Olive Parmesan Artisan Sourdough Bread Recipe
Briny olives and salty, nutty Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese are the perfect inclusion duo for a tangy artisan sourdough loaf.
I first attempted this recipe at the request of my mother-in-law, who absolutely loves a good olive loaf.
And I can now confirm it is mother-in-law approved.
If you want to follow my process step-by-step, I’ve outlined it all here.
If you already have an artisan sourdough recipe you swear by, just add the inclusions during your second set of stretch and folds!
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Salty, tangy, and savory: this flavor profile is insanely delicious. If you’re a salty snack craver, this is your dream sourdough loaf.
- Perfect for pairing with a nice bread dipping oil: I set this bread out with a dipping oil I whipped up (olive oil, garlic powder, smoked paprika, and some chopped sun-dried tomatoes), and it was all gone in 30 minutes flat.
- Almost exactly the same as making a regular artisan loaf: this inclusion addition is super simple and will feel almost the same as making a plain sourdough loaf.
Sourdough Bread Timeline
Here’s a sample timeline to help you plan out your bake.
| Day 1 | |
| Before bed | Feed your starter |
| Day 2 | |
| 8 am | Mix the dough (this starts the bulk fermentation) |
| 9:30 am | Stretch and folds #1 |
| 10 am | Stretch and folds #2 and add inclusions |
| 10:30 am | Stretch and fold or coil fold #3 |
| 11 am | Stretch and fold or coil fold #4 |
| 4 pm | Bulk fermentation ends; Pre-shape dough (timing may vary based on your dough temperature) |
| 4:30-5 pm | Final shape, put in bannetons, and refrigerate overnight |
| Day 3 | |
| 7 am | Preheat Dutch oven to 450°F/230°C |
| 8 am | Score and bake the dough |
| 11 am | Let the bread cool; now, enjoy the bread! |
Ingredients
- Bread flour: King Arthur unbleached bread flour (12.7% protein) does the heavy lifting in this recipe. If your flour has a different protein percentage, you may need to adjust the amount of water.
- Whole wheat flour: Adding a touch of whole wheat flour adds nice flavor and a bit of nutrition. It also makes the starter happy!
- Active starter: You’ll need a ripe sourdough starter to leaven this dough. Make sure your starter is happy and healthy – ideally, triple in size when it’s peaked.
Related: Is My Sourdough Starter Ready to Bake With? How I Can Tell
- Warm water: You’ll want lukewarm water – water over 120°F may kill your sourdough starter. Cold water will prevent your dough from rising at a normal pace. Also, I use water straight from my faucet. I live in the country and have well water; I’ve never had any issues. However, I’ve seen others recommend using filtered water.
- Salt: I use coarse Kosher salt. I definitely want to experiment with pink Himalayan salt, too. Just try to avoid salt with anti-caking agents. It can impact your dough!
- Olives: I love the visual contrast of green and purple olives, but you can use any kind you like!
- Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese: I don’t skimp on my parmesan cheese anymore. If you can help it, don’t use the dust in the green container – buy a real wedge of authentic parmigiano reggiano and grate it. The flavor difference is astounding.
Need more inclusion ideas? Check out: 41 Sourdough Inclusion Ideas: Add-Ins You Should Try
Olive Parmesan Artisan Sourdough Bread Recipe
A savory masterpiece that brings together the rich, briny flavor of olives and the nutty, salty kick of authentic Parmigiano-Reggiano. Perfect for dipping in olive oil or serving alongside a hearty charcuterie board.
Ingredients
Sourdough Starter
- 8 g sourdough starter (active or discard)
- 40 g water
- 40 g King Arthur bread flour 12.7% protein
Main Dough
- 375 g warm water
- 75 g active starter from above
- 450 g King Arthur bread flour 12.7% protein
- 50 g King Arthur whole wheat flour 13.2% protein
- 10 g sea salt
Inclusions
- 130 g sliced olives I like a mix of green (castelvetrano) and purple (kalamata)
- 75 g Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese freshly grated
Instructions
- Make the sourdough starter the night before. In a jar, mix 8 g sourdough starter, 40 g water, and 40 g King Arthur bread flour. Stir until fully combined, then cover loosely and let it ferment overnight at room temperature (about 10-12 hours). By morning, it should be peaked. You'll have a little more than you need (feed the leftovers or add it to your discard jar in the fridge).
