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 The bread was originally made by dumping flour into the olive mill to soak up the last of the oil, and it’s since become part of a Christmas tradition in southern France.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

45

(not including biga and dough prep time)
Cook Time

9 to 11 minutes

By Quentin Berthonneau

Olive Oil Bread on a perforated pizza peel

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.

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.

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