This bread maker olive oil herb bread is flavorful and delicious. It is perfectly served warm with butter or used for savory sandwiches. Made easy in the bread maker!
I remember when I was a little girl, sitting on a high stool at the kitchen counter watching my grandmother make homemade bread. First, there was proofing the yeast, then mixing the ingredients, kneading, rising, punching, kneading again, shaping, and more rising. And finally, the bread baking. Yeah…I don’t have time for that…
Making homemade bread can take a lot of work, time, and effort. Luckily, with the recent resurgence and popularity of home bread makers, we don't have to! We can make homemade bread in just a few steps, and let the bread machine do all the work!
In fact, I have become a real fan of my Cuisinart Bread Compact Bread Machine and have enjoyed exploring both savory and sweet bread machine recipes. I particularly love cinnamon raisin bread and orange cranberry bread – both yeast bread and are made in this bread machine!
Olive oil herb bread is highly flavorful with robust olive oil and Italian seasonings. If you are looking for a less seasoned bread machine bread you should try this basic vegan white bread or tasty molasses wheat bread.
This easy homemade bread is deliciously served with a colorful crunchy rainbow salad or hearty vegetable lentil soup!
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Ingredients needed to make bread machine olive oil herb bread
- water
- extra virgin olive oil – I use robust flavor because this is an “oil oil” flavored bread after all!
- bread flour
- Italian seasoning blend – some people have not heard of Italian seasoning blend and are not aware that you can buy this seasoning blend in the grocery store in the herbs and spices section.
- granulated sugar
- salt
- rapid rise yeast (bread machine yeast)
- You will absolutely need a bread maker/machine for this recipe!
The olive oil
Since this is an “olive oil” bread recipe, the flavor of olive oil should be, at the minimum, a subtle undertone. I use robust-flavor extra virgin olive oil. If you are going to use lite-tasing or flavorless olive oil, then you might as well just use any other vegetable oil out there.
Make sure your olive oil is fresh and of the best quality you can afford. Using bad-tasing olive oil isn’t going to improve any by baking in your bread!
The Italian Seasonings
I once had a reader mad at me because I included “Italian Seasonings” as an ingredient. She said that saying “Italian seasonings” was confusing to her because she had no idea which Italian seasonings she should use. It wasn’t really her fault because she didn’t realize that one can just buy a bottle of Italian seasoning blend!
A reader from Italy also complained to me that in Italy they don’t use bottle-blended Italian seasonings, and so I shouldn’t either. Italian seasoning blend seems to be a trigger point for some people…
You can buy an Italian seasoning blend in the grocery store or make your own blend like this homemade Italian Seasoning Mix found on the It’s a Keeper recipe blog.
The Yeast
This recipe was developed using rapid-rise bread machine yeast. You can find it in the grocery store next to the regular active dry yeast. I used to buy the little packets before I realized that different recipes called for different amounts of yeast. Now I buy a small jar and keep it in my fridge for freshness.
How to make Olive Oil Herb Bread in a bread machine
Step 1: Measure the bread flour
In the USA we typically measure flour by volume. As in this recipe, we measure out three cups of bread flour. Most other parts of the world measure things like flour by weight – which honestly makes more sense.
If you just cram your measuring cup into a bag of flour three times, the flour is going to be compressed and you are *probably* going to end up using much more than if you weigh the flour, resulting in a dense and heavy loaf of bread.
So we could always use a little less, right? But I don’t really know for sure, because I’ve never learned the civilized way to measure flour. So it’s just a guess at this point.
In fact, according to this handy measurement and weight chart by King Arthur Flour, one cup of flour weighs 120 grams. I happen to trust King Arthur Flour and believe it’s a reliable source. So if you are weighing your flour, I think you can safely weigh out 360 grams of bread flour.
For the rest of us who have no clue about such things… My grandmother taught me a trick to “lighten” the flour and (mostly) measure it correctly.
Start by taking a spoon and stirring up the bread flour to lighten it. Then take that same spoon and gently spoon it in your one-cup measuring cup without compressing the flour. Go ahead and spoon the flour over the top of the measuring cup so that you have a nice domed top. Then take a knife or other flat edge and run it quickly over the top, getting rid of the excess flour without smooshing it down. Repeat three times.
