No-Knead Olive Bread (vegan)

Name: No-Knead Olive Bread (Vegan)
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 45 min
Ingredients: 480 g (4 cups) white bread flour; 5 g (1 ½ teaspoons) fast action (instant) yeast; 10 g (1 ½ teaspoons) table salt; 380 g (1 ½ cups + 4 teaspoons) lukewarm water; 150 g (1 heaped cup) sliced pitted olives; 1 ½ - 2 Tablespoons finely chopped fresh rosemary; fine semolina for dusting ((optional))

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No-knead olive bread - this delicious crusty Dutch oven bread is so easy to make with just a few ingredients and it doesn't require any kneading!

Simply stir everything together the day before baking and leave it to rise overnight then bake in a hot cast iron pan for a crusty, crunchy loaf with a chewy, holey interior. Perfect for dipping in soup!

Sliced no-knead olive bread on a grey surface with a bread knife, sprigs of rosemary and a bowl of olive oil.

This no-knead olive bread has to be just about the easiest yeasted bread you can possibly make, and yet it tastes amazing and has a fantastic crisp crust and chewy, open structure, just like rustic artisan bread.

The process to make it is simple, you just stir the ingredients together in a bowl, let it rise on the counter for a couple of hours then refrigerate it overnight. The following day use a dough scraper or spatula to shape it into a rough ball, let it rise again while you preheat a Dutch oven pan then bake! You never even need to touch the dough with your hands!

Usually when you make bread, you knead the dough to develop the gluten which is what gives it it's chewy texture. For this dough there are a few elements that result in the same chewy texture without the need to knead.

Firstly, this is a very wet, sticky dough; high hydration doughs result in bread with a more holey structure. Secondly, a long overnight rise gives the gluten time to develop on it's own; and thirdly, the bread is baked in an extremely hot pre-heated cast iron pan with the lid on. This very hot environment causes the dough to rapidly expand, resulting in more holes; and baking with the lid on traps steam which develops the crunchy crust without drying the bread out.

This no-knead bread method was first popularised by Jim Lahey, whose recipe was published in the New York Times, but it is definitely not a new technique and is likely centuries old at least.

A labelled photo of the ingredients needed to make no-knead olive bread.

Ingredient Details:

Bread flour: You need to use white bread flour (called strong white bread flour in the UK). Plain/all-purpose flour has too low a protein content and won't give you the right texture. Do not use gluten-free flour or wholemeal flour.

Instant/fast action yeast: I always prefer to use fast action yeast when making bread as it can just be added straight to the flour and doesn't need to be activated first.

Salt: You simply cannot make good bread without salt. Don't omit it.

Olives: You can use any kind of pitted, sliced olives; I like to use a mixture of green and black ones from a jar.

Rosemary: I like to add some finely chopped fresh rosemary, you can omit it or swap it for whatever herbs you prefer, either fresh or dried.

Close up of the sliced no-knead olive bread.

How To Make No-Knead Olive Bread:

(Full measurements and instructions can be found in the recipe card at the bottom of the page)

Step 1: Stir together the bread flour, yeast, salt and water in a large bowl until no dry patches remain. The dough will be quite wet and sticky, do not add more flour. Stir in the rosemary and olives.

Step 2: Cover the bowl and leave to rise in a warm spot for around 1 ½ to 2 hours until the dough has risen. Place in the fridge to finish rising overnight. The following day the dough should be very bubbly and should jiggle when you shake the bowl.

Step 3: Scrape the dough out onto a floured surface. Use a dough scraper or spatula to fold the sides inwards to form a round ball, you will need to fold it about 6 times, moving around the edge of the ball of dough.

Step 3, a four image collage of shaping the dough.

Step 4: Flour the top of the dough and place a large square of baking paper on top. Flip the dough over so that it is sitting on top of the paper, then use your dough scraper/spatula to roughly reshape it into a round ball.

Step 4, the shaped dough on the baking paper.

Step 5: Flour the dough and cover loosely with clingfilm or a clean tea towel. Leave to rise for 45-75 minutes until it has expanded by about half. It will flatten out as it sits, this is fine. While it rises, place your cast iron pan in the oven with the lid on and preheat to 240°C/450°F.

Step 6: Slash the top of the dough with a lame or a sharp knife (optional) then lift up the baking paper and place it in the pan. Replace the lid and bake for 30 minutes then remove the lid and bake the bread uncovered for a further 15 minutes.

Step 6, the bread in the pan before and after baking.

Slices of no-knead olive bread on a grey surface.

Top Tips:

All of my recipes are developed using grams, and as with all of my baking recipes I really do recommend using the metric measurements with a digital scale rather than the cup conversions. Cups are a wildly inaccurate measuring system and you will get far better, more consistent results using a scale, not to mention that it is also easier and less messy than cups!

Make sure that your yeast hasn’t expired! Out of date yeast can lead to bread that doesn’t rise.

The dough should be wet and sticky; this in combination with a hot oven is what creates the chewy, holey structure and crisp crust. Don’t be tempted to add more flour!

You ideally need a large cast iron casserole pan with a lid (a Dutch oven pan) to make this no-knead olive bread. Mine is a 24 cm/4.2 litre round Le Creuset, but any similar sized enameled cast iron pan is fine. Whatever pan you use, check that it is oven safe to temperatures of 240°C/460°F.

The pan needs to be preheated with the lid on until it is extremely hot before you bake the bread. You want it to be in the oven for around 30 minutes before the dough is ready to go in.

The time the dough takes for the second rise will vary depending on how cold it is. You can speed it up by placing it in a warm (but not hot!) spot such as by a radiator or in a just warm but switched off oven.

I know it's tough but you really do need to let the bread cool down completely before slicing it otherwise the texture may be a little gummy.

FAQ's:

How should I store no-knead olive bread?

This bread is best eaten on the day it is baked but it will keep in an airtight container at room temperature for a couple of days. After the first day it is best toasted.

Can I freeze it?

Yes, make sure the loaf has cooled completely first and freeze it on the day it is baked to preserve freshness. Freeze in a sealed freezer bag, either whole or in slices.

Do I have to let it rise overnight?

No, you can just let the dough rise for a couple of hours at warm room temperature and skip the overnight rise, the flavour and texture may not be as good though.

Can I make a plain loaf instead?

Yes, you can just omit the olives and herbs to make a plain crusty loaf; the method is exactly the same.

Can I make it gluten-free?

No, I’m afraid that you cannot use gluten free flour. Making gluten free bread is tricky and the entire recipe would need reworking. Gluten free baking is not my area of expertise so I cannot advise you. It is best to use a recipe that is designed to be gluten free rather than trying to adapt a non gluten free recipe.

How do I tell when the bread is baked?

Give the loaf a good tap on the bottom with your knuckles, it should sound hollow. If you have a probe thermometer then it should register around 98°C/208°F in the centre.

How should I serve no-knead olive bread?

This bread is perfect served with soup or any kind of dip. It also makes great toast and is delicious simply spread with vegan butter.

More Savoury Vegan Breads:

Close up of a slice of no-knead olive bread.

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5 from 4 votes