If you want to cut back on sugar, try this quick bread
Dates, pancetta and cheese add a salty-sweet twist
Following some weeks of indulgences, my husband declared he planned to reduce his sugar intake.
Commendable! But it messed with my baking, which is something I do not only for work but also for relaxation. With a familiar, albeit retro, appetizer in mind — dates stuffed with goat cheese — I set out to make a savoury tea cake that would fit a sugar-reducing objective.
Tea cake: two words that evoke date loaves made by my grandmother. They were studded with walnuts and heavy with brown sugar. Not only did she slather dense slices with cream cheese and serve it to her mahjong group, she often wrapped up a loaf as a hostess gift, carrying it to nearly every occasion.
Banana bread falls in this category, as does zucchini bread, August’s option for abundant harvests from home gardens. While these and other quick breads are delicious for afternoon snacking, I wanted something much more savoury, more appropriate for nibbling alongside a glass of sherry or wine, rather than a cup of tea.
Using my grandmother’s date loaf recipe as a guide, I went the quick-bread route. I swapped olive oil for the butter, took out the sugar, added cornmeal for heft and caramelized onions for oomph. The additions of chives, rosemary and parsley made the loaf attractive, studded with flecks of green, and served to clarify the expectation: here is a savoury interpretation of a classic loaf. It can be disquieting to bite into something savoury when expecting it to be sweet, after all.
I felt the quick bread needed pancetta even though my sugarr educing spouse is a vegetarian, because it cried out for a salty, textural balance as a counterpoint to the sweet dates. I can also report that the pancetta and goat cheese are complementary compatriots. To maintain harmony in my household, I made one version pancetta-free and it, too, was delicious. In the end, we each had a quick bread we could call our own, and sugar-reducing intentions remained intact.
Bring this treat to share with a sweetheart, a neighbour or your office mates.
Olive Oil Quick Bread with Pancetta, Dates and Goat Cheese
Use a sweet, golden olive oil, the more buttery the better; bitter, green oils are too strong for this bread. You’ll need an 8 1/2by-4 1/2-inch loaf pan.
The flavours develop even more after the bread rests for a day, wrapped in foil and refrigerated. Reheat gently for 10 minutes at 325 F if you wish to serve it warm. It’s delicious toasted.
Makes 10 servings (one 8 1/2-by-4 1/2-inch loaf)
3⁄4 cup extra-virgin olive oil (see headnote)
3 ounces pancetta, chopped into pea-size pieces (1⁄4 cup; see headnote)
1⁄2 medium onion, minced (1⁄2 cup)
1 1⁄2 cups all-purpose flour
1⁄2 cup cornmeal
2 teaspoons baking powder
1⁄2 tsp kosher salt
12 pitted dates, chopped into pea-size pieces (about 1 cup)
2 tsp minced fresh parsley
1 tsp minced fresh rosemary leaves
2 tsp minced fresh chives
1⁄2 cup whole milk
3 large eggs
About 3 ounces (1⁄3 cup) fresh goat cheese, crumbled into pea-size pieces
Preheat the oven to 350 F. Coat the inside of your loaf pan with cooking oil spray. Line a plate with a paper towel.
Cook the pancetta in a dry skillet over medium heat until crisped, about eight minutes. Use a slotted spoon to transfer the pancetta to the lined plate to drain. As needed, pour off all but about a teaspoon of the rendered fat in the pan, then return to medium heat and add the onion. Cook for 10 to 12 minutes, stirring occasionally, until wilted and lightly browned in spots. Remove from the heat.
Whisk together the flour, cornmeal, baking powder and salt in a mixing bowl. Add the chopped dates and fresh parsley, rosemary and chives; use your fingers to break up the sticky pieces and coat them with the flour mixture. This will help keep those solids from sinking to the bottom during baking.
Whisk together the oil, milk and eggs in a liquid measuring cup until well incorporated. Make a well in the centre of the flour mixture; pour in the oil mixture. Use a flexible spatula to gently stir and combine the liquid and dry ingredients, scraping the dry ingredients up from the bottom of the bowl regularly. Once there are no white streaks remaining, stir in the crisped pancetta, cooked onion and goat cheese until evenly distributed.
Scrape into the prepared pan. Bake (middle rack) for 55 to 65 minutes, until the cake has risen to form a golden brown crown and a toothpick inserted into the centre of the cake comes out clean.
Turn out from the pan onto a wire rack to cool for at least 10 minutes before serving, or cool completely before storing.
Per serving: 370 calories, 8 grams protein, 32 g carbohydrates, 24 g fat, 6 g saturated fat, 70 milligrams cholesterol, 270 mg sodium, 2 g dietary fibre, 13 g sugar
From columnist and cookbook author Cathy Barrow.