I make this bread all the time in a loaf pan, and we use it as sandwich bread. It's delicious, but the original recipe is slightly plainer than we wanted, so I added 1/4 tsp each of oregano, thyme, rosemary, and sage. I use a 2/3 cup olives and 1/3 cup bell peppers (if you do this cut the water as needed). I also add a little coarse (pretzel) salt to the top after shaping. Lastly, I've ended up with a yeasty taste if I let it rise so many times, so now I let it double once, knead again and shape, and then just let it rise a bit while the oven is preheating. We make sandwiches with turkey breast and spicy pepperoni cream cheese. Weird maybe, but awesome!

This is absolutely delicious! I felt so proud of myself after making this. The bread was amazing and looked like professional artisan bread! I will definitely make this again and again and again.

I made this in my breadmaker! I used a whole can of chopped black olives and then tore up a few calamatas. Came out beautifully....and it's gone....same night!

I read the previous comments and adjusted the temperature which allowed my bread to come out perfectly. The bread was gobbled up at a Mediterranean themed christmas party this year. I made another loaf two days later and added some garlic powder and italian herbs ( 1tbls each) to add some flavor. I would have given this recipe a five but the temp in the recipe is off for most ovens.

Amazing recipe...I feel confident in making delicious gourmet bread given the recipe and tips. I made it with brine olives first and wasn't real pleased then kalmatas which came out much better. I serve it with a sundried tomato and roasted garlic dipping oil. This is a keeper :)

Really good bread and very soft. In fact, this is the softest bread I've ever made and I think it must be due to the three risings. Other breads I've made only require two rise. Anyway, like other reviewers have commented, lower the temp to 450 to 475 and for a shorter duration than 15 minutes. Otherwise, you will end up with a darker crust than it should be. This bread recipe is a definite keeper and I highly recommend it.

Great recipe! Out of habit I allowed the yeast to proof separately like other users (2 1/4 tsp yeast, 1 tsp sugar & 1/4 cup warm water @ 100 degrees Fahrenheit). I kneaded in a clove of crushed garlic and a few Tbsp of minced italian parsley. While it was baking the smell was amazing! I had to ignore baking at 500 degrees, (baking @ 375 degrees for 45 mins) because I was in a rush, but the loaf, after kneading as directed, turned out to be as chewy and delicious on the inside and crusty on the outside as was described. Thanks for the great recipe! My family and I really enjoyed it!

I had a 1/2 cup of Kalamata Olives that I didn't want to waste, plus they are expensive, so I came on here and found this bread recipe. I rough chopped and mixed the kalamata olives along with green and black olives for different taste and colors. I had a little marinade (1T) left from the olives so I added that in the dough mixture as well for added taste along with 1 garlic clove, finely diced. I proofed my yeast in warm water with 2T sugar, olives, olive juice, garlic, and oil. After 10 min, yeast became foamy. I slowly added in the flour and a 1/2 tsp. salt. Dough felt a little wet/sticky. I kneaded the dough, let it rise for 1 hour, punch down the dough again, letting it rise for 10 mins, then 30 mins, doubling in size. I lightly oiled the baking sheet and dusted it with cornmeal. I put a pan of water on the very bottom of oven while preheating. I baked the bread at 450 degrees the first 15 mins, then lower it to 375 degrees for 25 minutes, all to avoid burning the bread and crust. This turned out to be a beautiful oblong shaped bread. The crust was a golden brown color with specks of olives peeking out from the bread. The aroma was wonderful as was the bread. The inside was soft, tender and warm. I could taste the additions of the garlic, which did not take away from the olives at all. Bread was very tasty. The mixture of the olives turned out nicely in the bread-may add more next time and will make this bread along with greek chicken or a greek salad.

WOW, this is THE bread recipe that I will use from now on. This is fail-proof, and ABSOLUTELY the most delicious bread I've ever had. It's totally professional grade. That pan of steaming water in the oven is the ultimate trick. I love the crunchy crust and the soft inside, totally awesome. I used 2 cups white w/1 cup whole wheat. Didn't change anything else. Fresh olives are the best, tons more flavor than the jar olives. Will make this over and over again. I now feel like a professsional baker, truly! Thank you so much!

Excellent! This does come out as a softer loaf of bread, but I don't mind and the flavor totally made up for that. I just threw everything into the bread machine (also adding in some fresh chopped rosemary, parmesan cheese and minced garlic) and let it do it's thing (I did have to add more flour to get it to where it was not so sticky). Once the cycle was complete, I turned it out onto a floured surface and shaped it into a loaf (I braided it), placed it onto the cornmeal dusted baking sheet, covered it and let it rise until doubled (about an hour). I brushed the loaf with an egg wash and baked it @ 375 degrees (my oven is super hot), for about 20-25 minutes. Smelled amazing while baking and tasted even better! A great recipe that I will be making again! Thanks for sharing. :)