Bread Machine Kalamata Olive Bread

Diana Rattray
Prep: 10 mins
Cook: 2 hrs
Total: 2 hrs 10 mins
Servings: 10 servings
Yield: 1 loaf

Kalamata olives from the Kalamata region in Greece are meaty, deep-purple colored olives with a pronounced earthy taste. Only olives grown in this area can be named as such even if the same type of olive trees are grown in other parts of the world, like the United States and Australia. Their wonderful flavor and texture have made Kalamata olives a favorite in Mediterranean cuisine and a staple in many Greek dishes, from appetizers to main dishes. Our Kalamata bread makes the perfect pair: pillowy dough filled with a deep olive flavor, a highlight of the great love that Greece has for its hundreds of types of bread and its world-renowned high-quality olives.

Because it's a recipe for the bread machine, this 2-pound loaf is a breeze to make. An ideal side to pasta, soups, salads, and stews, it's also enjoyable on its own dipped in olive oil, smeared with butter, or served as part of a charcuterie board or cheese platter. Use it for open-faced sandwiches with fresh cheese and a drizzle of extra-virgin olive oil, or cube it to make a wonderful panzanella.

For this recipe, you are going to need the brine in which the olives are sold, so if you're buying them from an olive bar, be sure to bring home plenty of their liquid. If you're using jarred olives, you are likely to have enough brine at hand. Before you start, review the manufacturer's instructions of your machine; bread machines have a preferred order in which ingredients should be added. The default order is liquid ingredients first, dry ingredients next, and yeast last. For loaves of bread that have mix-in ingredients, such as the chopped Kalamata olives, your bread machine will signal you for the right time to add them.

Ingredients

  • 1/3 to 1/2 cup olive brine

  • 1 cup warm water, or as needed

  • 2 tablespoons olive oil

  • 3 cups bread flour

  • 1 2/3 cups whole-wheat flour

  • 1 1/2 teaspoons salt

  • 2 tablespoons sugar

  • 1 1/2 teaspoons dried basil

  • 2 teaspoons dry active yeast

  • 1/2 to 2/3 cup Kalamata olives, about 2 dozen pitted olives; finely chopped

Steps to Make It

  1. Gather the ingredients.

  2. Place at least 1/3 cup of olive brine in a 2-cup measure and add warm water as needed to make 1 1/2 cups total of liquid. If you don't have enough brine to make 1/3 of a cup, the bread's flavor will be less intense but equally delicious. Simply add enough water to make for the total required amount.

  3. Add all of the ingredients except for the olives into the bread machine according to your manufacturer's preferred order. Choose the basic or wheat setting on your bread machine.

  4. Add the olives at the beep indicating it's time to add mix-in ingredients.

  5. When your loaf is finished baking, remove and allow it cool off slightly before slicing it.

  6. Enjoy!

Herbs and Other Add-Ons

Try using different herbs to give another aromatic and fragrant profile to your Kalamata bread:

  • Use dried rosemary, oregano, sage, savory, thyme, or a combination of two or more to make 1 1/2 teaspoons total.
  • Add green olives instead of Kalamatas to add a brighter olive flavor. Try Sicilian Castelvetrano, which are really meaty and delicious. In this case, we recommend you use rosemary as the added herb.
  • Add 1/2 cup of Gruyère, Asiago, or Parmesan cheese into the machine once it beeps for add-on ingredients. This will add a tangy profile to the bread and will add some chewiness to the bite.
Nutrition Facts (per serving)
272 Calories
6g Fat
48g Carbs
8g Protein
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Nutrition Facts
Servings: 10
Amount per serving
Calories 272
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 6g 8%
Saturated Fat 1g 4%
Cholesterol 0mg 0%
Sodium 394mg 17%
Total Carbohydrate 48g 17%
Dietary Fiber 4g 13%
Total Sugars 3g
Protein 8g
Vitamin C 0mg 0%
Calcium 27mg 2%
Iron 2mg 9%
Potassium 127mg 3%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)