Step 2: add the ingredients to the bread machine
Add the ingredients in the order suggested by your bread machine. I use a Cuisinart Bread Maker and it suggests adding the liquids first and then the dry ingredients.
Add the water and olive oil first to the bread maker bread pan. Then add the flour, Italian seasoning mix, sugar, and salt. Make a little “well” in the middle of the dry ingredients and add the rapid-rise yeast.
Step 3: The bread machine settings
For this recipe using my Cuisinart bread machine, I set my machine to “white bread”, medium darkness, and to a one-and-a-half pound loaf. It sets the timer for three hours and twenty-five minutes. Then I press go and walk away!
Serving Suggestions for Olive Oil Bread Machine Bread
Make sure you read your manufacturers’ directions and understand how and when to remove the bread pan from your bread maker without burning yourself.
Then, if you didn’t already remove the paddle before baking (some bread machines allow for that…and some people remember to do it), then remove the paddle before slicing and serving. This usually means digging it out from the bottom of the baked loaf.
This olive oil bread makes ten half-slice servings. My favorite way to enjoy this delicious baked bread recipe is to serve warm with a slathering of vegan butter on top. My Easy Fresh Basil Garlic Butter is an excellent choice to spread and serve!
For some more delicious vegan bread recipes from Veggie Fun Kitchen, try
- Cinnamon Raisin Bread made in the Bread Machine
- French Bread Made in the Bread Maker (coming soon)
- Bread Machine Wheat Bread with Molasses and Agave
- and for a quick bread try Garlic Herb Beer Bread.
The printable recipe card for Bread Machine Olive Oil Herb Bread
Did you love this recipe?
Want to share the love? It would be great if you could leave five ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ stars and even a comment. Did you know that this will help Google to find this recipe when others are looking for something similar? Thanks, Cindy
Olive Oil Herb Bread Made in the Bread Machine
Equipment
- bread machine
Ingredients
- 1 cup water very hot see notes
- 3 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil robust
- 3 cups bread flour
- 2 Tablespoons Italian Seasoning
- 2 Tablespoons granulated sugar
- 1½ teaspoons salt
- ¾ teaspoons rapid rise yeast
Instructions
- Place the ingredients in the bread machine in the order listed. Please see the notes below for the hot water temperature suggestion.
- Select white bread, medium crust, and loaf.
- Select start
Recipe worked perfectly with my Oster bread machine! Thank you.
I recently received the same bread maker you have as a gift. I made pizza dough in it but this recipe is the first one I tried actually baking. It turned out perfectly cooked, I was very impressed! I do think it’s a little sweet. Would reducing the sugar make a huge difference in the recipe?
Update: You are absolutely correct! I tried it with a little less sugar and the overall flavor was better. I love when my readers have great ideas. Thanks for your comment.
I loved this recipe. Can I use honey instead of sugar?
Hi! I have honestly not tried this with honey or another liquid sweetener before. I don’t know when/if you made it but I recently changed the amount of sugar used from 3 T to 2T. It’s just better with a little less sweetener.
I’m going to refer you to this article (below) I found about substituting honey for sugar in baking. It suggests using 3/4 the amount because honey is sweeter. In that case, I’d use 1 & 1/2 Tablespoons of honey instead of 2 T sugar. Again, I’ve not tried it so no promises. If you do decide to give it a try then please let me know how it turned out. Cindy https://www.kingarthurbaking.com/blog/2017/08/18/baking-with-liquid-sweeteners
If someone is vegan, though, honey should not be used, since it is not vegan. When I want to use something other than sugar, I substitute pure maple syrup, as it IS vegan. I look forward to trying this bread. Sounds really good. I have the same bread maker you do. 🙂
Hello and thanks for your concern. Believe it or not, not everyone landing on this page is vegan or looking for vegan recipes. The recipe is vegan as written (as long as you are using organic sugar.) If someone wants to make a substitute to work for them then that is their prerogative as long as the recipe actually turns out for them. Which, this one apparently did. As for me, I prefer agave syrup as a sub for most recipes that call for honey (which this recipe does not). Sometimes maple syrup is best for flavor and texture and sometimes agave works better. From a WFPB perspective then of course maple syrup would work better. I have a couple of bread recipes in the works. I do use agave but you could always sub in maple syrup too. I love this bread maker and have had great luck with it! Stand by for the other bread recipes coming up in the next few weeks!
