Recipes

Olive Rolls

  • Serves

    makes 16 Rolls

To make it easier to pit the olives for these addictive rolls (from chef Joel Guillet at Le Mas du Langoustier), gently crush them with a rolling pin first.

Ingredients

  • 2 14 tsp. (1 package) active dry yeast
  • 3 34 cups flour
  • 1 Tbsp. salt
  • 1 Tbsp. sugar
  • 1 Tbsp. wheat gluten
  • 23 cup lukewarm milk
  • 3 12 Tbsp. butter, melted and cooled
  • 1 cup pitted, coarsely chopped mixed olives such as niçoise, green or black arnaud, or picholine
  • 4 tsp. finely chopped fresh thyme
  • 2 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil

Instructions

Step 1

In a medium bowl, dissolve yeast in 1⁄3 cup lukewarm water and set aside for 10 minutes. In a large mixing bowl, combine flour, salt, sugar, and wheat gluten and mix well.

Step 2

Add milk and melted butter to yeast mixture, mix thoroughly, then gradually add to flour mixture, stirring with a wooden spoon. Mix in enough lukewarm water, up to 1⁄3 cup, to form a soft, sticky dough, then turn out onto a lightly floured surface and knead until dough is smooth and elastic, 10–15 minutes. Form dough into a ball, wrap with plastic, and set aside for 5 minutes.

Step 3

Working on a lightly floured surface, flatten dough with your hands into a rectangle about 8" x 11". In a small bowl, combine olives, thyme, and oil. Evenly spread olive mixture over dough, then form dough into a ball. Knead, taking care that olives are uniformly distributed, until dough is smooth, about 5 minutes. Shape dough into 2 16"-long cylinders, then cut each into 8 rounds with a sharp knife. Roll each round into a tight ball, arrange on two well-oiled cookie sheets, loosely cover with plastic, and set aside to rise until doubled, about 1 hour.

Step 4

Preheat oven to 450°. Place a pan of water in bottom of oven (steam helps rolls develop a nice crust), then uncover rolls and bake until lightly browned, 10–15 minutes. Remove from oven and serve warm or at room temperature.

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