Catherine's Sundried Tomato & Olive Sourdough Bread

 01Oct2026
Sundried Tomato and Olive Sourdough Bread Recipe 

Today is Children's Day, do you celebrate children day?  My husband and I spent the morning volunteering at a children's carnival held at a nearby primary school. We helped out at one of the game booths, and it was a joy watching the children laugh, play, and eagerly participate in the activities. Somehow, being surrounded by their energy and excitement made me feel a few years younger! I thoroughly enjoyed the event and was grateful for the opportunity to serve in this small way.

After the carnival, at about 9am (Day1), I started preparing my levain. I used about 30g of starter that had been sitting in my fridge for the past 1 week, then added 50g of fresh wholemeal flour and 50g of filtered water. I mixed everything until fully incorporated, with no dry flour remaining, and left it on my kitchen counter to ferment until it doubled in size.

Then, we headed to the nearby FairPrice for our weekly grocery shopping. To my delight, I spotted a jar of sundried tomatoes on the shelf. It may seem like a small thing, but I had been searching for them for almost a month without success. Finding them that day felt like striking gold!

Before setting out, I had prayed that I would be able to find them there. I had asked God, "Could You let FairPrice stock these items so that I don't have to go elsewhere to buy them?" Lo and behold, He answered my prayer. 😊 I am grateful for God's provision and faithfulness. He answers prayers not because of what I do or do not do, but because He is a loving and faithful Father. Even in the little things, He reminds me that He cares.

Lately, I’ve been studying the book of Romans. This week’s lesson reminded me that we are justified by faith in Jesus Christ alone. There is nothing we can boast about in our own efforts, achievements, or good works, because salvation is a gift of God’s grace. Through faith, we receive the righteousness of Christ and are made right with God.

As I reflect on this truth, I am reminded to rest not in what I can do for God, but in what Christ has already done for me. It also causes me to pause and ask myself: How is my relationship with God? Am I resting in His grace, or am I striving to earn His approval? Am I trusting in Christ's finished work, or am I relying on my own efforts? May I continue to grow in faith, humility, and gratitude, knowing that I am accepted before God because of Christ alone

Back to my sundried tomato sourdough making. I've been wanting to add more flavor and variety to my sourdough breads, and sundried tomatoes have been on my list of ingredients to try. After reading recommendations from several baking bloggers, I learnt that it is best to chop the sundried tomatoes and olives into smaller pieces before adding them to the dough. Although I had never tried this combination before, I was excited to experiment with a new recipe.

I bought a jar of sundried tomatoes packed in oil. Before using them, I removed the tomatoes from the jar and gently patted them dry with a kitchen towel to remove the excess oil. I did the same with the black olives. Hopefully, this will prevent the additional oil and moisture from affecting the dough. Now that I finally have all the ingredients ready, I can't wait to see how this sundried tomato and olive sourdough turns out!

At about 2:00 pm (Day1), the levain had tripled in size. I began mixing the flour, water, levain, and the remaining ingredients, excluding the olives and sun-dried tomatoes, to form the dough. Once everything was well combined, I left the dough on the kitchen countertop to rest for 30mins. Then performed 4 sets of stretch and folds. During the 4th set, I incorporated the olives and sun-dried tomatoes. Before adding them to the dough, I chopped both ingredients into small pieces to ensure they were evenly distributed throughout.

After the final stretch and fold, I covered the bowl with cling wrap and left the dough on the countertop to continue its bulk fermentation.

At about 6:00 p.m (Day 1)., the dough had increased in volume by approximately 70% to 80%. I gently shaped it into an oval loaf and placed it in a loaf pan lined with parchment paper. I then covered it with a disposable shower cap and allowed it to continue proofing until it had risen by another 70% to 80%.

Between 6:30 p.m. and 7:30 p.m., I placed the dough in the refrigerator while I prepared dinner. I did not want the dough to become over-proofed, so chilling it helped slow down the fermentation process.

At about 7:30 p.m (Day 1)., I scored the dough just before placing it into the oven to bake using 2 loaf pans method for 30min and 10min uncovered. Today I did the same day fermentation and bake sourdough bread.

