There are loaves you bake because bread is needed. And then there are loaves like this Vegan Olive Sourdough Bread — the kind that comes out of the oven with a crackling, deeply blistered crust, a wild, open crumb that tears into long strands with the satisfying resistance of properly fermented dough, and the complex, tangy flavor of a long, slow sourdough fermentation threaded throughout with pockets of briny, intensely savory olives that make every single slice its own genuinely extraordinary experience. This is that loaf. The one that fills the kitchen with a smell so good people come to investigate. The one that makes store-bought bread feel like a completely different category of food.
This recipe uses a true sourdough method — a wild yeast starter, an overnight cold fermentation, and a covered Dutch oven bake that traps steam and creates the characteristic crackling, deeply colored crust that defines great sourdough. Kalamata and green olives folded through the dough during the stretching process distribute themselves in irregular pockets throughout the crumb, providing briny, savory bursts that contrast magnificently with the tangy dough surrounding them.
What makes this sourdough so outstanding is the olive and sourdough flavor combination — the complex, tangy acidity of a long-fermented sourdough and the deep, briny, slightly bitter character of good olives are two of the most complementary flavors in all of bread baking, creating a loaf that is sophisticated, deeply satisfying, and genuinely impressive without requiring any ingredient beyond flour, water, salt, starter, and olives.
This recipe is 100% vegan, ready in about 24 hours including fermentation time, and absolutely spectacular sliced thickly and eaten with a drizzle of good olive oil, alongside soup, or simply on its own.
Recipe Information
| Active Prep | Bulk Ferment | Cold Proof | Bake Time | Total Time | Servings | Calories |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 30 mins | 4–5 hours | 8–12 hours | 45 mins | ~24 hours | 12 slices | ~160 kcal |
Ingredients
For the Dough
- 450g bread flour (strong white flour)
- 50g whole wheat flour
- 375ml water, at room temperature
- 100g active sourdough starter (fed 4–8 hours before use)
- 10g fine salt
- 1 tbsp olive oil
For the Olive Filling
- 150g pitted kalamata olives, roughly chopped and patted dry
- 75g pitted green olives, roughly chopped and patted dry
- 1 tsp dried rosemary
- 1 tsp fresh thyme leaves
- Zest of 1 lemon (optional but beautiful)
Instructions
- Mix the dough (autolyse). In a large bowl combine the bread flour, whole wheat flour, and 350ml of the water. Mix until no dry flour remains. Cover and rest for 30–45 minutes. This autolyse period hydrates the flour and begins gluten development before the starter is added.
- Add the starter and salt. Add the active sourdough starter and remaining water to the rested dough. Squeeze and fold the starter through the dough until fully incorporated. Add the salt and olive oil and continue squeezing and folding until fully combined. The dough will feel rough and shaggy — this is normal.
- Bulk fermentation with stretch and folds. Cover the bowl and let the dough ferment at room temperature for 4–5 hours. During the first 2 hours, perform a set of stretch and folds every 30 minutes (4 sets total) — grab one side of the dough, stretch it upward, and fold it over the center. Rotate and repeat on all four sides. This builds gluten structure progressively.
- Fold in the olives. After the second set of stretch and folds (about 1 hour into bulk fermentation), add the chopped, patted-dry olives, rosemary, thyme, and lemon zest if using. Gently fold and incorporate throughout the dough during the folding sessions — they will distribute evenly across the bulk fermentation period.
- Shape the loaf. Once the dough has risen by approximately 50–75% and looks airy and bubbly, turn it out onto an unfloured surface. Shape into a round (boule) by pulling the edges toward the center repeatedly, then flipping and dragging toward yourself to create surface tension.
- Cold proof. Place the shaped loaf seam-side up in a well-floured proofing basket (banneton) or a bowl lined with a floured towel. Cover and refrigerate overnight (8–12 hours). The cold fermentation develops the complex, tangy sourdough flavor and makes the dough easier to score and handle.
