Pompe à L’huile (Olive Oil Bread) from Provence Recipe

Pompe à L’huile (Olive Oil Bread) from Provence

What happens when you merge bread and dessert? You get the soft, satisfying and delicious pompe à l’huile, or olive oil bread, a classic Provençal treat. The bread was originally made by dumping flour into the olive mill to soak up the last of the oil, and it’s since become part of a Christmas tradition in southern France. After dinner, people share and enjoy 13 different desserts to celebrate the 13 apostles, including pompe à l’huile.

France-based baker, teacher and pizza enthusiast Quentin Berthonneau (@quentinbbaker) discovered this recipe while teaching at the International Bakery School in southern France. His version of pompe à l’huile uses a biga (a type of Italian preferment), resulting in a dough with a lower hydration (less water) compared to other starters. And while this bread takes time to execute, you’ll be rewarded with a delicious, nutty flavour, plus a dash of floral notes from honey and orange blossom water. Enjoy it around the festive period or whenever you want a sweet pick-me-up!

Difficulty

Servings

Three 400-gram olive oil loaves

Prep Time

(not including biga and dough prep time)

Cook Time

9 to 11 minutes

By Quentin Berthonneau

Note

This recipe takes time; the biga needs about a 12-hour proof, while the final dough needs about 4 hours, followed by a cold-proof, so be sure to set aside at least 24 hours before cooking. Note: Before the olive oil is added to the dough, it may be quite stiff and tends to heat up easily. As such, Quentin suggests cooling all the ingredients in the fridge (including the oil) 2 to 3 hours before cooking. While some speciality and international stores carry orange blossom water, you can also purchase it online.

Method

1: The day before (about 24 hours) you plan to cook your pompe à l’huile, mix the lukewarm water with the dry yeast in a medium-sized bowl.

2: Add the flour and mix with your fingers until a crumbly mixture is obtained.

Cover with a kitchen towel and let rest at room temperature for at least 12 hours.

Tip: It’s important not to over-ferment your biga.

3: If using a mixer: With a dough hook attached to your mixer, add the flour, water, salt, sugar, honey, yeast and orange blossom water to the bowl.

Knead at a low speed until a smooth dough is obtained for about 5 to 10 minutes. Do your best to keep the dough below 30 °C. If the dough is too hot, it can be cooled for 30 minutes in the fridge.

Add the olive oil little by little, turning off the mixer after each addition and letting the dough rest for 3 minutes, for a total of 20 to 25 minutes.

Once you have a smooth dough with all the olive oil incorporated, remove the bowl and cover it with a kitchen towel.

4: If mixing by hand: Add the flour, water, salt, sugar, honey, yeast and orange blossom water to a medium-sized bowl.

Mix together, then remove from the bowl and knead for about 5 minutes. Make a ball shape and return the dough to the bowl. Let rest for 20 minutes. Remove from the bowl, make one fold, then return to the bowl and put it in the fridge for 1 hour. After 1 hour, take the dough out of the fridge. Incorporate the olive oil little by little, letting the dough rest for 3 minutes between each kneading. This should take about 20 to 25 minutes total.

5: Once the dough has almost doubled in volume, place it in the fridge for an 8-hour cold proof.

6: Remove the dough from the fridge and divide it into three 400-gram dough balls using a digital scale for accuracy.

7: Place each dough ball on a separate round paper baking sheet about 9 inches (23 centimetres) in diameter.

Let the dough ferment for 60 to 90 minutes in a still-air environment (such as inside your turned-off home oven).

8: Grease your hands and gently flatten each dough ball with the palm of your hand (the dough should be close to the edges of the paper).

Make a small incision in the middle of the dough with a dough roller or knife. Let the dough rest for another 30 to 45 minutes.

9: Meanwhile, preheat your oven to its maximum heat for 30 minutes, then reduce the temperature to 260 °C.

If using an Ooni, you can check the temperature quickly and easily with an infrared thermometer.

10: Place the paper and dough onto a pizza peel.

Launch one bread loaf into the oven and cook for around 2 minutes until the side closest to the flame becomes coloured. Using the turning peel, rotate the bread 180 degrees so the other side can get some colour, about 1 minute.

11: Remove the dough from the oven and carefully remove the baking paper.

(You may need to flip the bread over onto a kitchen towel to peel it off.) Once it's off, return the bread to the oven and cook for another 6 to 8 minutes, rotating every minute or so for an even bake.

12: Remove the bread from the oven and brush it with olive oil to regain its shine.

13: Allow the oven to get back up to temperature and repeat the steps for the remaining bread.

Quentin Berthonneau

France-based chef and professional baker Quentin Berthonneau (@quentinbbaker) trained in his home country before moving to Melbourne, Australia, where he worked for over 10 years and opened up his own sourdough bakery. He’s taught at L'école internationale de boulangerie (International baking school) and is currently a sourdough baking consultant, panettone teacher and pizza lover.