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The Baker: Bacon-Cheddar Quick Bread with Dried Pears
The October issue of Bon Appetit magazine just hit the stands -- as well as the web -- and, in addition to announcing the winners of this year's awards to the stars in the food world, and offering a recipe for Flamiche from the terrific Molly 'Orangette' Wizenberg , it features the premier of my three-part series The Baker.
For this first installment, the subject is savory quickbreads, the story, which I hope you'll read, is about how logical the French are and how many rules they have for everything, especially food, and the recipe is for this loaf, which is chockablock with cheese (both grated and chunked), bits of dried pear, bacon, nuts and sage, and very easy to make. In fact, easy-to-make is the theme of the series.
The inspiration for this loaf struck when I was in Reims, the capital of France's Champagne region, where our first flute of Champagne was accompanied by cubes of a savory ham-and-cheese cake. I loved the idea of wine and cake and went on a quickbread quest, baking loaves with all kinds of add-ins (a really liked sun-dried tomatoes, black olives and parmesan) and serving them with all kinds of aperitifs. This is both a form and a recipe that lends itself to playing around -- something I find irresistible and think you might, too.
Photo by Laura Letinsky
Tags: Bacon
Categories: Recipes , Soups & Starters
22 Comments
This loaf sounds (and looks!) fantastic! I could eat a huge slab of it right this second to be honest. Shall read your article with relish when my copy of the magazine arrives.
That bread looks gorgeous! I love the sweet touch brought by the dried pears... Wonderful!
Cheers,
Rosa
Sounds great.
I love bread, and cheese, and bacon, and fruit.
Wow, that loaf looks amazing! What great flavors. I think the pears will win me over for sure:) I can't wait to read the article.
Oh, that sounds delicious - will definitely have to give it a try. I never would have thought of pears! But every time I see a recipe for cheese bread, I always have to ask: do you think it would work with jalapenos in lieu of the pears? I'm not much of a baker, but I've been trying to recreate a cheddar and jalapeno bread that I once had for ages now - with little success. Just curious....
Will try it just as is too!
Holy Yum! Sounds fantastic!
I'm anxious to try this bread. I'm always looking for savory treats to serve with an aperitif. I love the combination of ingredients.
That bread sounds wonderful! I will definitely go check out this issue/
This sounds absolutely delicious. I've never thought of adding dried pears to a quick bread before. I've been in a baking mood lately, so will definitely try this out. Wonder where I can find dried pears?
Your bread sounds absolutely delicious - I'll definitely be giving that recipe a whirl - but I have to say that decanter is fabulous! Any idea where can I get one?
Wow, your bread just screams fall! I think it would be a wonderful weekend bread, I can't wait to crack open my B.A.
this bread sounds unusual and tasty. it reminds me of your cheddar apple scones, which I expected not to like but insanely LOVED. Plus this has bacon, and what's not to love about bacon? I definitely want to try it.
What a yummy combination! I will try this next week when I visit my kids. I know they'll love it.
MC
This recipe sounds fantastic but my daughter is allergic to gluten. When I try to substitute, it usually ends up with an odd after taste.It's hard to know which kind of "safe" flour to use. She really misses my baked goods and so does the rest of the family. Any tried and true suggestions?
Thanks,
Stacy
I saw this in bon appetit this month - great article!
Great recipe, Dorie! I've been serving what the French (as you point out) amusingly call 'cake' for years. Once you get the formula right it's so flexible and such a quick way of making a wonderfully tasty pre-dinner snack.
Hi there!
I just got my copy of Bon Appetit today and cannot wait to make your savory quickbread for my family!!! I had never thought of quickbreads as anything other than sweet, so this will be a wonderful treat, I know!!
Now... I need to get back to reading your blog and learning! :)
His,
Mrs. U
Dorie, I googled "when is DG's next book coming out?" Found a link to an interview with you by Everett Potter in May '07. It was a delight to read about your life between your then, 3 residences. I like your description of your affection for Paris and how it leads you, inspires you. There will be many of us out in TWD land who look forward to reading and experiencing Paris through your eyes.
I'm looking forward to the arrival of my boss's Bon Appetit magazine so I can check out your column and recipe. It looks fabulous! I love savoury quick breads. They are perfect to go with delicious pots of soup this time of year and of course to enjoy on their own, warm and slathered with lashings of sweet butter! I know, I'm such a glutton!
This savory quick bread is so timely. I was just talking about wanting to make a second attempt at recreating the beer bread of my childhood. Growing up we made it all the time and I loved it, I have made it once as an adult when I came across a recipe (not the one from my childhood) and it was terrible. I didn't even eat it. It could be that it never was actually all that good and somehow nostalgia has elevated the memory. I will get warmed up with this savory quick bread because I no doubt it will be delicious. Then, on to beer bread.
This has to be insanely good. Cooking this week will probably include a velvety cauliflower-leek soup that I often make in the fall -- usually I make cheese scones to go with it, but this gorgeous quick bread sounds like an even better partner...
I'm going to make this bread for my family this weekend. It's like an entire picnic in a single loaf. Thanks!