ZURIE'S HOLEY RUSTIC OLIVE-AND-CHEDDAR BREAD

Zurie's Holey Rustic Olive-And-Cheddar Bread image

Provided by Zurie

Time 1h20m

Yield 1 bread

Number Of Ingredients 10

7 ounces green olives, pitted, drained and patted dry (or use pimiento-stuffed green olives, 200 g sachet, drained)
3 1/2 ounces cheddar cheese, mature (100 g, best quality)
9 ounces all-purpose flour (260 g or 2 cups)
3 eggs
1 tablespoon baking powder (15 ml)
4 fluid ounces dry white wine (125 ml)
1/3 cup olive oil (80 ml)
1 tablespoon creme fraiche (15 ml)
2 -3 teaspoons freshly-grated black pepper (10 - 15 ml, to taste)
1 pinch flaky sea salt (or fleur de sel) (optional)

Steps:

Grease a bread tin very well with butter. Mine have slightly sloping sides and measure, on the bottom, 3 1/4 x 7 1/2", and is about 2 " deep. (19 x 8 1/2 cm, 5 cm deep).
Heat oven to 350 deg F/180 deg C, or slightly less if you have a convection oven.
Drain the olives and pat dry with kitchen paper. Slice all of them into rounds.
Grate the cheese on the large holes of your cheese grater, weigh, and keep.
Put the flour into a bowl, break in the eggs, and whisk with electric beater. The eggs and flour will form small clumps.
Add the baking powder, white wine, olive oil and creme fraiche to the flour-and-egg mixture. Whisk or beat until batter is smooth.
Fold in the sliced olives and the cheese, folding in well.
Add the black pepper, and strew over a pinch of salt if you like, although it's not strictly necessary due to the salty olives and the cheese.
Scrape the cake-like batter into the greased tin and smooth the top. Bake for 55 - 60 minutes. Best is to test with a skewer, which should come out clean when bread is done.
Turn out and cool on a rack.
(The top might crack, which is normal).