Easy Olive Baguettes
An easy rustic baguette recipe loaded with green olives! No major effort required- just mix the dough with a wooden spoon and follow some easy steps. It turns out incredibly crunchy on the outside with a perfectly airy interior, just the way a great baguette should be.
Today I am making Easy Olive Baguettes, a new recipe added to my bread recipe collection. If you loved my homemade French baguette recipe, you’ll love this rustic bread with olives even more. They are perfect on their own cut open and spread with high-quality butter, but they are also great served with salads or main dishes.
I love experimenting with my bread dough to create entirely new styles of bread by adding a bit more water, using fresh yeast, extending the proof time, or giving it a few extra folds. I’m obsessed with bread making and love playing around!
This time, I decided to stuff it with tasty green olives. I used the same technique as for my French baguette recipe, but filled it generously with olives during the stretch-and-fold step.
Why You’ll Love these Olive Baguettes
- Fluffy & light – For this recipe, I use a fairly simple, high-hydration dough that creates a signature airy crumb and soft, fluffy texture inside while still giving the bread a beautifully crisp crust.
- Basic ingredients – You only need 6 simple ingredients: flour, yeast, water, olive oil, green olives and salt. Usually, you will have all of these already in your kitchen pantry.
- It’s simpler than it looks – Once you understand the basics, this olive baguette recipe becomes very approachable. It’s more about timing and feel than complicated steps.
For this recipe, I actually drew inspiration from a classic Italian bread called filoncini. However, instead of giving them the traditional twisted shape typical of classic filoncini, I chose to leave them completely straight for a simpler, rustic look.
Key Ingredients
Here’s what you’ll need to make this olive baguette recipe:
Bread Flour – This is the foundation of your olive baguette. Bread flour has a higher protein content than regular flour, which helps develop strong gluten. That’s what gives the dough structure and creates that chewy, airy interior.
Fresh Yeast – Using fresh yeast gives this baguette dough a robust, steady rise, which helps create those beautiful, signature air pockets inside the loaf.
Green Olives – Make sure to pit your green olives before tossing them in the dough. I love using a variety like Castelvetrano or a classic Manzanilla to give the bread an authentic, Mediterranean flavor.
Water – Water brings the dough together and hydrates the flour. It activates gluten development and determines the texture of the dough. The right balance here is key—a slightly sticky dough leads to a lighter, more open crumb.
Olive Oil – It adds rich flavor to the baguette and makes its edges crisp and golden.
Salt – Salt enhances the overall flavor of the bread, giving it depth and balance. Without it, the baguette would taste flat.
Variations
Cheese – Add 1/2 cup of shredded cheddar cheese
Black olives – Replace green olives with black olives. They give a sharper flavor.
Garlic – Add 1 tbsp of minced fresh garlic to the dough.
Sun-Dried tomatoes – Add 1 cup of chopped sun-dried tomatoes instead of the olives.
Walnuts – Add 1/2 cup of toasted walnuts to the dough.
Rosemary – Add 2 tbsp of dried or fresh chopped rosemary.
How to make Olive Baguettes
This no-knead olive baguette recipe comes together in 3 folds.
Step 1 – Start by combining water with fresh yeast, then mix in the flour. Mix with a wooden spoon until you get a rough, slightly sticky dough. Let it rest for a few minutes, then add the olive oil and salt. Mix again until everything comes together.
Step 2 – Now, begin your stretch-and-folds. Every 30 minutes, gently pull up one side of the dough and fold it over itself, repeating this on all four sides. Before each round of folds, add one-third of the green olives, gently incorporating them into the dough as you fold.
Step 3 – Once the dough has some structure, transfer it to the fridge to ferment for 24 hours. This slows everything down and allows the dough to develop deeper flavor.
Step 4 – Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and divide it into 6 equal pieces. Gently shape each piece into a rough rectangle and let them rest for 15 minutes. This resting time helps the dough relax, making it easier to shape without tearing.
Step 5 – Form each rectangle into a ball, lightly dust with flour, cover with a kitchen towel, and allow to rest for 30 minutes.
Step 6 – Form into baguettes. Take each piece and gently stretch it into a rectangle. Fold it into a tight cylinder, sealing the seam as you go. Roll lightly with your hands to lengthen each baguette to about 8-10 inches.
Step 7 – Place the olive baguettes on a tea towel, seam side up. Create walls with the tea towel so the baguettes rise in shape. Cover and allow them to rise for 15 minutes.
