Easy No Knead Greek Olive Crescents (Eliopites)

Easy No Knead Greek Olive Crescents (Eliopites)

Greek Olive Pastries, aka Eliopites, are savory, delicious treats - popular with Coffee at Breakfast, or as Finger-food Appetizers at Parties or when hosting guests.

But, if they're made the old-fashioned way, they're a little "fussy" - they're time consuming to make, and take a lot of effort.

Enter Greek Olive Crescents. They're fun, pretty, tasty - and perhaps most importantly, quick & easy! : ) And, they're perfect for that special Lenten Occasion, since they're Vegan!

Since Greek Independence Day is only a few days away, perhaps you'd like to make these as part of your celebration!

I keep the No Knead Vegan Brioche type dough in my refrigerator - it takes less than 10 minutes to make the dough - then I can have a batch of these in the oven in a matter of minutes.

It is SOOO easy to make - and produces such spectacular results! This recipe produces about 3 dozen Crescent Rolls (if you'd like a smaller batch, scroll down)

This is the same dough I use for several other breads on this site, so you can make a big batch and keep it on hand to use for lots of different breads.

Easy, No Knead, Vegan Crescent Roll Dough **** (Scroll Down for Smaller Batch)
This recipe makes about 3 dozen rolls, or 18 rolls & 1 large Challah.
Measure into a 6 quart container*, in this order
3 Cups Warm Water (baby bath water temperature. If in doubt, make it too cool rather than too warm)
5 1/4 Cups Unbleached, All Purpose Flour
1/4 Cup Tapioca Starch (you can substitute Cornstarch, if you like)
1 Cup Potato Flakes (yes, that's right, the stuff people use to make Instant Mashed Potatoes)
1/2 Cup Sugar
1 Tablespoon Yeast
1 Tablespoon Salt
Stir well with a spoon till no patches of dry Flour remain.

The dough should look like this right after you stir it.

Cover loosely with lid (don't fasten so securely that it cannot "breathe")
Leave it on the counter for 2 to 5 hours.
Now, put it in the fridge till you're ready to use it **

The dough should look like this after it has sat out on the counter for 2 to 5 hours.

Note - do not "Punch Down" this kind of dough. 

When you're ready to bake the bread, remove it from the refrigerator and dust it VERY WELL with Flour. This is a moist, sticky dough, so don't be afraid to use lots of Flour!

Oil your pan (I use a Perforated, Non-stick Pizza Pan, like this one for baking)

Take one pound of dough (1/4 of the large batch or 1/2 of the small batch) and roll out in a rectangle that is approximately 8"x12".

Roll Dough out into Rectangle.

Spread the dough with your favorite Kalamata Olive Spread.  Here in the U.S., I am fond of both the Divina Brand, and the Peloponnese Brand - which can be found at Greek Ethnic Markets, and sometimes at the regular Grocery Store (my Kroger carries the Peloponnese Brand). I also like the Iliada Brand, but I cannot always find it here. 

Leave a little border of dough at the top & bottom of your rectangle, as shown.

Cut in long, thin triangles. A pizza cutter works great for this job, or just a large Chef's knife that you can press down and cut the dough without pulling.

Roll each triangle up and place it on the pan.

Leave to rise for 30 to 60 minutes (the last time I made these, I only let them rise about 15 minutes - they were still great : )

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit, and bake in the middle of the oven, without steam for 35-40 minutes.

Upon removing from the oven, you may brush with a buttery spread, if you desire.

Cool enough to eat & enjoy!


Small Batch Easy, No Knead Vegan Crescent Rolls
 (Makes about 18 rolls)
Follow above directions, but use these amounts
I prepare a batch this size in an 8 Cup Container - the one in the above pictures.
Be sure to add in this order:

1 1/2 Cups Warm Water
2 1/2 Cups + 2 Tablespoons Unbleached, All Purpose Flour
2 Tablespoons Tapioca Starch (you can substitute Cornstarch, if you like)
1/2 Cup Potato Flakes
1/4 Cup Sugar
1/2 Tablespoon Yeast
1/2 Tablespoon Salt

Stir well, then follow above directions - the same as for a large batch.

* For my 6 Quart Container, I use a new plastic shoe box from the Dollar Store.
** This dough CAN be used the day it is made - but it is a tad easier to shape after it is refrigerated. It is lightest and fluffiest when used within a day or two of when you make it, but I have used it several days later  - a week or more - and still had very good results.
*** If you bake two large pans of rolls at the same time, put one loaf on the middle rack, and one on the bottom rack. Then, set a timer to switch their positions half-way through baking, so that they brown evenly both on the top and on the bottom.

I always make bread by the Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day method  (and, I think EVERYONE should own their book!). But, they didn't have a Vegan Brioche-type dough, so I created my own recipe using their method : )

If you like this recipe, try these others that are made from the same dough:
  Challah, Easy, No Knead, Vegan
  Crescent Rolls, Easy, No Knead, Vegan  
  Dinner Rolls, Vegan, Soft & Fluffy, No Knead, Refrigerator 
  Vasilopita, Easy, No Knead, Vegan

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