Olive buns

Upon my Dutch experience from a few years ago, I remember fondly the friendships my family and I made during our three years at The Hague. In that city there’s a very large international community and is very easy to end up being part of a group as diverse as it can be: Chile, France, Israel, USA, Mexico, Ecuador, Belgium, Brazil, Spain and Lebanon are just some of the nationalities that made up our group.

One my friends there, Maya, from Lebanon gave me the recipe that I bring to you today. Maya used to do some amazing brunches at her place; she made sure that everything was perfect and cooked most ( if not all) of the dishes, which were obviously typical of her country.

I think she and her family are now in Los Angeles, so if anyone sees her, give her my regards…

When I tested these buns I thought they were amazing, and couldn’t believe they were that easy to make. But guess what, they are! So simple, so fast and so delicious. You must try them at home, I’m sure you’ll love them. Besides, they don’t have yeast, so no need to wait long before relish them…

Olive buns

Ingredients

• ½ kg flour
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 1 tablespoon of baking powder
• Salt
• ¾ cup extra virgin olive oil
• 2 cups water
• 2 cups chopped black olives

Directions

Preheat oven to 220 ° C (428 ºF)

In a medium bowl, mix the flour, baking powder and salt. In another bowl, mix the water and olive oil. Add the flour mixture and fold until the dry ingredients are moist. Add the olives, and knead until they are well distributed and the dough is smooth.

It is possible that the dough is still a bit sticky; if so, add flour gradually until it is easy to handle for make the buns.

Place them on a baking tray covered with parchment paper and let them stand for 20 minutes before baking.

Put in the oven and bake for 25 to 30 minutes or until slightly golden.

These buns are quite dense, and that make them perfect for dipping.

Enjoy!