P.S. – another great sugar sub would be coconut sugar!
Love this recipe! I made it with 1 TB agave nectar instead of the 2 TB sugar and it tasted great!!
Oh awesome and thanks for letting me know! I wish I had seen this 20 minutes sooner because I just started a fresh loaf and would have loved to try this tip. Next time…
Made this bread on a cold night with a vegan bean chili and it was a wonderful hearty meal. Bread worked perfectly in my bread machine and it smelled so good and tasted absolutely delicious. Hubby and son loved it too!
Thank you so much for letting me know! And the chili sounds fantastic:) Cindy
I tried the recipe with a small twist at the end, it came out amazing. 35 min before finishing I sprinkled some grated parmesan cheese on top. The bread came out with a “sprinkled” cheese crust that tasted delicious and looked even better.
You have a great suggestion. I’m sure my non-veg readers will appreciate this add-on! I’m really glad you are enjoying the bread. It’s one of our favorites too:) Cindy
I made this recipe to try something different than our staple buttermilk bread. Based on how great our current recipe is I tried this EVOO Herb bread recipe with some modifications: 1 1/4 c warm water and used 1 tsp of rapid rise yeast. The product was AMAZING and loved by all with HM butter, for sandwiches and to dunk in soup. Great for grilled cheese sandwiches as well. Highly recommend!
Oh, awesome! Thanks for letting me know. And thank you for the modifications. So glad it worked out for you.
This is absolutely the best bread I’ve ever made. My husband & I loved it. Thx for sharing this recipe w/us.
Oh thank you so much for letting me know! I’m so glad you enjoyed this yummy bread:) Cindy
Very good bread! It was a hit with dinner – I didn’t have time to make any rolls, so I cut up this loaf and everyone loved it. I did use more yeast (about 1 1/4 tsp), because I wasn’t sure 3/4 tsp would be enough, and I was using bread machine yeast. I also made it on my rapid setting on my old Black and Decker bread machine, so it took just around 2 hrs from start to finish. I definitely recommend this recipe and thank you very much for sharing it!
Oh very good! So glad to hear about your experience with a different bread machine than I use. Thank you so much for sharing your experience and I’m so glad you enjoyed this yummy bread!
Can i make this with the dough button in the Machine then bake in the oven? If so how long and what temperature, I just want a different shape than the bread maker shape.
Hi, this is a really good question and not one I have the perfect answer for since I’ve not done it myself. Reading this article about baking bread machine bread in the oven by The Spruce Eats , Id split the difference on temperature and set the oven to 385 degrees F and check it at thirty minutes and then every 5 minutes till it is nicely browned and done on the edges. Make sure to read the article because it gives great directions for shaping it and a final rise. Let me know if you do this and how it turned out. Cindy
So i decided to try it before you responded back to me. I put it on the dough cycle then punched it down a few times and shaped it in a artesian style round shape. I covered with a towel for 45 min and let it rise double in size then i baked it at 350 for 45 min, I should have checked it at 30 min because I felt the outside was a bit hard. This morning I sliced it for toast and honestly worked out pretty well. I’m going to make it again today for a neighbor but only bake for 30-35 min and check internal temperature. I will definitely check out the article first, thank you for that. I did follow your recipe except for the olive oil part, i have a herb up olive oil that I replace with to enhance the flavor. This is a good recipe, I enjoyed it this morning. Thank you for sharing!
Thank you so much for letting me know! And thanks for the suggestions. THe herbed olive oil sounds heavenly!
the recipe sounds great but why does it need to be made in a bread machine? i can’t afford to buy one and i would like to modify recipe to be done in a more traditional way. thanks.
