Why it works: Flour and olive are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 19% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 16,871 recipes. Both carry isobutyraldehyde, which smells malty, green. The science ↓
Bread Dough
Ingredients
Directions
Prepare the dough
Preheat oven to very hot, approx. 240°C.
Dissolve the yeast in the measure of warm water, stirring with a teaspoon, until frothy.
Sift flour into a bowl.
Add water and salt to flour.
Make a well in the center of the flour mixture and pour in the yeast.
Stir into flour until thickened.
Knead by hand until smooth and elastic and not sticky on your hands.
Add a generous splash of olive oil.
Add an extra handful of flour if needed to pick up residue from the bowl.
Shape dough into a ball.
Prove the dough
Put dough onto a plate lined with a floured tea towel.
Allow dough to prove.
Cover the dough ball with the ends of the tea towel.
Leave dough in a warm place (25°C room temperature) to rise until doubled in bulk.
Bake
Place dough on a flat baking tray.
Put dough in pre-heated oven to cook.
Reduce temperature to moderately hot (200–220°C) after 5–10 minutes.
Cook for another 25–35 minutes.
Check when the crust is hard and the loaf feels light in your hands.
Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)
Counts 3 of 4 ingredients. The other 1 aren't in our nutrition table and add nothing above, so the real totals are higher.
What these numbers assume: 3 portions
| Ingredient | Portion assumed | kcal |
|---|---|---|
| Flour | 1 cup (125g) all-purpose | 455 |
| Olive Oil | 1 tbsp (14g) | 119 |
| Salt | 1 tsp (6g) | 0 |
| Water | not in our table | 0 |
One typical portion per ingredient; the recipe's quantities are not counted. A rough guide only, not for medical or dietary planning.
Steps grouped into stages for easier reading; the method is the source's own.
Explore the science
The flavor team
The pairs that carry this dish. Each one is judged two ways: how much their aromas overlap, and how often cooks already put them together.
-
Flour + olivetop 19% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together16,871 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Plain flour
- Provides the gluten-forming protein that builds the dough's structure and chew.
- Dry active yeast
- Produces gas as it ferments, making the dough rise and become light.
- Olive oil
- Adds fat that softens the crumb and gives the dough a more tender texture.
The step that matters
Knead until smooth and elastic. Kneading aligns gluten strands so the dough can trap the gas yeast produces. Under-kneaded dough rises poorly and bakes dense.
“What each ingredient does” and “The step that matters” were written by Claude from this recipe’s own method and reviewed in samples by CompKitchen.
More bread dough recipes
You might also like
Cornbread345 recipes
Bread Pudding336 recipes
Milk Bread Rolls242 recipes
Potato Bread124 recipesThe free Flavor Lab newsletter: one surprising pairing a week and the molecular reason it works, in 60 seconds. No spam, unsubscribe anytime.
Prefer an account? Create a free account to save pairings and unlock the full chemistry.