Olives, feta, and red onions add a slight twist and a Mediterranean flare to the traditional Pane Bianco.
Last week I announced that I am participating in King Arthur Flour’s bakealong challenge. The challenge is simple: a new recipe is reveled at the beginning of every month, bakers recreate it at home, and share the photos using #bakealong. My first attempt at pane bianco – the August recipe – was so successful that I kind of fell in love and became just slightly obsessed with what other fillings I could use.
Pane bianco in Italian means white bread and although pretty much every recipe I’ve spotted on the interwebs are filled with sun-dried tomatoes and basil, I wanted to deviate slightly and make a Mediterranean-inspired version.
When I think of Mediterranean flavors, the first things that come to mind are tangy feta and salty Kalamata olives, so they were going to go in there for sure. To infuse the dough with some earthy flavor, I added oregano and for a touch of spice and a little bit of sweetness, I included red onions.
The loaf turned out even better than I imagined! There’s a hint of oregano in every bite and surprise pops of flavor from the feta and olives. Although softened some, the onions also adds a slight crunch.
The bread is perfect by itself, toasted, or dipped in high quality olive oil. So tasty!
If you haven’t tried making your own pane bianco yet, I strongly encourage you to do so. The dough itself is so easy to work with so you can fill it with anything you’d like! I’m already thinking about what to fill it with next…How does cheddar and jalapeño sound?
Pane Bianco (White Bread) with Olives and Feta
Yields 1 loaf
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Ingredients
3 cups bread flour
2 teaspoons instant yeast
1 ¼ teaspoons salt
1 egg, room temperature
½ cup warm milk*
⅓ cup warm water*
3 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons dried oregano
½ cup feta cheese
½ cup pitted Kalamata olives, quartered
½ red onion, sliced
Directions
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook attachment, combine the flour, yeast, salt, egg, milk, water, and olive oil. Mix on low until combined and a soft and smooth dough forms. The dough should only slightly stick to the sides of the bowl.
- Roll the dough into a smooth ball and place in a greased bowl**. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and let rise until doubled, about 60 minutes.
- Deflate the dough and roll out into a 22” x 8 ½” rectangle on a lightly floured surface.
- Evenly spread the oregano, cheese, olives, and onions onto the dough, leaving a ½” border without the filling.
- From the long edge, roll the dough into a tight log and seal the edges and seam. Form the log into an S and tuck the ends under the center of the S to form an 8 or infinity shape.
- Transfer the loaf onto a parchment lined baking sheet. Using kitchen shears, cut down the center of the loaf, following the shape of the loaf. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and let rise for 60 minutes, or until doubled in size.
- Preheat the oven to 350°F while the loaf is rising.
- Bake for 35 – 40 minutes until golden, tenting with foil at about 20 minutes to prevent excessive browning of the filling.
- Transfer loaf to a cooling rack to cool completely.
Notes
*Place in a microwave-safe glass and heat for 25 seconds.
**I lightly drizzled the bowl with olive oil.
Storage
Store in an air tight container at room temperature for up to 5 days.
Adapted from The PKP Way
