Olive & Rosemary Bloomer

A fragrant sourdough bloomer with olives, rosemary and a lovely savoury flavour.

 

This olive and rosemary sourdough bloomer is a beautiful next step once you’ve baked your first plain loaf. It has all the flavour of a classic sourdough, with salty olives and fragrant rosemary folded through the dough.

 

It’s lovely with soup, cheese, olive oil and balsamic, or simply toasted with butter.

Before you begin

 

Make sure your starter is active and ready to use.

Your starter should:

  • Look bubbly and lively
  • Smell pleasantly tangy, yeasty or slightly fruity
  • Have risen after feeding
  • Be at or near its peak before you mix your dough

If your starter is still quiet, give it another feed and a little more time.

Ingredients

For one beginner sourdough loaf:

  • 100g active sourdough starter
  • 450g strong white bread flour
  • 50g wholemeal flour
  • 350g room temperature water
  • 10g salt
  • chopped olives
  • rosemary

Optional:

  • A little extra flour for shaping
  • Rice flour or plain flour for dusting

 

 

Step 1: Mix the dough

In a large bowl, mix together:

450g bread flour

50g wholemeal flour
350g water
100g active starter

 

Stir until there are no dry patches of flour left.

 

Cover the bowl and leave it to rest for around 30 minutes.

 

This rest gives the flour time to absorb the water and makes the dough easier to work with.

Step 2: Add the salt, olives and rosemary

Sprinkle over:

 

10g salt

 

Use damp hands to pinch and fold the salt into the dough until it feels evenly mixed.

 

The dough may feel sticky at this stage, that’s completely normal.

 

Add your chopped olives and rosemary to the dough.

 

Gently fold them through using damp hands.

 

Try not to overwork the dough. You just want the olives and rosemary spread through evenly.

 

If the olives are very wet, pat them dry slightly before adding them. Too much extra moisture can make the dough harder to handle.

Step 3: Coil and fold

Over the next 2 hours, do a few sets of coil folds.

 

Coil folding is a gentle way to build strength in your dough without knocking out too much air.

 

To do this:

  1. Wet your hands slightly.
  2. Slide both hands under the middle of the dough.
  3. Gently lift the dough up, letting the ends fold underneath themselves.
  4. Turn the bowl 90 degrees.
  5. Lift again from the middle and let it fold under itself.
  6. Cover the bowl and rest for around 30 minutes.

Repeat this every 30 minutes, around 3 to 4 times.

 

The dough should slowly become smoother, stronger and more elastic. It may feel sticky at first, but it should become easier to handle as the folds continue.

 

 

Step 4: Let it rise

After your stretch and folds, cover the bowl and leave the dough to rise.

This is called bulk fermentation.

 

Leave it at room temperature until it looks puffier and has risen slightly. This usually takes around 4 to 6 hours, but it depends on the warmth of your kitchen and how active your starter is.

 

Look for signs rather than watching the clock too closely.

The dough should look:

  • Puffier
  • Slightly domed
  • A little bubbly around the edges
  • Softer and more airy

 

 

Step 5: Shape your loaf

Lightly flour your worktop and gently tip the dough out.

 

Shape it into a round or oval loaf by gently folding the edges into the centre, then turning it over and tightening the shape with your hands.

 

Try not to knock out all the air.

 

Place the shaped dough into a floured bowl, banneton, or tea towel lined bowl.

Step 6: Final test

Cover the dough and let it rest.

 

You can either:

 

Bake the same day:
Leave it at room temperature for around 1 to 2 hours, then bake.

 

Bake the next day:
Place it in the fridge overnight. This helps develop flavour and makes scoring easier.

 

For this loaf, the fridge method works really nicely because it gives the olive and rosemary flavour more time to develop.

 

 

Step 7: Bake your loaf

Preheat your oven to 230°C.

 

If using a Dutch oven or lidded oven safe pot, place it in the oven while it heats.

 

Carefully turn your dough out onto baking paper.

Score the top with a sharp knife or blade.

 

Bake with a couple ice cubes between the parchment paper and the dutch oven/pot to create steam.

 

20 minutes covered
then
20 to 25 minutes uncovered

 

The loaf should be deep golden brown and sound hollow when tapped underneath.

Let it cool before slicing if you can, the inside carries on setting as it cools.

Tips for this loaf

Drain your olives well
Too much liquid from the olives can make the dough wetter and harder to handle.

 

Go steady with the rosemary
Rosemary has a strong flavour, so start with a little. You can always add more next time.

 

Don’t worry if the dough feels wetter
Inclusion loaves can feel a bit softer, especially with olives.

 

Let it cool before cutting
This helps the inside set properly and makes slicing easier.

Serving suggestions

Olive and rosemary sourdough is lovely with:

  • Soup
  • Cheese
  • Olive oil and balsamic
  • Hummus
  • Antipasti
  • Toasted sandwiches
  • Butter while still slightly warm

Want to try it without baking?

If you’d rather enjoy one already baked, GG’s sometimes offers olive and rosemary as a seasonal inclusion loaf.

 

Fancy an olive and rosemary bloomer or a starter kit?

 

 

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