Make Ahead

Savory Quickbread with Olive, Lemon, Thyme, and Goat Cheese

February  5, 2011
4.5
2 Ratings
  • Prep time 15 minutes
  • Cook time 45 minutes
  • Makes 1 loaf
Author Notes

A simple quick bread with great flavor. - apartmentcooker —Erin Jeanne McDowell

Test Kitchen Notes

Apartmentcooker’s savory quick bread boasts some deliciously robust flavors—lots of briny olives, a generous amount of lemon zest, and a healthy dose of black pepper, which gives the bread a subtle heat. I really liked the bread as is but for those with more timid palates, I suggest using a milder olive (I used Kalamata and Nicoise olives) and decreasing the amount of pepper. The bread emerges from the oven moist and with a tender crumb. It comes together quickly, and no fancy equipment—not even a mixer—is required. We enjoyed slices as an afternoon snack and toasted, with a schmear of cream cheese, for breakfast. —cookinginvictoria

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Ingredients
  • 1 cup milk (230 g)
  • 1/3 cup olive oil (79 g)
  • 1 egg (57 g)
  • 2 cups all purpose flour (240 g)
  • 1 tablespoon baking powder (12 g)
  • 1 teaspoon salt (4 g)
  • 2 teaspoons black pepper (6 g)
  • 3 tablespoons lemon zest
  • 2 tablespoons fresh chopped thyme (6 g)
  • 3/4 cup olives (kalamata work well), roughly chopped (90 g)
  • 1 cup goat cheese, crumbled (237 g)
Directions
  1. In a medium bowl, whisk the milk, olive oil, and egg to combine.
  2. Whisk the flour, baking powder, salt, pepper, zest, and thyme together until combined.
  3. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and mix just to combine.
  4. Gently fold in the olives and goat cheese until fully incorporated. Pour the batter into a greased loaf pan.
  5. Bake in a 350 degree oven until a tester inserted into the center comes out clean, about 30-40 minutes.

See what other Food52ers are saying.

I always have three kinds of hot sauce in my purse. I have a soft spot for making people their favorite dessert, especially if it's wrapped in a pastry crust. My newest cookbook, Savory Baking, came out in Fall of 2022 - is full of recipes to translate a love of baking into recipes for breakfast, dinner, and everything in between!

6 Reviews

Louis April 16, 2018
Stealing this recipe :) and adding preserved lemon rind and replacing cheese with fresh homemade lemon mozzarella. Thanks for your recipe will keep you posted.... also always read the comments using a casserole pan!!
eternalgradstudent February 9, 2011
This is so good!! I made it for dinner, to be eaten with the extra olives, and some pepper frischkaese that I had in the fridge. Only problem I had was that I don't have a loaf pan, but I baked it in a casserole dish, and it came out more like a really moist foccacia. I hope I can restrain myself from eating the whole pan :)
Erin J. February 10, 2011
Cool - I really like the idea of baking it in a casserole dish! You could speckle it with the olives on top too, which would be pretty! Thanks for the idea!!
drbabs February 5, 2011
We must have been on mind meld. I bought ingredients yesterday with almost exactly the same thing in mind. I bet it's delicious!
Erin J. February 5, 2011
Whoa, freaky! I want to try yours now!!
drbabs February 5, 2011
Maybe I'll make it later in the week...I definitely want to try yours!