Spanish Olive Bread with Olive Oil
Original and delicious - beautiful, zesty, and appetizing! Spanish olive bread with olive oil is no harder to make than regular bread. It looks pretty when sliced and makes an impressive centerpiece on a festive table. Spread pâtés, spreads, or thick sauces on it. It’s great on its own and in appetizers.
Updated : 06 January, 2026
Easy
More than 1 hour.
Ingredients
500 grams
Wheat flour
240 milliliters
Water
120 grams
Olive
10 grams
Dry yeast
1 tablespoon
Olive oil
1.5 teaspoon
Salt
1 teaspoon
Sugar
Table
Table of volume measurements:
- teaspoon - 5 ml
- dessert spoon - 10 ml
- tablespoon - 20 ml
- glass - 200 ml
Preparation
Step 1
How to make airy wheat bread with olives and olive oil? First, prepare the ingredients. Use top-grade wheat flour, preferably with lower gluten/protein (around 10.3 g protein). If you don’t have extra-virgin olive oil, a blend of olive and sunflower oil works, or regular unrefined sunflower oil.
Step 2
Remove the olives from the brine and pat them dry well. Slice into rings, cutting each olive into 2-3 parts.
Step 3
Warm the water to 37-40°C (99-104°F). Dissolve the sugar and yeast in it and leave for 10 minutes until a foamy “cap” forms. If no foam appears, the yeast may be spoiled, or the water was too hot and the dough won’t rise. Start over with different yeast or with cooler/warmer water.
Step 4
Sift the flour into a bowl. Add salt and mix.
Step 5
Make a well in the flour and pour in the yeast mixture and olive oil.
Step 6
Knead a soft dough, adding a little more flour if needed. Don’t overdo the flour, or the bread will turn dense and rubbery instead of airy.
Step 7
When the dough becomes less sticky, add the chopped olives and continue kneading slowly until the dough is uniform.
Step 8
Shape the dough into a ball, cover with a towel, and leave in a warm place for 1.5 hours. (Yeast packages often say 10 g is for 1 kg flour. Here we use that amount for 500 g flour so the dough rises faster and becomes airy. You won’t taste yeast in the baked bread. If you have your own proven yeast-to-flour ratio, use it.)
Step 9
Punch down the risen dough. It’s very pliable - you can shape it into an oval loaf or any shape you like.
Step 10
Or place the dough into a greased rectangular pan and brush the top with vegetable oil. Let it rise for another 30 minutes. Bake in a preheated oven at 190°C / 374°F for about 30-35 minutes. Place a tray or pan of water on the bottom of the oven - yeast dough likes humidity, and the bread will be very airy and porous.
Step 11
Remove the finished bread from the oven, brush with vegetable oil, cover with a cloth, and cool on a rack at room temperature. Slice and serve. Enjoy!
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