Make This Cheesy Zucchini And Olive Bread
Make your morning a little brighter with a recipe from Rise & Shine, a new collection of recipes from food and nutrition writer Katie Sullivan Morford. Whether you go sweet or savory, vegan or fully carnivorous, there's a recipe in here that will wake you up right. Try this cheesy zucchini and olive bread on for size!
This isn't your ordinary zucchini bread. It's savory rather than sweet — a departure from typical breakfast breads, which err in the opposite direction. Treat the dough like you do the kids on your very best day: with a gentle hand. Quick breads don't like an aggressive baker, so stir the batter enough to make the ingredients come together but no more. The payoff will be a golden loaf with a tender crumb punctuated by nuggets of cheese and salty olives. Cut it into generous slices, and get it warm and crusty in the toaster.
Boost It: Top the toasted bread with smoked salmon.
Adapt It: Leave out the olives.
- 2 cups coarsely grated zucchini (about 2 medium zucchini)
- 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
- 1 1/2 cups white whole wheat flour or whole wheat pastry flour
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 2 eggs
- 1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
- 1/2 cup plain yogurt
- 1/2 cup milk
- 3 scallions
- 1/2 cup pitted kalamata olives
- 4 ounces sharp cheddar cheese
- Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Generously grease a 9-by-5-inch loaf pan with oil or nonstick cooking spray and set aside.
- Put the zucchini into a colander set in the sink. Sprinkle with 1 teaspoon of the salt and use your hands to toss together. Leave the zucchini in the colander to allow the salt to draw out some of its liquid.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the white whole wheat flour, all-purpose flour, baking powder, baking soda, black pepper, and the remaining ½ teaspoon of the salt.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the eggs, olive oil, yogurt, and milk until combined.
- Returning to the zucchini, squeeze it thoroughly to extract excess liquid, allowing it to drain through the colander. Do this several times to eliminate as much of the moisture as possible. The zucchini will remain moist but should not be wet. Add it to the egg mixture. Add the scallions and olives and stir well with a spoon.
- Add the egg mixture to the flour mixture and stir gently with a spoon just until the streaks of flour disappear. Add the cheese and stir just enough to distribute it throughout the dough, being careful not to overmix.
- Transfer the dough to the prepared loaf pan and use a spoon (or your fingers) to smooth the top a bit. It will be rough and craggy.
- Bake for about 1 hour and 10 minutes, until the loaf is golden and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. If you aren’t sure if it’s done, remove the loaf and pat it firmly with your hand: It should sound hollow.
- Remove from the oven and allow the bread to cool in the pan for 5 minutes. Run a knife around the edge of the bread, tip the pan over, and gently dislodge the bread onto the countertop. Set it upright and allow to cool for at least 30 minutes. Serve sliced, toasted, and spread lightly with butter.