Ham and Cheese Bread

A flavorful quick bread that works well as a side or a main dish. The meat and cheese can easily be swapped out in this recipe for increased versatility.

Ingredients:
5 tablespoons extra- virgin olive oil, plus extra for oiling the pan
1 1/4 cups unbleached, all- purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
3 large eggs, lightly beaten
1/3 cup plain yogurt (I used Greek)
5 ounces aged Extra Sharp Cheddar cheese, cut into 1/4- inch cubes
5 ounces best- quality cooked ham, cut into 1/4- inch cubes
2 tbsp fresh basil, chopped

**1/3 cup best- quality black olives, pitted and halved

Servings: 1 Loaf pan

Instructions:
Center a rack in the oven. Preheat the oven to 400°F. Lightly oil an 8x4 inch loaf pan.

In a large bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, salt, eggs, olive oil, and yogurt. Stir to blend. Add the cheese, ham, and olives, and stir just to combine the ingredients.

Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Place the pan in the oven and bake until the bread is firm and golden, 25 to 30 minutes. Remove the pan from the oven and place it on a wire rack to cool. Once cooled, unmold and serve the bread at room temperature. (Store at room temperature wrapped in foil for up to 3 days.)

Recipe From: Projectfoodie.com

The original recipe called for the olives, but I left those out, because I hate them. It also called for aged French Comté cheese, which I didn't have. So I just used some of my extra sharp cheddar and thought this came out great. You could easily use turkey and Gouda, roast beef and provolone. Go crazy with it, it should work out perfect.

I baked this in a 9x5 inch pan and wished that I had used a 8x4 as this came out as a very squat little loaf of bread. Still tasted great, but not quite as pretty. It also came out very dense, but not too bad, I might try tinkering with leavening agents next time.

Also make sure you cube the cheese and not shred it, otherwise the cheese will sort of disappear into the bread and you wont get those awesome cheesy chunks inside. This is best served warm, but still good cold in my opinion.