Tortas de Aceita de Oliva (Olive Oil Flatbreads)

Olive oil cakes or tortes are the hippest gourmet trend in coffee shops across the United States. Find out why.

Tortas are flat and round Spanish breads, that are about the size of a saucer. So tortas de aceita de oliva are flat round breads made with olive oil and spices. These Spanish bread dishes, first seen in the Seville train station in the early 20th Century, are the lastest craze to hit American coffee shops and bakeries.

Perhaps we have grown weary of super-sized heavy muffins. Perhaps it is a newly found obsession with the health benefits of olive oil. But I'm seeing them both in bakeries and on the menues in restaurants.

How do you incorporate them into your at-home dining and party menues? Tortas de aceita de oliva are perfect with pesto or soft warm cheese as appetizers.They are at once crisp and hearty, with a rich taste infused with olive oil and anise.

Bake them or Buy them I've shown you a basic recipe for Tortas de aceita de oliva below if you want to understand their ingredients better or bake your own. You can also purchase them online from Cyber Cucina - an online store that specialzes in French, Spanish and Italian food and ingredients. Available in four flavors (Olive Oil, Almond, Rosemary, Cinnamon and Lemon) and shown below.

You do use yeast to make a Tortas de aceita de oliva. So you have to be ready to take some time to make it and then let the dough rise and rest. There's just no way to make bread in a hurry.

Buy Tortas de Aceita de Oliva Online

High-quality Spanish foods and breads are easily found online today

So you can just turn to Cyber Cucina to send you your Tortas de Aceita de Olvia. They are quite authentic and come in four versions - Olive Oil, Almond, Rosemary and Cinnamon & Lemon. They just show you the picture of the bags and they aren't very inspiring, but believe me, you'll love them once you taste them. You'll start to order them in large batches just so you'll always have some on hand.

Almond Olive Oil Cake (Tortas de Aceita de Oliva con Almendras) - $4.45

Olive Oil Cakes (Tortas de Aceite de Oliva) - $4.45

Savory Rosemary Olive Oil Cake (Tortas de Aceita de Oliva de Romero Saladas)

Cinnamon and Lemon Olive Oil Cakes (Tortas de Aceita de Olive con Canela y Limon) - $4.45

How to Make a Tortas de Aceita de Oliva

1. In a small sauce pan combine the olive oil, lemon and anise. Heat until warm, remove from heat and allow to cool.
2. In a medium bowl, mix together flour, yeast, sugar, and salt. And water and anise liqueur. Mix.
3. Through a strainer add the olive oil to the flour mixture. Combine until a dough forms, then knead until the dough becomes smooth. Dust with flour if it is sticking.
4. Put back in the bowl and cover securely with plastic wrap. Let rest until it has doubled in size. Usually about 1 to 1.5 hours.
5. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and lightly grease a baking sheet. Take dough out of bowl and knead until deflated. Cut the dough in 6 equal pieces. Roll each into a dough and cover. Let rest for 5 minutes.
6. On a lightly floured surface, use a rolling in to roll out dough into a round shape 5 to 6 inches wide and 1/4 inch thick.
7. Place on cooking sheet. Bake the tortas de aceita de oliva for about 10 to 15 minutes. They should be golden brown. Serve hot or at room temperaure.

100% Sourdough Rye Bread - Dough kneaded after 5-minute rest

Tortas de Aceita de Oliva Ingredients

1/4 C olive oil
Peel of 1/2 lemon, cut in long strips (use lemon flavoring in a pinch)
1 whole star anise (substute anise spices if you can't find a star of anise)
1-3/4 C unbleached all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp. instant yeast
1 tsp sugar
pinch of salt
1/3 cup water, room temperature
1½ T anise liqueur (not a big fan of anise try lemon juice to taste)

I love serving these olive oil crackers in place of a bread or biscuits with hearty soups or a glass of wine. It's great to break off a piece and dunk it or sop up what's left in the bowl. As you can see above it's pretty easy to make your own. But I also realize that there are times when you just don't have the time. Pehaps you can't find the right ingredients - or you just don't like to cook. And that's cool as well.

Updated: 01/16/2015, Digby_Adams

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