Step 8 – Preheat your oven to 450 degrees F, with a rack placed one position below the center. When the oven is ready, place a pan with boiling water on the bottom rack for additional steam. Bake the baguettes for 15 minutes, remove the steam pan, then bake for another 20 minutes.
Step 9 – Remove the baked baguettes and place them on a wire rack to cool. Enjoy!
From my Kitchen (Chef’s Notes)
Drain your olives – The olives must be thoroughly drained, since this dough is naturally quite wet and sticky. To avoid adding unwanted moisture, thoroughly pat the olives dry with a paper towel to remove any excess liquid.
Don’t rush fermentation – The long, cold overnight rest is essential for flavor and structure. It develops the dough and makes shaping much easier the next day.
Steam is key for the crust – The initial steam in the oven helps the baguettes expand properly before the crust sets, giving you that classic crisp, golden finish.
FAQs
Steam is key. The dough needs moisture in the first stage of baking so it can expand properly. After that, a dry, hot oven helps develop that crisp, golden crust.
Yes, and in fact cold fermentation improves flavor. Letting the dough rest overnight in the fridge often gives you better texture and a more complex taste.
You absolutely can freeze it! Just let the bread cool completely, slice it up, and store the slices in freezer-safe bags. When you’re ready to enjoy a piece, simply pop a slice straight into the toaster and serve.
What to Serve with Olive Baguettes
The Ultimate Stew Companion: There is nothing better than using a thick, crusty slice of this bread to soak up a rich sauce. It pairs absolutely beautifully with a hearty bowl of my Italian Beef Bolognese.
Dips and Spreads: Slice the baguette thinly, toast it slightly, and use it with fresh spreads like my Homemade Basil Pesto, or for a bright, summery twist, scoop up some Fresh Homemade Salsa.
Salad Sidekick: This bread brings the perfect crunch to a light lunch. Serve it alongside a crisp Italian Tomato Salad to capture all those delicious juices, or pair it with a protein-packed Turkish White Bean Salad (Piyaz) for a complete Mediterranean-style feast.
Simple & Classic: Of course, you can never go wrong serving it warm with a simple drizzle of good olive oil or a thick smear of salted butter!
Behind the Scenes
Getting that signature, rustic texture at home takes a tiny bit of patience, but I promise you it is incredibly rewarding. If you take a peek into my kitchen during the process, you’ll see that the dough starts out naturally quite wet and sticky. As a chef, I learned that high-moisture doughs are the absolute secret to achieving those beautiful, airy pockets inside the bread.
Other Bread Recipes to try
Easy Olive Baguettes
Ingredients
Equipment
Method
- Step 1 – Start by combining water with fresh yeast, then mix in the flour. Mix with a wooden spoon until you get a rough, slightly sticky dough. Let it rest for a few minutes, then add the olive oil and salt. Mix again until everything comes together.
- Step 2 – Now, begin your stretch-and-folds. Every 30 minutes, gently pull up one side of the dough and fold it over itself, repeating this on all four sides. Before each round of folds, add one-third of the green olives, gently incorporating them into the dough as you fold. You will need 3 stretch-and-folds.
- Step 3 – Once the dough has some structure, transfer it to the fridge to ferment for 24 hours. This slows everything down and allows the dough to develop deeper flavor.
- Step 4 – Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and divide it into 6 equal pieces. Gently shape each piece into a rough rectangle and let them rest for 15 minutes. This resting time helps the dough relax, making it easier to shape without tearing.
- Step 5 – Form each rectangle into a ball, lightly dust with flour, cover with a kitchen towel and allow to rest for 30 minutes.
- Step 6 – Form into baguettes. Take each piece and gently stretch it into a rectangle. Fold it into a tight cylinder, sealing the seam as you go. Roll lightly with your hands to lengthen each baguette to about 8-10 inches.
- Step 7 – Place the olive baguettes on a tea towel, seam side up. Create walls with the tea towel so the baguettes rise in shape. Cover and allow them to rise for 15 minutes.
- Step 8 – Preheat your oven to 450 degrees F, with a rack placed one position below the center. When the oven is ready, place a pan with boiling water on the bottom rack for additional steam. Bake the baguettes for 15 minutes, remove the steam pan, then bake for another 20 minutes.
- Step 9 – Remove the baked baguettes and place them on a wire rack to cool. Enjoy!