All the goodness from our garden is in this cheesy savoury loaf however feel free to add whatever herbs, tomatoes, seasonings, cheese or bacon you wish. It's a splendid slice that absolutely lends itself to use up whatever vegetables or herbs you have on hand. Toasted with lashings of butter are a must.
Savoury Cheese Herb Loaf
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1/4 cup red onion, diced
1/4 cup fresh hot peppers, seeded and chopped
3 cloves garlic, peeled and crushed
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 cups (250 g) unbleached all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon cream of tartar
1 tablespoon (12 g) granulated sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon fresh thyme
1/4 cup (6 g) fresh basil, chopped
1 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese
1/2 cup grated fresh parmesan
1/3 cup unsalted butter, cold and cut into cubes
1 cup (240 ml) buttermilk
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
handful of cherry tomatoes, cut in half, for garnish
fresh basil leaves, for garnish
extra cheese for garnish
Preheat oven to 350ºF (180ºC). Grease and lightly flour a 2 lb loaf tin. Line the bottom with baking parchment.
In a frypan warm the olive oil over medium high heat. Once the oil is hot add the red onion, hot peppers and crushed garlic. Sauté until just tender. Remove from heat and allow to cool.
In a large bowl add the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cream of tartar, sugar, salt, pepper, fresh thyme and fresh basil. Whisk together until combined. Add the cheddar cheese and parmesan cheese and stir until combine. Add the cold cubed butter and using a pastry cutter cut the butter into the dry ingredients. Stir in the cooled onion mixture.
Create a well in the centre of the flour mixture and add the buttermilk and two lightly beaten eggs. Stir together until just combined. The batter should be thick and chunky. Spoon the batter into the prepared loaf tin. Spread evenly and smooth the top. Place the cherry tomato halves and fresh basil leaves on top, any way you wish, and sprinkle with extra cheese.
Bake in the preheated oven for 50 to 60 minutes. Checking around the 40 minute mark. If you notice the top is browning quickly, place a piece of aluminum foil over the loaf to prevent over browning and to help the loaf bake more evenly.
Once done, allow the loaf to cool for 10 minutes before removing from the tin and slice. Serve with butter.
Notes: if you do not want to garnish the top of the loaf with the tomatoes, basil leaves and cheese then simply brush the top with melted butter before baking. If you do not have buttermilk you can create your own by adding, 1 tablespoon of lemon juice or white vinegar to a measuring cup and fill with milk up to the 1 cup mark.