Herbed Olive Oil Bread

Continuing with the theme of “reasons I love my food processor,” I wanted to introduce you to this really delicious bread I made.

Credit must be given where credit is due, this recipe is adapted from Mark Bittman’s How to Cook Everything Vegetarian.   He’s got a number of quick bread recipes in there, and though I’ve only tried a couple of them, early results indicate that they’re well worth making.  This particular bread is doughy, dense and more like a biscuit than, say, French bread.  It’s hearty and really delicious. It was amazing with tomato soup.

This recipe is so easy it’s almost embarassing.  If you’re like me and you believe that homemade bread is an indicator of your kitchen proficency, make this and serve it to your friends. It’s fast, and I always have all of the ingredients in my pantry, meaning you can make a loaf with very little notice.  They don’t have to know that it only took you 50 minutes.

Herbed Olive Oil Bread

Adapted from Mark Bittman’s Olive Oil Salt Bread

1/3 cup olive oil

3 cups all-purpose flour

1 tablespoon baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

2 tablespoons dried herbs (I used Italian Seasoning, but basil, oregano, rosemary and/or thyme would all work)

1. Preheat oven to 375°.  Grease an 8-inch square pan with olive oil.
2. Put the flour, baking powder, salt and herbs into the bowl of your food processor.
3. Turn on the machine and SLOWLY pour the 1/3 cup of olive oil through the feed tube.
4. SLOWLY add just a little less than 1 cup of warm water through the feed tube.  The dough should become a ball, barely sticky and easy to remove from the food processor.  If not, add more water.  If it’s too wet, add a little more flour.

1. Press the dough into your oiled pan, pressing it into the corners.  Flip over the dough and press it again.
2. Cover the pan with foil and bake for 20 minutes.
3. Remove foil.  Sprinkle with coarse salt and bake for another 20-25 minutes.  The top should turn golden brown.
4. Allow to cool in the pan, then cut and serve.