Herb & Olive Italy Bread (GF)
Herb & Olive Italy Bread
Category: Gluten Free
Why you should make this asap:
This is the ultimate cheat bread recipe- and it’s not exactly original, but I’ve come up with a variation that I love and I have to share it because, well… we’re talking boxed mix, gluten free, yummy… BREAD. Just take that in and enjoy the ease already. Honestly, it would be rude of me to not share this. The only thing you have to add are a few simple ingredients. While I love making from scratch food, truth is, I don’t always have the time; and if you’ve ever made bread (let alone gluten free!) from scratch then you know time, trial and error is a must. But start to finish, this recipe takes me just over an hour to successfully make- which means I can be eating a giant slice in no time at all. Fresh herbs, garlic, balsamic and olives come together in this soft bread for a perfect bite. I often toast this bread, or warm it up and top it with some vegan salted garlic butter. I eat it by the slice, with a salad or dipped in pasta sauce. I can’t believe I’m gonna say this, but as a tried and true sour dough girl, this has become a favorite to make when the time is right. And I think it’s the right time for you. Get to it.
You deserve some bread!
The Story
(Recipe Below…)
Ever have life long dreams that were only made possible because you were lacking something in another area of life? That’s how it felt to be single most of the time. Bitter sweet. I could do many things simply because of my singleness, and I was determined to take advantage of it while I waited to meet my person. I was determined to travel.
The first place on my list for an international adventure? Italy. My adventure loving dear friend and former roomie, Ali, was also on board for the adventure and together we “planned” a backpacking style trip all over Italy. The excitement was intense during trip planning and I could taste all the pasta, cheese and bread I’d be eating in no time.
Who doesn’t dream of food when they think about Italy? I certainly did, and my expectations were high. But just a few days into our trip, my foodie dreams were deflated. I could barely eat anything due to what we could only assume was over excitement mixed with possible anxiety - all internalized into an upset stomach. I was having a blast, but my dreams of eating my way through Italy were long gone. No matter. We toured the coliseum, saw the actual pope, drank limoncello at 4am overlooking the Leaning Tower of Pisa, went into the Blue Grotto in Capri, and jumped off rocks into the Tyrrhenian Sea. So- I couldn't complain, but dang it- I still wanted to enjoy the food.
“…and fresh bread from a little restaurant on the Amalfi Coast.”
By some miracle, I had 4 meals that I remember where I was able to eat something fun (hey, I’ll take it!). I remember Fettuccine Alfredo above the Spanish Steps, Ravioli with fresh off the farm Bolognese and Parm in Tuscany, an 80 year old man spoon feeding me Panna Cotta in Florence (I’ll save that story for another time, but it’s safe to say it was my dream come true)… and fresh bread from a little restaurant on the Amalfi Coast. This bread. I’ve thought about this bread a lot since. It was full of herbs and garlic and olives. And I could eat like 29 slices. It tasted like everything I thought Italy would taste like. And it was enough.
I’ve always wanted to try to recreate it, but making regular bread is chore enough… let alone throwing a bunch of extra ingredients in and saying a prayer. So when I made a box of this gluten free bread, I noticed a variation on the box that said you could add rosemary, garlic and parm - and realized that I could use this mix to try and recreate the Italy bread that I loved so much. Game on. Game won.
Sometimes bread is more than just bread. Sometimes it’s sitting on the Amalfi Coast being sad that it’s the only thing you can eat. And sometimes its sitting in your kitchen biting into it and remembering that once upon a time you got to eat delicious bread on the Amalfi coast. And you smile.
The Recipe
Ingredients
foundation
1 box Simple Mills Bread mix
3 Eggs (as mix directs)
1/4 cup water (as mix directs)
2-3 tablespoons of Olive Oil
2 tablespoons Apple Cider Vinegar (as mix directs)
our spin on it
7 fresh Garlic cloves (minced or crushed)
1 tablespoon fresh Rosemary (finely chopped)
1/4 teaspoon fresh thyme (finely chopped)
1/2 teaspoon fresh basil (finely chopped)
5-10 kalmata olives roughly chopped (choose your own adventure with olive count…)
1 dash white pepper
1 1/1 teaspoon granulated garlic
2 tablespoons Parmesan Cheese (grated; optional- I typically leave out unless I’m splurging)
1 - 1 1/2 tablespoon balsamic vinegar (add a little bit at a time and watch consistency of mixture so it doesn’t become too runny)
Sea Salt to sprinkle
Olive Oil for pan
Instructions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees; follow the bread making “loaf” instructions on the box. Whisk together eggs, water and olive oil (I use about a tablespoon more than is recommended on the box). DO NOT add the apple cider vinegar till the very end as directed below. Pour and fold in the mixture to the dry ingredients. The mixture will be thick.
Fold in remaining ingredients (MINUS the vinegars; cheese is optional).
Once combined- add in apple cider vinegar, stir- then add balsamic and stir again till they are fully incorporated. This will loosen the “dough” a bit and you will see it become lighter and airy.
Grease loaf pan with olive oil; pour the bread mixture into the pan; place in oven and bake for 1 hour. Expect your house to smell amazing!
Let bread cool 5-10 minutes before removing from pan.
TIPS/CHEATS
Loaf vs. Rolls: The box gives a slightly different set of ingredients/instructions to make rolls/muffins. If you’d like to make those (we make them as snacks sometimes!), then follow the box instructions and continue adding in remaining ingredients as listed above.
Garlic Options: Depending on my mood, I’ll either add the chopped garlic in raw- or sometimes I will brown it in a pan with a little olive oil- then use that garlic and oil in the recipe. Raw garlic leaves a more garlic flavor, and browned garlic will have a nuttier crisp flavor.
Fresh Herbs are your Friends: Herbs in a spice jar aren’t bad… but if you can use fresh, then you will definitely notice the difference. If you have other herbs laying around as well, don’t be afraid to experiment.
This bread box mix is a vessel for dreams: You can make all kinds of flavored breads- savory and sweet- with this mix. Experiment and get carried away!
