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Cast Iron Olive Bread

By Sara Mayer

Published on January 27, 2022

Time

1¼ hours, plus 20 minutes cooling

Yield

Serves 10 to 12 (makes 1 loaf)

Cast Iron Olive Bread

Ingredients

2 ½ cups (12 ½ ounces/354 grams) all-purpose flour ¼ cup chopped fresh basil 1 tablespoon baking powder ½ teaspoon salt 4 ½ ounces (128 grams) Parmesan cheese, grated coarse (1 ½ cups)1 cup whole milk ½ cup sour cream 1 large egg 5 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil 3 garlic cloves, minced1 cup pitted kalamata olives, halved

Before You Begin

Use the large holes of a box grater to grate the Parmesan. Do not substitute finely grated or pregrated Parmesan.

Instructions

  1. Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 450 degrees. Grease 10-inch cast-iron skillet.
  2. Whisk flour, basil, baking powder, and salt together in large bowl. Stir in 1 cup Parmesan, breaking up any clumps, until coated with flour. In separate bowl, whisk milk, sour cream, and egg until smooth.
  3. Cook oil and garlic in 10-inch cast-iron skillet over medium heat until fragrant, about 3 minutes. Pour oil mixture into milk mixture and whisk to combine. Stir milk mixture into flour mixture until just combined, then fold in olives. Batter will be heavy and thick; do not overmix.
  4. Scrape batter into prepared skillet and smooth top. Sprinkle with remaining ½ cup Parmesan. Transfer skillet to oven and bake until loaf is golden brown and toothpick inserted into center comes out clean, 20 to 25 minutes, rotating skillet halfway through baking.
  5. Using potholders, transfer skillet to wire rack and let loaf cool for 10 minutes. Being careful of hot skillet handle, remove loaf from skillet, return to rack, and let cool for at least 20 minutes before serving.
Cast Iron Olive Bread
Photography by Keller + Keller.

Cast Iron Olive Bread

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Time

1¼ hours, plus 20 minutes cooling

Yield

Serves 10 to 12 (makes 1 loaf)

Ingredients

2 ½ cups (12 ½ ounces/354 grams) all-purpose flour
¼ cup chopped fresh basil
1 tablespoon baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
4 ½ ounces (128 grams) Parmesan cheese, grated coarse (1 ½ cups)
1 cup whole milk
½ cup sour cream
1 large egg
5 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 cup pitted kalamata olives, halved

Ingredients

2 ½ cups (12 ½ ounces/354 grams) all-purpose flour
¼ cup chopped fresh basil
1 tablespoon baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
4 ½ ounces (128 grams) Parmesan cheese, grated coarse (1 ½ cups)
1 cup whole milk
½ cup sour cream
1 large egg
5 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 cup pitted kalamata olives, halved

Ingredients

2 ½ cups (12 ½ ounces/354 grams) all-purpose flour
¼ cup chopped fresh basil
1 tablespoon baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
4 ½ ounces (128 grams) Parmesan cheese, grated coarse (1 ½ cups)
1 cup whole milk
½ cup sour cream
1 large egg
5 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 cup pitted kalamata olives, halved

Why This Recipe Works

For a quick bread that was super simple in method but sophisticated in flavor, we turned to a classic Italian combination of olives, cheese, and basil for an easy weeknight batter bread. We started by making a potent garlic oil that permeated the bread with garlic essence. A combination of whole milk and sour cream gave this bread extra richness and a great moist crumb. A generous amount of briny kalamata olives, which we halved to help them evenly disperse throughout the batter, gave this bread good texture and Mediterranean flavor. Coarsely grated Parmesan both in the batter and on top of the bread contributed to the savory flavor profile and helped create a crisp, golden crust. The cast-iron skillet gave us an evenly browned loaf that was almost fried around the edges where the rich batter touched the hot pan.

Before You Begin

Use the large holes of a box grater to grate the Parmesan. Do not substitute finely grated or pregrated Parmesan.

Instructions

  1. Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 450 degrees. Grease 10-inch cast-iron skillet.
  2. Whisk flour, basil, baking powder, and salt together in large bowl. Stir in 1 cup Parmesan, breaking up any clumps, until coated with flour. In separate bowl, whisk milk, sour cream, and egg until smooth.
  3. Cook oil and garlic in 10-inch cast-iron skillet over medium heat until fragrant, about 3 minutes. Pour oil mixture into milk mixture and whisk to combine. Stir milk mixture into flour mixture until just combined, then fold in olives. Batter will be heavy and thick; do not overmix.
  4. Scrape batter into prepared skillet and smooth top. Sprinkle with remaining ½ cup Parmesan. Transfer skillet to oven and bake until loaf is golden brown and toothpick inserted into center comes out clean, 20 to 25 minutes, rotating skillet halfway through baking.
  5. Using potholders, transfer skillet to wire rack and let loaf cool for 10 minutes. Being careful of hot skillet handle, remove loaf from skillet, return to rack, and let cool for at least 20 minutes before serving.

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