Olive-Walnut Mini Breads

Olive-Walnut Mini Breads

I love these cute olive-walnut mini breads. They are rich, I won’t lie. I hate to lament my muffin tops after I bake these tasty  treats in huge batches, oftentimes back to back, and indulge myself non-stop.  But if you are less of a glutton than I am and can control your appetite, you will be just fine. You will survive. These mini breads are fantastic. Olives and walnuts—a match made in heaven.  I love how the tiny bits of black olives peek through the shiny golden crust once the cookies have baked. And the walnuts stay inside for a hidden bonus—crunch and added taste. Pure delight.

Olive-Walnut Mini Breads
Adapted from “Caya Davet” by Fatos Yagci

Makes about 45

Note: While I only tweaked the amount of flour in the recipe and left everything else the same, I changed the shape of these breads. Well, actually they were not supposed to turn into breads. They were meant to be cookies. The original recipe called for the dough to be rolled out, then cut out into shapes with a cookie cutter. I tried this the first time I tested the recipe, but failed—the dough is just too tender for that kind of task. So, I shaped it into balls and voila—mini breads were born.  The idea stuck with me ever since. Or, you can call them savory cookies if you want to. They won’t be hurt.

For the Dough:
3+1/2 cups all-purpose flour, plus extra if needed
Pinch of salt
2+1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 cup corn oil or olive oil
4.4 ounces (125 g) unsalted butter, softened at room temperature (it should be really soft to touch)
2 tablespoons apple cider or red wine vinegar
1 cup plain yogurt
1 cup finely (but not too finely) chopped walnuts (you should feel the bite)
1 cup pitted sliced black olives

To Glaze:
1 egg yolk

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 380ºF (190ºC). Lightly grease the bottom of a large baking sheet.

In a medium mixing bowl combine the flour, salt and baking power. Stir to mix. Set aside.

Olive-Walnut Mini Breads

In a large mixing bowl, combine the oil, butter, vinegar, and plain yogurt. Stir to mix. Add the walnuts and olives. Stir to combine.

Olive-Walnut Mini Breads

Add the flour mixture and stir to mix. If the dough is sticky, gradually add more flour and knead the dough until it is tender, pleasant to touch, but not too tight or sticky.

Olive-Walnut Mini Breads

Taking a little at a time, shape the dough into balls, the size of a big whole walnut.

Olive-Walnut Mini Breads

Arrange the balls on the prepared baking sheet. Brush their tops with the egg yolk. Bake until golden, about 40 minutes. Bring to a room temperature before serving. The inside of the cookies will appear somewhat moist—this is normal.

Olive-Walnut Mini Breads

13 Comments

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  1. Those look so pretty and tempting! Impossible to resist any bread that conntains olives and walnuts.

    Cheers,

    Rosa

  2. These are so cute and the flavours in them sound absolutely gorgeous! Problem is I know i would eat so very many of these if i was given the chance…lovely recipe 🙂

  3. Rosa – Thank you!
    Sasha – They are indeed delicious:) Thank you!

  4. Wow!
    I LOVE bread, and I LOVE olives, so this is the THE PERFECT combo for me!! 😀

    Thanks for sharing!

  5. They look incredible, I like both olives and walnuts.

  6. I love rolls like these, they are cute, small and simply delicious. I’ve tired rolls with only olives & only nuts but never combined. Will try this.

  7. I will give it a try for sure! Looks fantastic!

  8. I ate some of this (or something alike) in Cyprus 4 years ago. I’ve been looking for the recipe since then. THANX!!!

  9. loving these bite size breads, better than cut outs like the original recipe. Thanks for sharing

  10. These are very delicious, but was wondering if one cup olive oil is too much for this recipe? I will try it with half a cup next time, hope that won’t make it as rich and the olive oil taste so strong. Otherwise, great recipe!

  11. Can you freeze dough and cook later? If so, can you suggest how to do this?

    • SARAH – Sorry to have missed your comment. Yes, you can freeze the dough. You can shape the dough into cookie rounds and freeze them, then bake them frozen following the recipe. You can also freeze the dough then defrost it in the refrigerator and proceed as in the recipe. Good luck and enjoy!

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