Snack

How This Easy Olive Quick Bread Powered Merrill Through College

April 18, 2018

As Food52 gets older (and wiser), and our archive of recipes grows, we’re making the effort to revisit some gold recipes. Today, meet speedy quick bread flavored with salty olives and fragrant rosemary.


We'd give this an A+. Photo by James Ransom

As most college students will tell you, juggling the demands of studying with cooking can be overwhelming. And, sure, if you live on campus, a meal plan is usually an option. But once you move out of the dorms, cooking can easily become microwaving noodles and scarfing down PB&Js.

When Food52 co-founder Merrill Stubbs moved off campus her senior year of college, her mother passed along a copy of Joy of Cooking to help navigate the kitchen.

“And thus began my first official foray into the kitchen,” she says. “I often found myself drawn to the Quick Breads section—especially when there was an exam to study for or a final paper to write.”

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Her favorite was this tender, savory loaf flecked with salty olives and bright rosemary. The batter comes together in just minutes (a great excuse for a study break) while it bakes for about 45 minutes (time to get back to the books). If you want a really golden loaf, leave it in for an extra 10 minutes.

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Top Comment:
“I have been making savory quick breads for years; you can add little dice of Gruyere cheese to this or even minced shallots or green onions. Adding nuts such as walnuts or chopped Marcona almonds would be good too. The variations you can come up with our endless. I just made one that had shredded carrots in it plus walnuts. Delicious. ”
— Mary
Comment

Once cooled, dip slices into olive oil for the perfect study snack.

Did you have a favorite study-break recipe in college? Do you still make it?

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A New Way to Dinner, co-authored by Food52's founders Amanda Hesser and Merrill Stubbs, is an indispensable playbook for stress-free meal-planning (hint: cook foundational dishes on the weekend and mix and match ‘em through the week).

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See what other Food52 readers are saying.

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    Traveler
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    Mary
  • Valerio Farris
    Valerio Farris
  • cookinginvictoria
    cookinginvictoria
  • ChefJune
    ChefJune
Katie is a food writer and editor who loves cheesy puns and cheesy cheese.

5 Comments

Traveler May 7, 2018
Instead of 3/4 cup of whole-heat flour, can I use all-purpose flour for the whole thing? Thank you.
 
Mary May 7, 2018
I have been making savory quick breads for years; you can add little dice of Gruyere
cheese to this or even minced shallots or green onions. Adding nuts such as walnuts or chopped Marcona almonds would be good too. The variations you can come up with our endless. I just made one that had shredded carrots in it plus walnuts. Delicious.
 
Valerio F. April 19, 2018
A muuuuch smarter (and wholesome) alternative to the cups of coffee I was downing the night before a test.. : /
 
cookinginvictoria April 18, 2018
This is one of my all-time favorite recipes from Merrill and Food52! I discovered it many moons ago during the olive contest. Time to make it again!
 
ChefJune April 18, 2018
Can hardly believe I'm seeing this recipe for the first time now!
I'm thinking how great it would be as a vehicle for certain cheeses for cocktails or the cheese course.