Got the main recipe from Food Network Magazine’s 50 Quick Bread article. But as usual I had to mess with it.
Most of the recipes are for a sweeter bread like banana-chocolate, lemon raspberry, or pina colada. I’m partial to more savory bread so here’s what I tried:
Sun-dried Tomato and Pesto
3/4 cup sour cream
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 eggs
1/3 cup pesto
1 3/4 cups flour
1 tablespoon sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon lemon zest
1/2 teaspoon each salt and pepper
1/2 cup shredded Italian cheese blend
1 cup chopped oil packed sun-dried tomatoes
Whisk the sour cream, vegetable oil, eggs, and pesto and set aside
Whisk the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, lemon zest, salt and pepper
Toss in the Italian cheese blend and sun-dried tomatoes
Combine the flour mixture and sour cream mixture just until mixed
Line a bread pan with parchment paper so the sides hang over and spray with non-stick baking spray
Pour the batter into the pan and spread evenly,
bake at 350 for 40-50 min or until a knife inserted in the middle comes our clean
Let cool in the pan for 10 minutes then transfer to a cooling rack and let cool to room temperature before slicing
This tasted like really good pizza or scachatta form Alessi’s deli in Tampa
(when I was a kid my dad would bring it back from trips – love that stuff)
it would taste great to add some sautéed diced pancetta or diced pepperoni
Pimento Cheese and Bacon
(I made this one up – loved it)
1/2 white, yellow, or Vidalia onion – small diced
Olive oil
3/4 cup sour cream
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 eggs
3/4 cup pimento cheese
1 3/4 cups flour
1 tablespoon sugar
2 teaspoons each chopped rosemary and thyme
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon lemon zest
1/2 teaspoon each salt and pepper
1/2 cup cooked crumbled bacon
1/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese
2 tablespoons unsalted butter – cut into small cubes
Sauté the onions in the olive oil until translucent
Whisk the sour cream, vegetable oil, eggs, and pimento cheese and set aside
Whisk the flour, sugar, rosemary, thyme, baking powder, baking soda, lemon zest, salt and pepper
Toss in the bacon
Combine the flour mixture and the sour cream mixture just until mixed
Line a bread pan with parchment paper so the sides hang over and spray with non-stick baking spray
Pour the batter into the pan and spread evenly
Sprinkle a little shredded cheddar cheese on top and little cubes of butter
Bake at 350 for 40-50 min or until a knife inserted in the middle comes our clean
Let cool in the pan for 10 minutes then transfer to a cooling rack and let cool to room temperature before slicing
The Food Network main recipe is really delicious the bread has a crispy crust and is light and moist inside. I froze some of the loaves and then sliced and toasted them later and they tasted like I just baked them.
Alternate Ideas
Another combo might be cheeseburger – replace the pimento cheese with shredded cheddar, the bacon with cooked hamburger meat, and add the sun-dried tomatoes.
There are lots of ways you can mess with this recipe. Just think about a combo you like – like chicken pot pie then figure out what the main ingredients are and incorporate them into the recipe.
Be careful not to throw off the wet to dry ingredients ratio. So for chicken pot pie I’d replace the cheese and bacon with chicken, carrots, and celery. Always cook the meat and sauté and vegetables before tossing them in.
You get the idea.
You can cater your bread to match the theme of your meal or the basket you’re giving someone.
Apples, pecans, and sausage for Thanksgiving
Honey, lemon zest, and pistachio for a Moroccan theme
BBQ, cheddar, and candied jalapeno for a Cowboy theme
I never make the same thing twice so I love recipes like this that I can change a million different ways!
DAGNY | the g is silent but I am not 