Eliopita

Ingredients

Dough

• 600 gplain flour
• 350 mlwarm water
• 10 gdried yeast
• 1 tablespoonsugar
• 2 teaspoonssalt
• 150 mlolive oil

Filling

• 300 gcracked green olives, stoned and chopped
• 2onions, finely chopped
• 3 tablespoonsdried mint
• or a large handful of fresh mint, chopped
• 1 teaspoonblack pepper
• 3 tablespoonsolive oil

Sometimes added

• 1 teaspoondried oregano
• the zest of 1 lemon
• 1 tablespooncoriander seed, crushed

To finish

• olive oil, for brushing
• sesame seeds, optional

Directions

1. Taste one before you decide on the dough salt. Very salty olives need rinsing first. Soak them in fresh water for an hour if so. Then drain and dry them thoroughly.
2. Stone the olives one at a time. Press each with the flat of a knife. Chop the olive flesh up roughly. Do not chop it down to a paste. Chop the onions as finely as you can. Both are done in Cypriot villages. Use it generously rather than sparingly.
3. Warm the water to just above body temperature. It should feel barely warm to a clean finger. Stir the yeast and sugar into it. Let it stand for five minutes until it foams.
4. Put the flour and salt in a large bowl. Add the yeasted water and the olive oil. Bring it together into a soft dough. Turn it out onto a floured surface. Knead it for a good ten minutes. It should become smooth and elastic. Put the dough in an oiled bowl. Cover it over with a clean cloth.
5. Leave it somewhere warm for about an hour. It should roughly double in size. Flatten it out on the work surface. Scatter the olives, onion and mint over it.
6. Add the black pepper and the extra oil. Knead it gently to work them through. Do not overwork it at this stage. Shape it into a round or an oval loaf. It should be about four centimetres thick. Set it on a lined tray or in the tin. Cover it over with a clean cloth. Let it rise for about forty minutes. It should look visibly puffed.
7. Brush the top with more olive oil. Score the surface in a diamond pattern. Scatter sesame seeds over if you want them. Baking it takes about forty-five minutes. Heat the oven to 190C before baking. Bake it for about forty-five minutes. The top should be deep golden brown.
8. Cover it with foil if it browns too early. Let it cool for at least thirty minutes. The crumb sets firm as it cools. Cut it into thick slices or squares. It keeps three days if wrapped.

Technique

• The bread contains no dairy or egg and uses only olive oil, which is why it suits Orthodox fasting days when meat, dairy and eggs are excluded.
• Cypriot cracked green olives are cracked with a stone or mallet so the brine penetrates faster, then cured with coriander seed.
• Dried mint is used rather than fresh, since it is far stronger and survives baking where fresh mint fades.

Substitutions

• Any good green table olive works in place of Cypriot cracked olives.
• Fresh mint can replace dried, using about three times as much.

Variations

• Some cooks soften the onion in oil first and others use it raw.
• A version with crushed coriander seed in the dough is common.
• Cyprus makes related village breads with halloumi and with pumpkin.

History

A Cypriot village bake using the island’s cracked table olives, common during fasting periods.

Frequently asked questions

What is Eliopita?

Eliopita is a bread & pastry from Cyprus: savoury bread studded with chopped olives, onion and mint. A Cypriot village bake using the island’s cracked table olives, common during fasting periods.

How long does Eliopita take to make?

Eliopita takes 25 minutes plus rising of preparation and 45 minutes of cooking. The recipe makes one loaf, 12 slices. It is rated medium to make.

What can I substitute in Eliopita?

Yes, within limits. Any good green table olive works in place of Cypriot cracked olives. Fresh mint can replace dried, using about three times as much.

What is the most important thing to get right in Eliopita?

Stone the olives one at a time. Press each with the flat of a knife. Chop the olive flesh up roughly. Do not chop it down to a paste. Chop the onions as finely as you can. Both are done in Cypriot villages. Use it generously rather than sparingly.