Olive and Cheese Buns (No Knead Recipe)

No knead dough can be used to make so much more than bread or pizza. These rustic style Olive and Cheese Buns (No Knead Recipe) are perfect for your breadbasket, as a great snack or for summer picnics!My mother used to make these olive and cheese buns on whenever she made bread or pizza. Another one of those tasty treats she hasn’t made in a while. They came to mind when I recently shared my amazing no knead pizza dough recipe which I realized can be used to make so much more than just pizza. So I transformed that easy dough recipe into these amazing olive and cheese buns!

If you like the combination of salty olives and sharp flavored cheese, just picture those ingredients tucked into a crusty bun that’s soft and tender on the inside!

These buns are rustic, so they don’t have to be perfectly shaped. They may have a few olives and bits of cheese poking through the dough here and there, and that’s fine. Just take a look when you cut into one. Beautiful layers of olives and cheese nestled inside the soft crumb of these buns!

A few tips on handling no knead dough:

If you have not yet worked with no knead dough, take note that this is a very high hydration dough and therefore tends to be quite sticky. When folding and shaping the dough (as shown in the photos further below) the dough will be sticky and not necessarily fold into perfectly shaped rectangles or balls. This is perfectly normal. 

Here are a few tips on handling no knead dough:

• Flour your work surface and hands generously when handling the dough.
• I recommend the use of a bench scraper (or pastry cutter) to help fold the dough over when shaping it. If you don’t have one a spatula will do as well.
• Don’t worry if the dough is not perfectly shaped and some bits of olives and cheese may stick out of the dough. This adds to their rustic charm!

What type of olives can I add to olive and cheese buns?

My mom makes these buns with Greek Kalamata olives.

This recipe also works with olive infornate, those black wrinkly Italian olives that I am so fond of! Olive infornate are oven dried and cured with salt and oil. Unlike most olives, they are packed dry without brine.

I think you can use just about any type of olives that you like. However, I would avoid canned olives packed in water. I really don’t think they have the bold flavors necessary for these buns.

What types of cheese go well in olive and cheese buns?

My mom and I tested this recipe with a few types of Italian cheeses including Crotonese, Parmigiano and Pecorino Romano. Basically all cheeses that have a sharp flavor.

Have you heard of Crotonese cheese? This aged cheese from Calabria is made of sheep’s milk and has a salty flavor similar to Pecorino.

Other great choices include Asiago or Provolone cheese. 

But once again, feel free to add whichever cheese you enjoy. This recipe can be endlessly versatile!

Step by Step Instructions

Prepare the olives and cheese:

Pit olives by placing the flat edge of your knife on the olive and gently press down on it. The olive will split open and you can easily remove the pit with your fingers. Give the olives a rough chop. 

Shred Pecorino Romano cheese.

Shape the dough: 

Follow my instructions to make the Easiest No Knead Pizza Dough Recipe until step #4, that is until the initial rising period of 6-24 hours.

Using the same folding and shaping into a ball technique as for the pizza dough recipe, at this step incorporate the olives and cheese to the dough. Use a spatula to scrape the dough onto a well floured surface.

1) Flour your hands as needed and use your fingertips to flatten the dough into a rough rectangle.  Sprinkle the dough with half of the shredded cheese and half of the chopped olives.

2) Use a bench scraper or spatula or simply use your hands to fold over two sides toward the center.

3) Fold the top and bottom edges toward the center. Turn the dough over seam side down.

4) Once again flatten the dough into a rough rectangle. Sprinkle the remaining shredded cheese and olives evenly over the surface.

5) As above, fold over the two edges toward the center.

6) Fold the top and bottom edges toward the center. Turn the dough over seam side down.

Place the dough, seam side down in an oiled bowl. Cover and let sit for 1 hour.

Use a knife or bench scraper to divide the dough into 8 pieces. Flour your hands and the dough as needed and shape each piece into a ball. Some bits of olive and cheese may not be fully tucked into the bun, this is normal.

Place on a lightly greased baking sheet. Lightly brush each bun with olive oil.

Let the buns rest in the time that it takes to preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Bake for 18 minutes or until golden both on top and underneath. Let cool for a few minutes before serving.

Tip and suggestions:

• Be sure to flour your work surface and hands generously when handling no knead dough.
• Oven dried black olives, or olive infornate, also work well in this recipe.
• Alternate cheese options include Parmigiano, Crotonese, Asiago or Provolone cheese.
• Add herbs to the dough such as dry oregano or rosemary to add extra flavor!
• Keep leftovers at room temperature for up to 3 days.
• These buns can be frozen, well sealed in an airtight container or freezer-safe bag for up to 3 months. Defrost overnight in the refrigerator and warm in the oven before serving.

If you give this recipe a try, please let me know how much you enjoyed it by rating/commenting in the recipe card below. Feel free to Pin it for later. Buon appetito!

Other savory bread and pizza recipes you may enjoy!

• Sicilian Sausage Bread (Bignolati)
• Sicilian Rosticceria Small Bites
• Sfincione Siciliano (Sicilian Style Pizza)
• Swiss Chard Filled Pizza (Pizza con bietole)
• Pitoni Messinese (Sicilian Fried Calzone)

 

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