- Mix the dough. In a glass mixing bowl, combine 375 g warm water and 75 g active starter, stirring gently to dissolve the starter. Add 450 g King Arthur bread flour, 50 g King Arthur whole wheat flour, and 10 g sea salt. Mix with a Danish dough whisk or your hands until no dry flour remains. The dough will be shaggy and sticky – that’s normal! Cover with plastic wrap or a bowl cover and let rest for 30 minutes.
- Perform a set of stretch and folds. To do this, grab one side of the dough, stretch it upward, then fold it over itself. Rotate the bowl and repeat on all four sides. Keep going until the dough resists being stretched. Cover and let rest for 30 minutes.
- Incorporate the inclusions during the second set of stretch and folds. Mix together 130 g sliced olives and 75 g Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese. Add a quarter of the inclusions at a time during the second set of stretch and folds, layering them evenly as you perform each fold to ensure even distribution. Cover and let rest for 30 minutes.
- Perform a third set of stretch and folds in the same way, followed by another 30 minute rest.
- Final coil fold. Perform a final coil fold to build additional dough strength. To do this, lift the center of the dough, allowing the edges to drape down, then tuck them underneath as you set the dough back down. If you feel the dough is slack or not strong enough, you can do an additional coil fold after another 30-minute rest.
- Bulk ferment. Cover the dough and let it ferment at room temperature until it is puffy, jiggly, and has visible bubbles on the surface and sides. The exact amount of time this takes will vary. The temperature of your dough is the biggest factor. For reference, it took my dough about 7 hours at 75°F (24°C). The timing begins when we mix our dough.
- Pre-shape the dough. Lightly mist your work surface, hands, and bench scraper with water. Gently turn the dough out of the bowl. Using a push and pull motion, shape the dough ball into a round shape. We want the surface to be taut. Let rest, uncovered, for about 20 minutes, or just until the dough relaxes a bit.
- Final shaping. Flip the dough and use the caddy clasp final shaping technique to fold it into a boule or batard. See the Notes section for video tutorials.
- Cold proof overnight. Place the shaped dough into a floured banneton (rice flour works best), cover with a flour sack towel or plastic wrap, and refrigerate overnight (8-24 hours). Don't refrigerate more than 4 days.
- Score and bake. Preheat your oven to 450°F (230°C) with a Dutch oven inside for at least 30 minutes. (I use convection.) When ready to bake, carefully transfer the cold dough onto parchment paper or a bread sling, score the top with a bread lame, and place it into the preheated Dutch oven. Cover and bake for 25 minutes. Uncover the loaf bake for another 10-15 minutes until golden brown and the internal temperature reaches 205-210°F (96-99°C).
Notes
There is wiggle room in this recipe for substituting flours. Feel free to substitute bread flour for the all-purpose flour. I like having a little whole wheat flour in the recipe to give more nutrition to the sourdough starter, but you could omit that and add more bread or all-purpose flour in its place.
Caddy clasp for a batard shape
Caddy clasp for a boule shape
Did you make this recipe?Please leave a comment below!
Conclusion
This flavor combination is one of my favorites – it’s tangy, briney, and salty. It’s so savory and pairs well with any kind of cheese board or dipping oil.
If you make this, let me know what you think!
Related: Sun-dried Tomato and Goat Cheese Sourdough Bread Recipe
Absolutely delicious! I sprinkled some Italian seasoning while incorporating the inclusions during my stretch and folds. It made my largest loaf yet but my husband and I still managed to eat more than half the loaf on the first day! Can’t wait to try your goat cheese and sun-dried tomato sourdough recipe next. Thank you for your sharing your recipes.
Absolutely delicious! I sprinkled some Italian seasoning while incorporating the inclusions during my stretch and folds. It made my largest loaf yet but my husband and I still managed to eat more than half the loaf on the first day! Can’t wait to try your goat cheese and sun-dried tomato sourdough recipe next. Thank you for your sharing your recipes.
Yum, that sounds like it would be yummy! It turned out perfect!!
Here’s 2 pictures I forgot to attach
Amazing!!