Easy and quick, you can have this Parmesan and Olive Soda Bread pulled together and out of the oven in under an hour. This Parmesan and Olive Soda Bread is full of grated parmesan, chunks of Kalamata olives, and a bit of basil and parsley for extra flavor. In short, it’s savory and delicious. Plus, it uses minimal equipment, making for a quick and easy cleanup.
Some days, all I want is a bit of bread that I can dig into without waiting hours for the dough to rise. This Parmesan and Olive Soda Bread comes together fast. You can have warm bread ready-to-eat within an hour. Delicious on its own or when slathered with butter, this loaf also pairs well with cheese or dipped in soup. It also makes a pretty tasty sandwich, especially if you have some prosciutto on hand.
All it takes is one bowl to pull this dough together. Whisk together the basic dry ingredients–flour, baking soda, salt, herbs–stir in the parmesan and olives, then pour in the buttermilk and stir together. There’s also no kneading involved. I form a ball of dough in the bowl and gently roll the ball until any remaining dry bits incorporate.
When scoring the dough, I cut almost to the bottom of the loaf. The center takes longer to cook, and there’s nothing quite as unpleasant as pulling out a loaf of bread and finding that the middle is still a bit raw. The deeper score ensures the center of this bread cooks fully. You end up with a loaf that’s crusty with a soft interior and flavorsome enough to eat on its own.
I’m sure I’ll be back to sweet bakes by next week, but for now, I’m fully embracing this loaf of bread. It’s just the thing needed to bridge the shift from winter to spring.
| Prep Time | 10-15 minutes |
| Cook Time | 40-45 minutes |
| Servings |
loaf
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- 350 grams all purpose flour
- 50 grams dark rye flour
- 1 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 1/2 tsp basil finely chopped or 1/2 tsp dried basil
- 1 1/2 tsp parsley finely chopped or 1/2 tsp dried parsley
- 50 grams grated parmesan cheese
- 50 grams kalamata olives sliced into quarters or halves
- 340 mL buttermilk
Ingredients
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- Preheat the oven to 375°F. Line a medium baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the flours, baking soda, salt, and herbs. Using a rubber spatula, stir in the grated parmesan and the Kalamata olive pieces.
- Pour in the buttermilk a little at a time, stirring with the spatula as you do. You should see a shaggy, slightly sticky dough begin to form. Once all the buttermilk is incorporated, give the dough a quick, gentle roll inside the bowl just to make sure all the dry bits are incorporated. The dough will be firm enough to hold its own shape.
- Shape the dough into a ball 6" in circumference. Dust the top of the bread with a light sprinkling of flour and, using a serrated knife, score the dough with a deep cross to divide it into quarters. Try to get close to the bottom of the loaf without actually cutting through it.
- Bake on the center rack for 40-45 minutes. The loaf will be golden brown and the center, where you made the cuts, should be firm to the touch. You can stick a toothpick into the center to make sure it's fully cooked.
- Remove from the oven and let cool on a wire rack. Eat while still a bit warm.
This is best eaten the day of or warmed up the following day.