Substantial cheesy loaf ideal with glass of wine
Greetings from Paris, where I’m pondering time, friendship, earlyevening drinks and cheese bread.
Essentially a quick bread, meaning it gets its rise from baking powder, not yeast, the cheese bread is hardly a light little nothing. It’s a substantial loaf that, when cut into slender fingers or snackable cubes, is just the right thing with a glass of wine before dinner.
The bread is the kind of thing a resourceful French cook would make with whatever cheese was left over at the end of the week. Pick one you can grate for the batter, then choose whatever you’d like for the chunky add-in.
When you’re combining the wet and dry ingredients, take it easy. There’s no need to get a perfect blend, because you’ll soon be stirring in the cheese cubes and their mates.
With quick breads, undermixing beats overmixing. Serves: 8 to 12
Use the cheese called for here or whatever you have on hand.
You’ll need an 8 1/2-by-41/2-by2 1/2-inch (21-by-11-by-6-cm) loaf pan. Unsalted butter, for greasing the pan 1 3/4 cups (430 mL) flour 1 tbsp (15 mL) baking powder 1/2 to 3/4 tsp (2.5-4 mL) ground cumin (may substitute cumin seed or a combination of ground and seeds) 3 large eggs, at room temperature 1 tsp (5 mL) fine sea salt 1/3 cup (80 mL) whole milk, at room temperature 1/3 cup (80 mL) grapeseed, canola or olive oil 1 cup (250 mL) grated extra-sharp cheddar cheese 3/4 cup (180 mL) bite-size cubes Gouda cheese 1/3 cup (80 mL) toasted walnuts, coarsely chopped (See note) 4 to 6 slices bacon, crisp-cooked, cooled and chopped 1 medium apple, peeled, cored and cut into bite-size pieces
1. Preheat the oven to 350 F (175 C). Generously grease the loaf pan with butter. Whisk together the flour, baking powder and cumin (to taste) in a mixing bowl.
2. Use a whisk to beat the eggs and salt in a separate bowl for 1 minute. Pour in the milk and oil, whisking until blended.
3. Pour this mixture over the dry ingredients and whisk gently, just to moisten the flour — there’s no need to be thorough.
4. Switch to a spatula and stir in the cheeses, toasted walnuts, bacon and apple to form a thick, spongy batter. Scrape it into the pan, taking care to push it into the corners. Do the best you can to even the top and don’t fret when it’s lumpy.
5. Bake (middle rack) for 45 to 55 minutes or until the bread is golden brown and a tester inserted deep into the centre comes out dry.
6. Transfer the pan to a wire rack and let it rest for 5 minutes. If needed, run a table knife around the edges of the bread before turning it out (right side up) and leaving it to come to room temperature.
7. To serve as a nibble with drinks, cut into thick slices, then into fingers or bite-size pieces.
Note: Toast the nuts in a dry medium skillet over mediumlow heat for several minutes or just until fragrant and lightly browned, shaking the pan as needed to prevent scorching. Cool completely before using.
Make ahead: Wrapped well, the bread can be kept overnight at room temperature; it can be frozen for up to 2 months.