There’s something so satisfying about baking bread, especially when the whole house fills with the sweet aroma of freshly baked bread. I’m pretty sure even the neighbours know when I’m baking! 🤗🍞

And when the loaf finally comes out… soft, beautifully chewy, and just the kind of bread I love. ❤️

Ever since I started my sourdough journey, I find myself looking forward to breakfast every morning, not just for breakfast, but for a slice (or two! 😋) of my homemade bread. I always look forward to tasting my bread after baking, and while slicing it, I couldn’t resist taking a small slice to taste, even though it was already past 11pm.! 😄

If you love soft and chewy bread, give it a try! You might just find yourself looking forward to breakfast too. 🥰! 

The following was my journey....

Levin - Live Starter

Preheat at 230 degree C.

Day 1, 9am – Starter Refresh
Mix 30 g starter with 50 g water and 50 g wholemeal flour. Leave at room temperature to allow it double in size. 130 g of active starter (levain) ready for dough preparation. I used only 120g and balance 10g I kept in the fridge for next bake

Ingredients
120 g live starter
40 g sourdough discard (optional)
285 g water
300 g unbleached bread flour
120 g wholemeal flour
6 g raw sugar
2 Tbsp low fat milk powder (optional)
8 g pink salt
5 or 6 pieces of sundried tomatoes (chopped)
8 pcs black olives (chopped)

Method

Day 1, 2pm – Dough Preparation

1. Mix Dough — In a large bowl, combine the live starter with water and stir well.  Then add the flours, sugar and salt, mixing until just combined.

Cover with a shower cap or cling wrap and let rest for 30 minutes.

2. Stretch and Folds (Day 1, 2pm to 4pm)
Perform 4 sets of stretch‑and‑folds at 30minute intervals to strengthen the dough and build structure.  At 4^th set, I added the chopped tomatoes and chopped olive and incorporate into the dough. Remain covered with shower cap. And let the dough continues to ferment.

3. Bulk Fermentation (Day 1, 4pm to 6pm)
The dough was left on my kitchen countertop for bulk ferment from 4pm to 6pm until the dough reached 70-80% proof.

4. Shape Dough (Day 1, 6pm)
Lightly flour the surface and pre‑shape the dough into an oval. Place seam‑side down in a parchment‑lined loaf pan and covered with disposal shower cap. I left it continue to prove on kitchen countertop.  Approximate 6.30pm, I kept the dough in fridge until 7.30pm as the dough started to proof a lot in size. Reason is because I was preparing for dinner and the kitchen was quite warm due to cooking. In order not to overproof I kept it in refrigerator.

After kept in fridge from 6.30pm to 7.30pm, the dough has proofed to 70%

5. Score and bake (Day 1, 7.30pm)
Preheat Oven — Set oven to 230 °C.
a)Score the Loaf.
Remove dough from fridge. Using a sharp blade, score the dough just before putting into oven. I cut straight down the middle.

b)Bake (Two‑Pan Method)
Place the loaf pan with the dough on the oven rack and cover with a second loaf pan as a lid. Bake 30 minutes at 230 °C covered.  

After 30min baking at 230 °C , reduce oven temperature to 200 °C, remove the top pan and bake the bread uncovered for 10min or until golden brown.

I follow the Two‑Pan Method from Stretch and Folds Sourdough Bread in a Loaf Pan by Tina Bevk and also Sunflowerchasing by Annaz.

6. Cool the Loaf
Remove the bread from the pan immediately to prevent a soggy crust. Let it cool completely before slicing.

Notes:

• Parchment or Oil — Line pans with parchment paper or lightly spray with olive oil for easy release.
• Scoring — Use a sharp blade to score the dough before baking; this controls expansion.
• Cooling Time — Patience matters! Allow the loaf to cool fully to avoid a gummy crumb

• Singapore’s warm climate - Fermentation timing may vary depending on the weather.

I hope you’ll enjoy baking this recipe and discovering the joy it brings! If you give it a try, I’d love to hear how it turned out, feel free to share your experience in the comments