- Bake in a Dutch oven. Preheat the oven to 500°F (260°C) with a Dutch oven inside for at least 45 minutes. Remove the cold loaf from the refrigerator and turn it out onto a sheet of parchment paper. Score the surface quickly with a sharp blade or lame. Carefully lower the loaf on the parchment into the screaming hot Dutch oven, cover with the lid, and bake for 20 minutes covered. Remove the lid and reduce the oven temperature to 450°F (230°C). Bake for a further 20–25 minutes until the crust is deeply dark golden brown.
- Cool completely before slicing. This is the hardest step and also the most important — lift the loaf onto a wire rack and let cool for a minimum of 1 hour, ideally 2 hours, before slicing. Cutting into warm sourdough collapses the crumb and makes it gummy. The loaf continues to cook and set internally as it cools.
Pro Tips
- Use an active, bubbly starter that has doubled after feeding and is at its peak before using — this is the single most important factor in sourdough success.
- Pat the olives very dry before folding into the dough — excess brine adds moisture that can make the dough difficult to handle and the crust less crispy.
- Preheat the Dutch oven for the full 45 minutes at the highest oven temperature — the extreme heat hitting the cold dough immediately is what creates the dramatic oven spring and blistered crust.
- Score confidently and quickly with a razor-sharp blade — hesitant scoring tears rather than cuts and produces uneven expansion.
- Cool the loaf completely before slicing — at minimum 1 hour, but 2 hours produces a noticeably better crumb texture.
The Art of Sourdough
Sourdough is the oldest form of leavened bread in human history, predating commercial yeast by thousands of years. A sourdough starter is a living culture of wild yeast and beneficial bacteria maintained through regular feeding of flour and water. The wild yeast produces carbon dioxide that leavens the dough, while the bacteria produce lactic and acetic acids that give sourdough its characteristic complex, tangy flavor — a flavor impossible to replicate with commercial yeast regardless of fermentation time.
The long, cold overnight fermentation in this recipe serves two distinct purposes. First, it develops the complex organic acids that give sourdough its depth of flavor — the slow, cold environment encourages acetic acid production, which produces a more pronounced tang than a warm, fast fermentation. Second, the cold dough is significantly easier to handle, score, and load into the Dutch oven than room-temperature dough, which can be slack and difficult to manage.
Adding olives to sourdough is a technique with deep roots in Mediterranean baking, where olive bread is found in virtually every bread tradition from Provence to Puglia to the Levant. The briny, savory character of good olives and the complex acidity of sourdough are one of the great natural flavor pairings in all of breadmaking.
Flavor Variations
- Rosemary and Olive Sourdough: Double the rosemary and add finely chopped fresh rosemary directly to the dough with the flour for a more intensely herbed version.
- Sun-Dried Tomato and Olive Sourdough: Replace half the olives with roughly chopped sun-dried tomatoes for a different Mediterranean flavor combination.
- Seeded Olive Sourdough: Press sesame seeds and nigella seeds into the crust before baking for an additional layer of flavor and visual drama.
Nutritional Highlights (Per Slice)
| Calories | Protein | Carbs | Fiber | Fat |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ~160 kcal | 5g | 28g | 2g | 3g |
Storage
- Room temperature: Store in a paper bag or wrapped in a clean towel for up to 3 days. The crust softens after the first day but the crumb remains excellent.
- Freezer: Slice the entire loaf and freeze in a zip-lock bag for up to 3 months. Toast slices directly from frozen for the best result.
- Do not refrigerate: Refrigerating bread accelerates staling — room temperature or freezing are the only recommended storage methods.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I make this without a sourdough starter?
This recipe specifically requires an active sourdough starter for both leavening and flavor. If you don’t have a starter, you can obtain one from a friend, bakery, or make your own over 5–7 days by combining equal weights of flour and water daily.
Can I bake this without a Dutch oven?
A Dutch oven is strongly recommended, as it traps steam and creates the characteristic sourdough crust. If unavailable, bake in a covered roasting tin or place a tray of boiling water in the bottom of the oven during the first 20 minutes of baking to simulate steam.
Why didn’t my sourdough rise properly?
This is almost always caused by an inactive starter or bulk fermentation that was cut short. Ensure the starter doubles reliably after feeding before using, and give the dough the full bulk fermentation time until it shows visible bubbles, airiness, and 50–75% volume increase.
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