Savory Gruyère Bread with Ham (and a host of other things)

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 Years ago there was a delightful, and highly patronized restaurant, at Lake of the Ozarks, by the name of Peace ‘n Plenty. They were known for many things, but one of the main features on their menu were their ham and cheddar rolls. Not a visit was made to this local treasure without getting one of those rolls. The recipe for them can be found here. As you might imagine, they were a bit of work, but I did love that combination so when I ran across a recipe for a ham and cheese quick bread, I had to give it a try.

I attacked this recipe with reckless abandon, adding not just the called for ham and Gruyere cheese, but also scallions, chopped Kalamata olives, and a little bit of dry mustard for good measure. This is sensational! Absolute heaven warm from the oven, it also makes incredibly good toast.

 

Savory Gruyère Bread with Ham (and a host of other things)
Adapted from Dinner in French by Melissa Clark

 2½ c. flour

1½ t. baking powder

1 t. fine sea salt

½ t. baking soda

½ t. garlic powder

½ t. freshly ground black pepper

1 T. dry mustard

1 c. coarsely chopped ham

3 T. thinly sliced scallions

1 T. chopped fresh thyme leaves

½ c. Kalamata olives, chopped

2 c. grated Gruyère or sharp cheddar cheese

4 T. unsalted butter, melted and cooled

2 large eggs

1 c. buttermilk

 Heat the oven to 350ºF. Spray a metal 9” × 5” loaf pan with Baker's Joy; set aside.

 In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt, baking soda, garlic powder, black pepper, and dry mustard. Stir in the chopped ham, scallions, thyme, olives, and 1¾ cups of the Gruyère (reserving the rest for topping).

In a separate bowl, whisk together the melted butter, eggs, and buttermilk. Add the wet mixture to the flour mixture and stir to combine. The batter will be thick.

Transfer the batter to the prepared loaf pan and spread it out evenly, smoothing the top. Sprinkle the remaining ¼ cup cheese over the top. Bake until the top springs back when lightly pressed, and a skewer inserted in the center comes out with some moist crumbs attached, 45 to 55 minutes.

 Transfer the pan to a wire rack and let it cool for 10 minutes. Then remove the bread from the pan and let it cool completely on the wire rack.