Best Savory Gruyere Olive Bread Recipes

SAVORY GRUYèRE BREAD WITH HAM

Steps:

• Heat the oven to 350ºF. Butter and flour a metal 9 × 5-inch loaf pan and set it aside.
• In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt, and baking soda. Stir in the chopped ham, scallions if using, thyme, and 1¾ cups (7 ounces) of the Gruyère (reserving the rest for topping). In a separate bowl, whisk together the melted butter, eggs, and buttermilk. Add the wet mixture to the flour mixture and stir to combine. The batter will be thick.
• Transfer the batter to the prepared loaf pan and spread it out evenly, smoothing the top. Sprinkle the remaining ¼ cup (1 ounce) cheese over the top. Bake until the top springs back when lightly pressed and a skewer inserted in the center comes out with some moist crumbs attached, 45 to 55 minutes.
• Transfer the pan to a wire rack and let it cool for 10 minutes. Then remove the bread from the pan and let it cool completely on the wire rack.

SAVORY HAM AND GRUYèRE BREAD

Steps:

• Center a rack in the oven and heat to 350 degrees. Or, if making mini muffins, position 2 racks in upper third of the oven and heat to 425 degrees. Generously brush a loaf pan or four 12-portion mini muffin pans with butter.
• In a large bowl, whisk flour with baking powder, salt and pepper.
• In a medium bowl, lightly whisk eggs, then whisk in milk and olive oil.
• Using a rubber spatula, fold wet ingredients into dry until barely mixed. Fold in ham and cheese.
• Scrape batter into loaf pan and smooth top, or using your finger, push a tablespoon of batter into each muffin cup.
• Bake loaf until golden and a toothpick inserted in center comes out with a few crumbs attached, 40 to 50 minutes. Or bake muffins until golden, about 15 minutes, switching pans between racks halfway through.
• Transfer to a rack to cool in pan for 5 minutes. Run a knife around edge to release. Turn out loaf onto rack to firm up before slicing, about 30 minutes; using a serrated knife, cut into 3/8-inch slices, then cut into halves or quarters. Muffins can be served warm or at room temperature.

OLIVE AND CHEESE LOAF

Steps:

• In a medium bowl, stir together flour, salt, and yeast; stir in cheese and olives. Add water and, using a wooden spoon or your hand, mix until a wet, sticky dough forms, about 30 seconds, adding additional water, 1 tablespoon at a time, if needed. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and let stand at room temperature until dough has doubled in size and surface becomes dotted with bubbles, 12 to 18 hours.
• Generously flour work surface; scrape dough onto work surface. Lightly flour hands, a bowl scraper, or a spatula and lift edges of dough toward the center. Nudge and tuck edges of dough to make round.
• Place a piece of parchment paper on work surface and generously dust with flour. Gently place dough on parchment, seam-side down. If dough is tacky, lightly dust top with flour. Cover dough loosely with wax paper and two clean kitchen towels. Let dough stand in a warm, draft-free spot until almost doubled in size, 1 to 2 hours.
• Gently poke dough with your finger; dough should hold the impression. If it springs back, let rise 15 minutes more.
• Ten minutes before dough has finished rising, preheat oven to 475 degrees on a conventional oven (450 degrees on a convection oven) with a rack in the lower third. Place a covered 3 1/2-quart cast-iron or enameled cast-iron Dutch oven (with plastic handle removed and screw hole plugged with aluminum foil) in center of rack.
• Using pot holders, carefully remove preheated Dutch oven from oven and uncover. Uncover bread and loosen bottom with a large spatula. With the aid of the parchment paper, invert bread into preheated Dutch oven so that it is seam-side up. Cover Dutch oven and transfer to oven; bake for 25 minutes.
• Uncover and continue baking until bread is dark brown but not burnt, 15 to 30 minutes more. Using a heatproof spatula or pot holders, gently lift bread from Dutch oven and transfer to a wire rack to cool.