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Olive Rosemary French Toast

Olive Rosemary French Toast – savory Greek kalamata olive and rosemary yeast bread made into a vanilla and cardamom-scented French toast.

Olive Rosemary French Toast - savory Greek kalamata olive and rosemary yeast bread made into a vanilla and cardamom-scented French Toast. https://www.lanascooking.com/olive-rosemary-french-toast/

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Way back in the mists of time, when this blog was just getting started, I worked with the amazing Casey at Kitchen-Play on several posts. We did a series of posts where each blogger was assigned a course from dinner along with a product to use in developing a new recipe for that course.

Early one morning, I received an email explaining that for the next month participants would be creating recipes using products from Lindsay Olives. Yay! I love Lindsay Olives. I use them all the time. This was going to be great.

Then that second sentence – “Course assigned: Dessert.” Dessert?!? What the heck? Surely it was a typo. It wasn’t.

So, after a few days of thinking, pondering and Googling “olive desserts” I started trying some things. Most of the desserts I found on the internet were created by professional chefs who had made candied olives and then used them in the dessert recipe. So I thought, okay, let’s try candying some olives.

I spent an entire weekend making candied olives following instructions I’d researched online. All I’m going to say about candied olives is, well, there aren’t any in my recipe.

Look – I’m not a professional “recipe developer.” I’m a home cook. A pretty darned good one, but still just a home cook. So I knew that whatever I came up with had to be reproducible by other home cooks and, most importantly, had to be a delicious recipe that most families would enjoy.

It really took some thought and lots of work and, honestly, this recipe almost didn’t happen. I nearly gave up more than once. But, in the end, I think I came up with something that is going to surprise almost everyone!

This recipe starts out as a savory olive and rosemary yeast bread full of delicious Lindsay Greek Kalamata Olives, but then it turns into a wonderful vanilla and cardamom-scented French toast. The yeast bread is easy to make and the French toast portion of the recipe is even easier.

And, even more amazing, it only took one try to get it right. I made the bread one afternoon and the next day cooked the French toast. BeeBop and I took the first bite, looked at each other and said in unison, “Wow! This is amazing!” I truly hope you’ll enjoy it as well.

How to Make Olive Rosemary French Toast

You’ll start by making the olive rosemary bread.

Yeast proofing in a measuring cup.

Combine yeast, sugar, and water and set aside for 5 minutes.

Mixing the bread ingredients in a bowl.

In a large bowl, combine the proofed yeast, olive oil, milk, olives, all-purpose and whole wheat flours, rosemary and salt. Stir until a rough dough is formed.

Dough after kneading for 10 minutes.

Turn dough out on a well-floured surface and knead for approximately 10 minutes or until dough is elastic and pliable incorporating up to ½ cup more flour as needed to prevent dough from sticking.

Bread dough rising in a large bowl.

Place the dough into a large, well-oiled bowl and turn so that the top of the dough picks up oil from the bowl. Cover and let rise in a warm place for approximately 1 hour or until doubled in size.

Two loaves of bread formed and rising on a baking sheet.

Punch the dough down and divide into two equal pieces. Shape the dough into rounds and place on an oiled baking pan. Cut an “X” in the top of each loaf. Cover and allow to rise for an additional 30 minutes or until nearly doubled in size again.

Preheat oven to 350°.

Olive rosemary bread cooling on a rack.

Bake until loaves are browned and sound hollow when tapped. Approximately 35-40 minutes.

For the best results, wait until the next day to make the french toast.

Make the Olive Rosemary French Toast

Making the egg mixture in a dish.

In a shallow bowl or pan large enough to fit an entire slice of Olive-Rosemary bread, combine eggs, milk, sugar, vanilla, and cardamom. Whisk until well combined.

Two slices of bread added to the egg mixture.

Dip bread slices two at a time into the egg mixture for about 15 seconds per side – enough time for the bread to absorb some of the egg mixture but not become soaked through.

French toast cooking in a skillet.

Warm a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add butter to skillet. When the butter has melted, place the prepared bread slices into the skillet. Cover the pan and cook for approximately 2 minutes or until golden brown. Turn slices over and repeat.

Finished toast resting on a plate.

Remove to a plate and tent with foil to keep warm while cooking the remaining French toast.

Before serving, dust liberally with powdered sugar.

🧾 More Recipes You’ll Like

Lana Stuart.

Questions? I’m happy to help!

If you have more questions about the recipe, or if you’ve made it and would like to leave a comment, scroll down to leave your thoughts, questions, and/or rating!

Thanks so much for stopping by!

Olive Rosemary French Toast - savory Greek kalamata olive and rosemary yeast bread made into a vanilla and cardamom-scented French Toast. https://www.lanascooking.com/olive-rosemary-french-toast/

Olive-Rosemary French Toast

Savory Greek kalamata and rosemary yeast bread made into a vanilla and cardamom-scented French Toast.
5 from 2 votes
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Course: Desserts
Cuisine: American
Prep Time: 1 hour 50 minutes
Cook Time: 40 minutes
Total Time: 2 hours 30 minutes
Servings: 3 servings
Calories: 434kcal
Author: Lana Stuart

Ingredients

For the Olive-Rosemary Bread

  • 1 package active dry yeast
  • ½ cup warm water 105°-115°
  • 2 teaspoons sugar
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 cup warm milk 105°-115°
  • 6 ounces kalamata olives pitted, chopped
  • 2 ½ cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 cup whole wheat flour
  • 1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh rosemary
  • 2 teaspoons salt

