Oi1 Olive Oil bread

Last week, I invited friends over to play Anki DRIVE and after playing, we all settled down for a nice glass of wine from Frontera (click to check out my Vibrant Chicken in Creamy Wine Sauce recipe and Rich Mushroom Wine Sauce), my homemade olive bread made with Oi1 olive oil and a hamper of cheese that I won from Connage Cheese.

I had received two unique tins of Oi1 olive oil: Oi1 Peza and Oi1 Viannos.

Oi1 Peza is produced from Koroneiki olives grown in the green, fertile region of Peza in central Crete. The oil is a smooth and slightly fruity extra virgin olive oil ideal for drizzling over cooked red meat, vegetables and homemade dressings.

Oi1 Viannos is also produced from Koroneiki olives and this extra virgin olive oil is a more robust, fruity, peppery taste which is great for drizzling over Mediterranean salads and pasta or for dipping breads.

Oi1 oils come in specially designed tins to prevent sunlight reaching the oil and cuts down on oxygen contact. The tins also have special internal coatings to best preserve the oil and keep it tasting fresh. The tin looks very stylish which I am happy to leave it out on the worktop rather than keep them back in the cupboard especially as they have such a clever tin design. It also comes with a very unique cap. I am not a big fan of the plastic cap but if I don’t need it, I could depress the cap back down and store it.

To make this Oi1 Olive bread, I used:

• 450g strong white flour
• 60g Olive (slight chopped)
• 10 g easy bake yeast
• 2 tablespoons Oi1 Peza (for fruity flavour)
• 2 tablespoons salt
• 2 tablespoons brown sugar
• 250 ml lukewarm water

Method:

1. Mixed the flour, olive, oil, salt, sugar and yeast with water.
2. Knead the dough for 10 minutes or until smooth.
3. Cover the dough and let it stand in a warm place for about an hour or until it doubles in size.
4. Take it out and knead again on a lightly floured surface. Use a rolling pin to roll out the dough to a circle shape.
5. Cover it with a damp tea towel and leave to rise in a warm place for a further 30 – 60 minutes.
6. Bake in the oven for 20 – 25 minutes in a preheated fan oven of 180 °C.
7. Serve with Oi1 olive oil for dipping.

This recipe is very easy to make but it takes a long time to prepare (3 hours). This is a lovely versatile bread that will go well with party foods, cheeses, soups etc.

We had used the Arthur Price Kitchen My Deli cheese knives set, butter/cheese knives set and slate deli board for our bread, Oi1 olive oil and cheese (links to Amazon).

The cheese knives set comes with four different stainless steel knives: two pronged fork (for picking up cheese), Parmesan cheese knife (short, thick and stubby blade), and narrow bladed and wide bladed knives. They are beautifully designed with beech wood handles, providing superb cutting edges. My friends are very impressed with the set and also the box. They thought it was a book initially! In fact, the packaging is made with 100% recycled paper.

The knives are easy to hold and use to slice the delicious cheese. We had tried not just one but four different types of cheese.

I love this rectangle slate deli board as it is both functional and stylish. I have been using it to display a number of my foodie posts. It comes with two small white dishes and a knife.

It was a rare decadent night as we enjoyed ourselves with a selection of delicious wines and cheeses! The homemade olive bread and the Oi1 olive dip complimented our foods beautifully too. We have a split decision over the Oi1 Viannos and Oi1 Peza. Half of us preferred the Oi1 Viannos for the stronger peppery taste while the other half preferred the fruitier taste of Oi1 Peza.

Oi1 oils are now available in Tesco stores nationwide and cost £6.50 for a 500ml tin. Arthur Price My Deli are also available to buy on their website or by phone, John Lewis, Debenhams, Amazon and other good home stores.

Disclosure: We received the sample for the purposes of writing this review, however, all thoughts and opinions remain our own. We have included an Amazon affiliate link to the product. If you click on this and buy, we may earn a small commission.