  • Let the dough rest at room temperature for 16–18 hours. Yes, it takes that long!
  • Note: This extended rise is key to developing a rich flavor. If your home is cold, the dough may need more time to rise. If it’s warm, it may rise faster.

Step Four: Shaping

  • Prepare a sheet of parchment paper by lightly dusting it with flour.
  • Gently release the dough from the bowl using a spatula or your hands
  • Place the dough onto the parchment paper and shape it into a ball.
  • Cover the dough with a lightly oiled piece of plastic wrap to prevent sticking.
  • Let the dough rest for about 30 minutes.
  • While the dough is resting Preheat your oven to 450°F (225°C). Place your Dutch oven, with its lid on, on the middle rack to preheat. It’s important that the Dutch oven is very hot when the dough goes in.

Step Five: Bake

  • Carefully transfer the dough (still on the parchment paper) into the preheated Dutch oven.
  • Use a sharp knife, to score an “X” into the top of the dough.
  • Cover the Dutch oven with its lid and bake for 30 minutes.
  • Remove the lid and bake for an additional 15–20 minutes or until the crust turns a deep golden brown.
  • To test if the bread is fully cooked, tap the underside. If it’s cooked, it will sound hollow.

Notes

  •  
 

Storing Instructions

You can store this bread at room temperature for up to two days. You will want to wrap it in a tea towel or a paper bag. If you store it in plastic, the bread will become soft, and you will lose the crisp crust.
You can slice and freeze the bread if you need to store it longer. First, let it cool to room temperature. Wrap each slice individually in plastic wrap or parchment paper and then in a freezer bag. When you’re ready to eat, take a slice and toast it or warm it in the oven at 350°F for about 10 minutes.
Nutritional Information has been calculated by loaf and not slice.

Nutrition

Calories: 278kcal | Carbohydrates: 50g | Protein: 7g | Fat: 5g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 3g | Sodium: 702mg | Potassium: 86mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 0.3g | Vitamin A: 116IU | Vitamin C: 0.002mg | Calcium: 25mg | Iron: 3mg
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Ruth holding a whisk to her chin.

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