This FoodieBook Friday is a revisit to last week’s Pecan & Cherry Stuffed Squash post. I’ve had several requests to post the full No-Knead Olive Skillet Bread recipe. It’s an amazingly moist, easy to make, garlicky, yeasty, salty, olivey treat!
Jump to RecipeThis bread is reminiscent of focaccia bread. It’s chewy and kind of like thick pizza dough. It is so good, that I have converted olive haters into olive lovers! I recently tried adding mozzarella to it and it was a great addition. Next time, I might try substituting olives with roasted peppers, tomatoes, eggplant, and garlic!
I originally found this No-Knead Olive Skillet Bread recipe on Food in Books blog and adapted it slightly. All I did was increase the flour to four cups, adding even more delicious olives and a tad less garlic and salt.

*As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. Support your favorite food bloggers by rating or liking our recipes, or start your
If you love this recipe, try my No-Knead Cheddar Skillet Bread with White Pepper! You can spice it up by using pepper-jack cheese!
No-Knead Olive Skillet Bread
Ingredients
- 2 cup water Luke warm
- 2 ¼ tsp active dry yeast
- 1 ½ tsp salt I used pink himalayan.
- 4 cups flour
- 1 ¼ cup pitted, sliced olives Sliced brined olives. Look for mixed olives in the deli area at the supermarket, like this Italian olive mix, or combine several olive varieties like Kalamata, or Manzanilla Pimiento stuffed olives.
- ½ tbsp Lawry’s coarse ground garlic powder with parsley Make it a hefty 1/2 tablespoon.
- 1 tsp dried basil Optional
- 1 tsp dried parsley Optional
- 1 tsp thyme leaves Optional. I used fresh thyme.
- 1 tbsp olive oil
Instructions
- Add 2 cups lukewarm water to a large mixing bowl.
- Add the yeast packet, or 2¼ tsp of yeast, and stir well.
- Add 1 cup flour and the salt and stir well.
- Add the garlic powder and sliced olives and stir. (Save a few pretty slices to garnish the top before baking) Feel free to add some herbs, like a tbsp of fresh oregano or chopped rosemary.
- Add another cup of flour and stir.
- One at a time, add the remaining two cups of flour, stirring well between each addition.
- Cover with plastic wrap and place a tea towel over it. Place it somewhere warm to rest and rise for 1 hour.
- After the dough has rested an hour, oil the bottom and sides of a 10” cast iron skillet with 1/2 tbsp olive oil. (I like to sprinkle some white pepper on the bottom of my skillet for a little bit of heat!)
- Preheat your oven to 425° F.
- Lightly oil your fingers. Pour the dough into the skillet using your fingers to pull it out of the bottom of the bowl. It will be sticky! Press the dough around gently to even it out.
- Cover skillet loosely with plastic wrap and/or a tea towell. Let it proof (or rise) for an additional 30 minutes. I spread some olive oil on the wrap to keep it from sticking to the top of the dough.
- Sprinkle the top with the herbs, and add some pretty olive slices! (A drizzle of olive oil and some flaky sea salt sprinkled on the top looks lovely too!)
- Bake for 30 minutes and check to see if it's golden brown on top. If not, give it a few more minutes until it's golden brown.
- Remove skillet from the oven and place on a large, heavy rack or trivet to cool down enough to remove from the pan.
- After several minutes, turn the loaf out onto a wire rack to cool. (Place a large plate over the top of the bread. Using potholders, place one hand on top of the plate, and use the other hand to flip it upside down so it's upside down on top of the plate. Now place a cooling rack on top of the bread and flip it upside down again and remove the plate.)
- Allow it to cool for at least twenty minutes. Try and give it time to cool to room temperature before cutting into it. If you cut into it too soon, the steam will release and you will end up with a dry loaf, and it'll be gummy when you try and cut it.
Notes
- For a bit of heat, sprinkle the cast iron pan with a little white pepper! I use it in my Cheddar Skillet Bread! If you like this recipe, and you like cheese, try my Cheddar Skillet Bread recipe!
- I’ve supplemented with plain black olives. As long as you have some salty olives, the bread will be great!
- When I first made this bread, I wasn’t sure how much flour to use, so I used about 3¼ cups. It was very, very moist! I increased it to 4 cups of flour for a less fragile, slightly higher loaf.
- I like to slice a large round of bread like this by cutting it in half once. Then cut the half into shorter slices.
- I took it to dinner at my Sisters-in-law and it served 8 easily with plenty of leftovers!
- This makes amazing sandwiches if it makes it to leftovers.
- I found this recipe on Food in Books blog and adapted it slightly. Food In Books Venessa blogs about, well, you guessed it, food in books, and posts the best book reviews along with beautiful photos as she cooks dishes inspired by her reading.