For the Olive-Rosemary French Toast

  • 6 slices Olive-Rosemary bread 3/4-inch thick
  • 4 eggs
  • 1 cup milk
  • 3 tablespoons tblsp sugar
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • ¼ teaspoon ground cardamom
  • 2 tablespoons butter
  • 3 tablespoons powdered sugar

Instructions

Make the Olive-Rosemary Bread

  • Combine yeast, sugar and water and set aside for 5 minutes. In a large bowl, combine the proofed yeast, olive oil, milk, olives, all-purpose and whole wheat flours, rosemary and salt. Stir until a rough dough is formed.
  • Turn dough out on a well-floured surface and knead for approximately 10 minutes or until dough is elastic and pliable incorporating up to 1/2 cup more flour as needed to prevent dough from sticking.
  • Place the dough into a large, well-oiled bowl and turn so that the top of the dough picks up oil from the bowl. Cover and let rise in a warm place for approximately 1 hour or until doubled in size.
  • Punch the dough down and divide into two equal pieces. Shape the dough into rounds and place on an oiled baking pan. Cut an “X” in the top of each loaf.
  • Cover and allow to rise for an additional 30 minutes or until nearly doubled in size again.
  • Preheat oven to 350°.
  • Bake until loaves are browned and sound hollow when tapped. Approximately 35-40 minutes.
  • The French toast is best made a day after making the bread.

Make the Olive-Rosemary French Toast

  • In a shallow bowl or pan large enough to fit an entire slice of Olive-Rosemary bread, combine eggs, milk, sugar, vanilla and cardamom. Whisk until well combined.
  • Warm a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add butter to skillet.
  • Dip bread slices two at a time into the egg mixture for about 15 seconds per side – enough time for the bread to absorb some of the egg mixture but not become soaked through.
  • When the butter has melted, place the prepared bread slices into the skillet.
  • Cover the pan and cook for approximately 2 minutes or until golden brown. Turn slices over and repeat.
  • Remove to a plate and tent with foil to keep warm while cooking the remaining French toast.
  • Before serving, dust liberally with powdered sugar.

Notes

Nutrition Information

Serving 1 | Calories 434kcal | Carbohydrates 52g | Protein 16g | Fat 18g | Saturated Fat 9g | Trans Fat 1g | Cholesterol 246mg | Sodium 476mg | Potassium 299mg | Fiber 2g | Sugar 28g | Vitamin A 683IU | Vitamin C 1mg | Calcium 206mg | Iron 3mg

Nutrition information is calculated by software based on the ingredients in each recipe. It is an estimate only and is provided for informational purposes. You should consult your healthcare provider or a registered dietitian if precise nutrition calculations are needed for health reasons.

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— Originally sponsored by Lindsay Olives

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24 Comments

  1. This recipe sounds so delicious (and I don’t even like olives!) I still think I’m going to try it because it do LOVE rosemary! I’m still trying to download the pdf version, but when I go to that page it won’t display.

  2. I was really inspired by this! I already had a batch of brioche started, I was going to make cinnamon rolls. But now, I’ve rolled it up with black olives instead, you’ve derailed my plans! Going to make french toast with it now. Brilliant idea!

  3. Wow, I’m crazy impressed with this!! What an awesome twist on typical french toast; I totally want to try it!

  4. Nutmeg Nanny says:

    Wow this looks really tasty! Talk about taking an challenge head on!

    1. Thanks! And you’re so right, it was a huge challenge :-)

  5. beautiful and so different from you, I mean, not southern cooking as I know it…….. lovely Lana…..

  6. {Clockwork Lemon} says:

    wow good work! That bread looks good even before it becomes french toast!

  7. Wow, I would have thrown in the towel but you did a great job! And I’m loving the new header too!

    1. Thanks for noticing the header, Megan. I love my new logo so much! It was time for the old one to go and this one seems really fresh and clean.

  8. That does sound like a tough one, and looks like you came up with a great dessert. Awesome.

    1. Thanks, Katrina. I hope people will give the recipe a try. You’d be surprised, I think!

  9. Absolutely BRILLIANT way to incorporate olives into a dessert! So smart! I’ve made bread with olives in it before and it’s delish, but NEVER thought to make french toast from it. Love it!

    1. Amanda – the bread itself is really tasty. I used one loaf for the French toast and saved the second loaf for sandwiches. Really good with some coarse mustard, ham and swiss. Yum!

  10. Barbara @moderncomfortfood says:

    I thought I was adventurous in the kitchen, but you’ve left me in the dust with this great recipe. I absolutely know this is delicious, and I too like the idea of a drizzle of honey as a topping. Well done, Lana!

    1. Barbara – I’m not so adventurous and this challenge really pushed me to stretch beyond my traditional southern cooking. You should sign up for a Progressive Party on Kitchen Play. I think you’d enjoy it.

  11. Lauren @ Healthy Delicious says:

    So creative! i think dessert must have been the hardest course to do with the olive, but you knocked it out of the park!

    1. Thank you, Lauren. I almost gave up a couple of times but finally wound up with a winner of a dessert!

  12. I love this idea Lana and you make it look really delicious! Great job working with a challenging dessert ingredient. I love the Kitchen Play concept and can’t wait to see what everyone comes up with for this month’s Progressive Party. I’m going to be writing a review for KP this month, too…

    1. Thanks, Winnie. Whew…what a challenge this one was! Look forward to reading your review for KP.

  13. Joan Nova says:

    Love this type of rustic bread but I never thought of using it in a sweet way. I think a drizzle of honey would be really good over it too. Nice finish to a pretty cohesive menu considering no one knew what the other was doing!

    1. I like your idea of a drizzle of honey, Joan! Sounds really good.

    1. Thanks, Nancy. Yes, that bread really turned out well. I’ll be making that one over and over again.