Savory Cheese and Chive Quick Bread

Quick breads are a bread lover’s dream come true: fresh, homemade bread in an hour, with no special equipment. (Bowl? Check. Spoon? Cheeyeck.) And, oh, the things you can put in it. Beer. Cheese. Herbs and spices. Nuts. Olives. Peppers. Onions and garlic. Ham. Bacon. Gettin’ hip to the groove? I thought so.

SoupAddict likes the quick breads.

Okay, she’s not going to lie to you: SoupAddict likes the multi-day, yeasty loaf, too.

Basically, I like bread in all its forms, ‘kay? And I’m fairly certain that when Karma decides it’s really time to kick my butt, she’s gonna give me gluten intolerance as payback.

One of the cool things about being a baker is that the base ingredients for quick breads are always on the shelf. And one of the cool things about being a foodie is that the remainder of the ingredients are either in the pantry or in the garden.

This bread comes together really fast, and there’s very little prep work. Crack a few eggs, chop up some chives and roast the walnuts. You’re up for that, right? Totally.

Stirstirstir. See? Lickety-split.

Dump into the pan. Patpatpat. Ooo, Pretty.

53 minutes from start to this. I timed it. Or, in SoupAddict’s world, that 53 minutes from nothing to taking a big bite right out of the center of the not-entirely-cooled loaf. This was, as SoupAddict has come to call them, the “test run.” Test runs aren’t shared. No, sir. Because if you’re sharing the test run, how do you know that the last morsel is as good as the first? Not to mention all the morsels in between. Quality [chomp nom nom nom] control, people. Quality control.

See the little bits of melty white cheese? Mmmm. That’s SoupAddict’s favorite part. Believe it, it’s true.

adapted with only minor changes from Around My French Table

Unsalted butter, for greasing the pan
1 3/4 cups flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 to 1 teaspoon salt (depending on what cheese you’re using)
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground white pepper (may substitute a pinch of cayenne pepper)
3 large eggs, at room temperature
1/3 cup whole milk, at room temperature
1/2 tablespoon prepared brown mustard
1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 generous cup (about 4 ounces) coarsely grated Gruyere, Comte Emmental or cheddar cheese
2 ounces Gruyere, Comte, Emmental or cheddar cut into very small cubes (1/2 to 3/4 cup)
1 bunch chives, minced (1/2 cup; may substitute thinly sliced scallions)
1 teaspoon dried basil
1/3 cup walnuts, toasted (optional; see NOTE)
Directions:

Position a rack in the middle of the oven; preheat to 350 degrees. Use butter to grease an 8-by-4 1/2-by-2 3/4-inch loaf pan, preferably Pyrex.

Whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt to taste and the pepper in a large mixing bowl.

Whisk the eggs in a medium bowl for 1 minute, until foamy, then whisk in the milk, mustard and oil.

Pour the egg mixture into the flour mixture; use a sturdy flexible spatula or wooden spoon to gently mix together until moistened, then stir in the grated and cubed cheese, the herbs and walnuts to form a thick dough. Transfer to the loaf pan and spread to make the dough even on top. Bake for 35 to 45 minutes or until the bread is golden and a slender knife inserted into the center comes out clean.

Transfer the pan to a wire rack to cool for 3 minutes, then run a round-edged knife along the edges of the pan to loosen the loaf. Turn it out and cool right side up before cutting and serving.

NOTE: Toast the walnuts in a dry skillet over medium heat for 3 to 4 minutes, until fragrant and lightly browned. Shake often to keep the nuts from burning.

Fellow FFWDers: Yes, I know it’s against the rules to post the recipe. 🙂 I had actually made this post before the recipes for March were chosen, so, it’s already been up and running for a few weeks as a “regular” post. As such, I’m leaving it in.

This post is participating in French Fridays with Dorie, a blogging project where we cook our way each week through the recipes in Dorie Greenspan’s new cookbook, Around My French Table. Given the book’s newborn status, we’ve been requested to not post the recipe (although SoupAddict will post it if she finds it elsewhere on the web). SoupAddict hopes that you’ll understand and will perhaps be inspired to either buy the book or seek out a recipe of a similar nature to try on your own. Or better yet, join us on French Fridays with Dorie!

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