Kalamata Olive Bread

Two loaves of kalamata olive bread made for less than $4.

Both of my daughters love kalamata olive bread and ask me to buy it for them at our neighborhood market. The price though is hard for me to swallow - $4.99 for a very small loaf.

Starting today, they'll get it more often because I found I can make it myself for a lot less - two large loaves for under $4.

The kalamata olives are the most expensive ingredient in the recipe. The best price I've found on them is a 12 oz. jar of pitted olives at Trader Joe's for $2.99.

The rest of the ingredients - flour, yeast, salt and a bit of sugar are under $1.

Besides saving money, baking your own bread is satisfying, makes your house smell great and you get to eat it hot right out of the oven. Yum!

Cook's treat! A slice of warm bread.

Kalamata Olive Bread
(Makes 2 loaves)

Sponge Ingredients:
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups water
1/8 teaspoon active dry yeast

At least 4 hours before you want to make the bread, combine the flour, water and yeast in a large bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and leave out at room temperature.

Dough Ingredients:
Sponge mixture
1 cup warm water
1 teaspoon active dry yeast
1 teaspoon sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
4 1/2 to 5 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup sliced Kalamata olives

In a small bowl combine the warm water, yeast and sugar. Let this set for 5 minutes.

In a large bowl combine the sponge, yeast mixture and salt. Mix well. Add the flour a cup at a time until a soft dough forms. Add the olives and knead them into the dough. Keep kneading until the dough is smooth and elastic.

Place the dough in a large bowl. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap or a clean towel and set it in a warm place for the dough to rise until it is double in bulk. This takes 1 1/2 to 2 hours.

Divide the dough in half. Shape each half into a loaf and place on a parchment lined or lightly greased baking sheet. Let the loaves rise for 30 to 40 minutes.

The loaves rising before baking.

Preheat oven to 450 degrees and set aside a 1/2 cup of water.

When the loaves are ready to bake, place them on the middle rack of the oven and underneath toss in the 1/2 cup of water. Immediately close the door and leave it closed during baking so that the steam doesn't escape.

Adding the water to the hot oven helps the bread form a nice chewy crust.


Reduce the temperature to 400 degrees and bake for 30 to 35 minutes or until the loaves are a golden brown color.