Olive oil bread can range from basic recipes to more complex ones, with olive oil used as a binding liquid. Traditional olive oil breads originate from France, Italy, and Greece. Focaccia, psomi, and pompe a l’huile are examples of olive oil bread. Any bread with olive oil as an ingredient qualifies as olive oil bread.
Olive oil bread is any bread made with olive oil as an ingredient. The range of different olive oil breads is wide, from very basic recipes that require little more than olive oil, flour and salt to more complex breads that simply use olive oil as a binding liquid, often in place of water or milk. All breads require some form of liquid as a key ingredient. The use of olive oil necessarily creates an olive oil bread.
The most traditional olive oil loaves are those made according to centuries-old Mediterranean recipes, especially those originating in France, Italy and Greece. Olive trees grow prolifically in this region and olive oil has long been a staple of local diets. The bakers of these countries have long had bread baked with oil as a key ingredient.
Italian focaccia bread is one of the simplest olive oil breads to make. Its ingredients are minimal, usually comprising just flour, yeast, olive oil, and salt, plus a little water and sugar to activate the yeast. The oil concentration in this bread is usually high, making the finished product dense and thick. Focaccia is typically made as an olive oil flatbread, often taking up an entire baking sheet as it rises. This Italian bread is considered “common,” meaning it’s made in most homes and served with even the humblest of meals.
A Greek counterpart is psomi, a “country bread” made with flour, olive oil, honey, milk and sugar. The oil concentrations in psomi are lower than in focaccia, making the bread a bit lighter and airier. It is usually shaped into oblong loaves and served drizzled with olive oil or topped with salami and olives.
French olive oil bread tends to be a bit more intense. Pompe a l’huile, for example, is a decorative bread often served on special occasions or with formal dinners. The recipe calls for olive oil, lemon and orange zest, and often a pretty significant amount of sugar. One of the most characteristic things about this bread is its shape. The bakers shape the bread into loaves with intricately cut out patterns, so the end results look like leaves, sand dollars, or stars.
However, bakers don’t have to follow traditional recipes to make olive oil bread. Actually any bread with olive oil as an ingredient will qualify. All breads need some form of liquid to bind the ingredients together, especially the flour. Most of the time, water, milk or vegetable oil fill this role. Substituting olive oil tends to add a thicker, richer flavor to the bread.
Olive oil rosemary bread is a common combination, as are olive oil and garlic. Many recipes can also be made in bread makers, using appetizers or quick olive oil bread mixes. Cooks can also usually make unleavened bread with olive oil by omitting the yeast or by adding the oil to a favorite unleavened bread recipe.
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