A Quick Bread Made with Beer, Cheese and Rosemary Olive Oil
I know, the title is a mouthful – but so is this quick bread! The inspiration came from a new olive oil that I hadn’t worked with before – Nudo Olio D’Oliva Rosemarino – an extra-virgin cold-pressed olive oil stone ground with rosemary. I opened the can and the rosemary fragrance intermingled with the olive oil was intoxicating. Baking with olive oil is a trend we’ve been playing with and you can also try our Coffee Olive Oil Marble Cake. Olive oil adds moisture to baked goods and with infused olive oil such as this you get the benefit of flavor beyond just the delicious oil. Oil, in lieu of butter, adds a softness to baked goods and also helps increase shelf life. This bread is fabulous even 4 days later – but it won’t last that long! You may double the recipe and this loaf freezes well, too.
- ⅓ cup plus 1 tablespoon olive oil Nudo Olio D’Oliva Rosemarino
- 1 medium to large onion, chopped (we used a Vidalia)
- 1¾ cups unbleached all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon rosemary, divided
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 3 large eggs, at room temperature
- ⅓ cup stout, at room temperature, such as Guinness
- 6 ounces (about 1 ½ cups) grated sharp cheddar cheese, divided
- Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a skillet over medium-low heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until soft and light golden brown, about 15 to 20 minutes. Set aside to cool completely.
- Position rack in center of oven. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Coat an 8-inch by 4-inch loaf pan with nonstick spray.
- Whisk together the flour, baking powder, ½ teaspoon rosemary and salt in a large bowl.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the eggs, stout, and remaining ⅓ cup olive oil. Fold the wet ingredients, onions and almost all of the cheese (just reserve about ¼ cup – you can do this by eye) into the dry ingredients until moistened. Do not over-mix.
- Scrape the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top with a spatula. Sprinkle with the remaining cheese and rosemary. Bake until the loaf is golden and a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean, 45 to 50 minutes. Cool in the pan for 5 minutes, invert onto a rack, re-invert and let cool completely before slicing and serving. Leftover bread will keep, wrapped in plastic at room temperature, for up to 4 days.
Bakepedia Tips
- You may use another extra-virgin olive oil, in which case add an additional ½ teaspoon rosemary to the bread.
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