Description
These olive rolls (açma) are Turkish savory pastries traditionally served for breakfast. They are amazingly soft, deliciously buttery and the salty olives cut through the richness beautifully.
Ingredients
Scale
- 200ml whole milk (¾ cup + 1 tbsp)
- 25g fresh yeast or use 1 tbsp of dry yeast
- 1 tsp caster sugar
- 100g butter (3.5 oz), cubed
- 2 eggs, at room temperature
- 500g all-purpose flour (3 ⅔ cup)
- 12g salt (1 ½ tsp)
- 150g black olives, stoned (1 cup)
- 1 egg yolk
- 1 tbsp nigella seeds or sesame seeds (or both)
Instructions
- Make the dough. Heat half of the milk to 32°C (90°F) using a microwave or the stove. Whisk in the yeast and sugar. Cover the bowl or pan with plastic wrap and let the mixture until it gets foamy, about 10 min. Add the butter and the other half of the milk into a small saucepan and place over medium heat. Cook for just a few minutes until the butter has completely melted. Pour into a bowl so it will cool down faster. Beat the eggs in a separate bowl. Mix the flour and salt together in a large mixing bowl. Make a well in the center of the flour and pour in the activated yeast, the butter mixture and the eggs.
- Knead the dough. Using one of your hands, bring the mixture together until a soft dough is formed. Tip it out onto a lightly floured surface and knead for 10 min, until you have a smooth dough that bounces back when pressed with a finger. Lightly oil a clean mixing bowl, put the dough in it, and cover the bowl with a damp dishtowel. Leave to rise until doubled in size, around 1h30 in a warm place. I like to place my dough in an oven preheated to the lowest temperatures for a couple of minutes (and then turned off).
- Chop the olives or use a blender (but only mix them for a few seconds, you don’t want them to turn into a paste). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Lightly oil your work surface. Punch the dough and fold it in on itself to remove the air. Divide the dough into 8 equal pieces and shape them into balls.
- Shape the olive rolls. Working with 1 ball at a time, roll the dough into a rough rectangle, about 15*25cm (6*10 in). Evenly spread 1 tbsp of chopped olives over the dough but leave 1,5cm (½ in) of the edges bare. Tightly roll up the dough starting with one of the longer edges. Roll each of these using the palms of your hands into ropes roughly measuring 28cm (11 in). Twist the rope and pinch the ends together at the top to join them. Place the olive roll on the baking sheet and repeat the process with the other balls. Cover the olive rolls with a damp dishtowel and leave them to rise for 45 min in a warm place.
- Bake the olive rolls. Preheat the oven to the highest temperature for 15 min. Make the egg wash by mixing together the egg yolk, 1 tsp of milk and ½ tsp of salt. Delicately brush the olive rolls and sprinkle the seeds on top. Place the baking sheet on the middle shelf of the oven and reduce the temperature to 180°C (355°F). Reduce the temperature to 160°C if using a convection oven. Bake the olive rolls for 22 min, until risen and golden brown. Wait for 5 min before transferring them to a cooling rack.
Notes
These olive rolls are best eaten slightly warm on the day they are made.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1
- Calories: 399
- Fat: 15.9g
Keywords: turkish breakfast, savory pastry, savory breakfast pastry, olive brioche