Design-Your-Own Quick Bread

Wow, February was kind of unpleasant. In between bouts of illness, I managed to strain my Achilles tendon and break a toe. Those sorts of health issues are the kind that prevent a girl from cooking the way she would really like to, because hauling groceries and standing at the stove when both your feet are iffy isn’t very pleasant, and neither is eating much of anything when you’ve got a stomach bug or a terrible fever. But now it is March, and we need never speak of the previous month again.* Moving on.

This week’s French Fridays with Dorie recipe was for a savory cheese and chive bread. She says that in France, it’s thought of as a cake more than a quick bread, which makes sense. Quick breads can generally be baked as muffins instead of a loaf, in which case they verge on cupcakes. But here’s the thing: I’m not wild about chives. I love garlic, onions, shallots, leeks, scallions, ramps (it’s almost ramp season!), but chives are somehow always wrong. 

Lucky for me, the header and marginalia on this recipe explain clearly that it is meant to be tweaked. Swap in other kinds of cheese, or some sundried tomatoes, different herbs, bacon, olives–whatever. My craving this week led me to figs. And then walnuts. And then blue cheese. Which led me to create this bread:

Start with some flour. I used a mix of all-purpose and whole wheat, because that’s how I roll. Whisk in the baking powder, salt, and pepper.

In another bowl, whisk together 3 eggs. Mix in some milk and olive oil. I found it easier to measure both in the same Pyrex together, with the added bonus that these gorgeous bubbles formed between the two layers.

Pour wet into dry and mix until just combined, then add in the add-ins. As Dorie says, you can use really whatever you like. The original recipe calls for both grated AND diced cheese, but I thought the volume and moisture of the fruit would compensate for ditching the grated, plus, even I don’t need THAT much blue cheese in one dish.

Mix it all up and then dump it in a buttered loaf pan. And then bake until it’s done, really. I wish I could say that I just ate this one slice and then ran out to share the rest with my neighbors or coworkers or the deshi at New York Aikikai or something, but that would be a blatant lie. I ate three slices and am not optimistic that the rest will survive until C. returns from her sojourn upstate. So I will just have to make it again.

*Truthfully, there were many good meals in February, including my latest turn hosting Cook Club (post tk), a dinner at Momofuku Noodle Bar with S., and, as previously mentioned, a wonderful Valentine’s Day dinner with my very own valentine. But I like to pick and choose my anecdotes in order to tell the story I’ve chosen.

Fig-Walnut Bread with Blue Cheese

adapted from Dorie Greenspan

Makes one loaf or probably 10-12 muffins

1 c all-purpose flour

3/4 c whole wheat flour

1 Tbsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp white pepper

3 eggs

1/3 c milk

1/3 c olive oil

1 c dried figs, chopped

2 oz blue cheese, crumbled or chopped

1/3 c toasted walnuts, chopped

Preheat the oven to 350F and butter a loaf pan. (8 x 4 1/2 or 9 x 5, either is fine. Or a muffin tin, greased or lined.)

Whisk together the flours, baking powder, salt, and pepper in a large bowl. In a medium bowl, whisk the three eggs for a full minute, until they are foamy. Pour in the milk and olive oil and mix to combine. Pour the wet ingredients into the bowl with the flour and stir together. Add in the figs, cheese, and nuts, and stir just until everything is about uniformly distributed in the batter. Careful not to overmix.

Pour the batter into the loaf pan, smooth out the top, and bake for about 40 minutes. (Start checking earlier if your loaf pan is bigger. And if you’re making muffins, give them 20-25 minutes.) The loaf is ready when a thin knife comes out clean. 

Remove from the oven, let cool briefly, and then turn out onto a cooling rack. When it’s come to room temperature, it can be stored wrapped in foil or plastic wrap. Eat it within a few days or else freeze it.