Hello and thanks for the question. I make my bread in the bread recipes because it’s challenging physically for me to knead bread by hand. Bread machines are super easy and do the work for you! I understand the cost issues though. Would you believe that I’ve found some pretty decent bread machines at yard sales for under ten bucks?? BUT your question did bring up a valid point. I have been considering making a no-knead bread with the same ingredients and I will start experimenting on this one soon. In the meantime, if you are a bread maker or have a standard bread recipe to look at and follow for the steps, there is no reason you couldn’t use these same ingredients to make bread by hand. BUT you’d probably want to use active dry yeast and use a little more – like one and a fourth teaspoons active dry. Please email me and let me know how it turned out for you if you decided to try this. Cindy
Mine came out a hockey puck 🙁
I’m so sorry that happened to you. It’s always a real disappointment when you are counting on a recipe that just didn’t work out for you. I actually made this bread twice after you posted your comment to make sure that it is a solid recipe and I didn’t have a problem with it. I am, however, working on another recipe I’m having problems and might have some insight for you. There is a delicate balance between the flour and the liquids when you are making bread. It’s not very forgiving. If you measure your flour by scooping it out with your measuring cup, it’s going to pack in and you will measure too much. That can easily lead to dense hard bread. If you use too much liquid for the flour by accidently measuring a little too much then it might rise high and fall hard – again, leading to a hard dense sad loaf. The age of the yeast also matters so check the expiration date. Finally, the temperature of the water matters – not as much with bread machine bread as with bread to mix and knead. But liquid temperature still matters. It shouldn’t be too hot, nor should it be ice cold. Just like with Goldie Locks, there is a happy medium. With bread machine bread I always aim for at least room temperature – but not too hot or you will kill the yeast. I hope this helped and that your next bread-making venture goes better for you.💕
love this bread, but makes a very small loaf. Has anyone tried doubling the recipe for one loaf in the breadmaker?
Hi Jennifer! I have not tried a larger loaf. I don’t have kids at home right now and so tend to eat the whole loaf! So smaller is better for me haha… BUT that is a great question. Next time I make it, I’ll experiment. Or perhaps another reader will have some insight.
Hi! I have some fresh herbs from the garden; any thoughts on adding fresh herbs instead of dried? I’m new at this and wasn’t sure if the water content of fresh herbs would throw things off. Thx!
A few fresh herbs shouldn’t throw things off too much. For those reading this comment, I did email her and she said she tried it and it worked out great:)
So delicious!! Thanks for the awesome recipe. I have made this multiple times to hand out and everyone loves it! Some times in the bread machine start to finish, other times taking out and going in the oven. In my older oven it works at 350 for 35/40 mins, checking periodically.
Thank you for my new favorite recipe!
Thank you so much for letting me know how much you enjoy this recipe It’s one of our favorites too! And thanks for the tip for finishing the loaf in the oven:)
I’ve now made this bread three times as my son always asks for it, and omg, is it amazeballs!!!! I just tossed a batch in the bread maker and added a little red pepper flakes for some heat. Thank you for this orgasmically yummy recipe!!! <3 <3 <3
Oh wow that’s amazing! Thanks for letting me know. I’ll be trying a few red pepper flakes next time I make this recipe:)
I’m so glad you enjoy it. It’s one of our favorites too.
Made this today to take to a sports viewing party! I made only one tweak to the recipe: 3 tablespoons of italian herbs instead of 2. (The last one was half and half dill and basil because I love both.) It smelled heavenly when baking and came out with a nice crust and a beautiful soft interior. I followed your suggestion of spooning flour into the cup instead of scooping and I think that helped a lot!
Thank you so much for letting me know that you enjoyed this recipe! And I love the suggestion of adding more herbs – and your sounds like a delicious mixture and I’ll be it did smell so wonderful as it was baking. Thanks again for letting me know and for the awesome rating! Cindy
This is the perfect recipe! I’ve tried other recipes and they’ve turned out too crumbly or too dense. I scoop the flour out with a small scoop. This recipe is perfect. Slightly savory but can be used with sweet, moist, and not crumbly. Thank you!
A am so glad you enjoyed this recipe and really appreciate you letting me know! Cindy
I made this today and it came out perfect. I have a Hamilton Beach Bread Maker. I always use an entire packet of active dry yeast in all the bread recipes I try/make, including this one, and it has never failed me, making sure I make a well in the flour with my finger and then adding the yeast to it. I wish I can share a picture of my beautiful loaf with you. Thank you for a great recipe 😊
Thank you so much for sharing! I’m always thrilled when a reader enjoys a recipe. And thanks for the suggestions too:)