Savoury Mediterranean Quick Bread
Savoury Mediterranean Quick Bread is an easy but delicious loaf packed with classic Mediterranean flavours: courgette, roasted red pepper, sun-dried tomatoes, olives, garlic, herbs like basil, plus nuts, seeds, feta and Parmesan cheeses.
Made with self-raising flour and eggs, there’s no kneading and no proofing. Just mix the ingredients and bake in a small loaf tin. This moist, soft almost cake-like bread is great as a savoury snack, in lunch boxes or for picnics, with drinks or alongside salad or soups.
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SAVOURY QUICK BREADS
I’ve said it before, but it’s worth repeating. Quick breads really do live up to the promise of their name. Made using baking powder, bicarbonate of soda, and/or self-raising flour instead of yeast, there’s no kneading or hours of proving. Just mix and pop straight into the oven.
The best-known quick bread is probably soda bread which has a texture that’s a cross between bread and cake. But what I especially love are savoury quick breads that include eggs. These are much more cake-like: soft and moist. They also keep better than soda bread which can dry quickly. Perfect as a snack, with or without butter, you can also eat them alongside cheeses, cold meats, pickles, olives, etc. or with soup or salad.
The French are particularly fond of the savoury quick breads known as cake salé. Slices or cubes are often served with other nibbles and drinks at pre-dinner social gatherings known as l’heure de l’apéro.
I’ve already posted recipes for around half a dozen different flavours of savoury quick bread and you’ll find links at the end. So easy, once you’re familiar with the simple base you can include whatever add-ins you like. My latest, Savoury Mediterranean Quick Bread, is packed with sunshine flavours, lots of vegetables, and a good punchy kick of herbs, garlic and tangy cheese.
SAVOURY MEDITERRANEAN QUICK BREAD
I got the idea for this flavoured quick bread from another recipe of mine. Mediterranean Oat Bake makes a tasty and nutritious vegetarian main course, hot or cold. But it’s equally good in packed lunches, for picnics, or just as a snack. So, during the current sunny Spring we’re having, I thought I’d put those same Mediterranean flavours into a savoury quick bread.
You’ll find ingredient amounts and detailed instructions for making Savoury Mediterranean Quick Bread in the recipe card at the end. But I recommend you read this whole blog post first for extra tips and step-by-step images to guide you.
EQUIPMENT & INGREDIENTS
To bake the quick bread, you’ll need a small loaf tin with a capacity of 450 ml. These are usually sold as 1lb tins. Mine is non-stick, but I grease it with extra butter anyway. You can also line the bottom of the tin with a strip of greaseproof or baking paper that’s long enough to come up above the sides. For ease, you can lift the loaf out using these ‘handles’.
For accuracy when baking, I always recommend you use digital scales and metric measurements. These were used to test the recipe, and I can’t vouch for the results if you attempt to convert them e.g. to American cups.
For the thick batter that’s the base of all my savoury quick breads you’ll need:
- Self-raising flour. As the same implies, this flour already has raising agents added. It can lose its power quickly though, so make sure the pack is well within its Best Before date, store it in an airtight container, and ideally use within a few months. Alternatively, you can use plain (all-purpose) flour sifted with 2 level teaspoons of baking powder (which should also not have been hanging around for a long time).
- Butter. For rich flavour and texture.
- Eggs. For binding, raising, and lightness.
- Milk. Just a little to moisten the batter.
- Salt and pepper.
ADD-INS
When making savoury quick breads, I always try to use add-ins that don’t require any pre-cooking. After all, speed is one of the virtues of this bake. So I select vegetables, cut small or grated, that will become tender in the time it takes the loaf to cook. I supplement these with ready prepared jarred items.
- Courgette. After grating coarsely and lightly salting, you should leave the courgette in a sieve while preparing the other ingredients. This removes excess water that would make the bread soggy. Before it goes into the batter, take handfuls and squeeze more water out.
- Roasted pepper. I love the convenience of jarred peppers, but you can roast your own if preferred. A mix of red and yellow is nicest, although I only had red when I made the loaf you see in this post.
- Red onion. Often milder than brown onions. Chop finely.
- Sun-dried tomatoes, drained of oil. Chopped, these give little bursts of intense flavour.
- Black olives. I prefer Kalamata olives which are less bitter than some. But if you don’t like olives you could replace with more sun-dried tomatoes.
- Garlic. I’ve used fresh, but you could swap in garlic powder or granules.
- Nuts and seeds. Almost any can be used: here there’s chopped toasted almonds and black and white sesame seeds. If using larger ones like pumpkin, they’re probably best chopped.
- Dried herbs. Give a good background flavour. You could include a single herb like oregano or a mix such as herbs de Provence. I use my versatile Homemade Italian-style seasoning.
- Basil. Lots of torn leaves for a fresh taste.
- Feta cheese. For bursts of tangy flavour.
- Parmesan cheese. Gives background savouriness.
HOW TO MAKE SAVOURY MEDITERRANEAN QUICK BREAD
Whenever you bake with raising agents like baking powder, bicarbonate of soda, or self-raising flour, it’s important to prepare all the ingredients first. That’s because as soon as you mix the wet ingredients into the dry, they’ll start working. So your quick bread should go into the oven (preheated to the temperature shown in the recipe card) as soon as possible.
Happily though, once you’ve done the prep, it’s not going to take very long at all to make the batter.
Start by sifting the flour and salt into a bowl. Then grate in the butter and rub it in with your fingertips. Now add the veg: the chopped roasted pepper, onion, sun-dried tomatoes, olives, and garlic. As already mentioned, before adding the courgette you should squeeze handfuls to get rid of more water. I also add the dried herbs and black pepper at this point.
As you stir, you’ll probably find some ingredients stick together. Just run your fingers through the mixture to separate and give everything a coating of flour. The nuts, seeds, feta and Parmesan can go in now, followed by the basil leaves. I recommend you roughly tear them rather than cut: cut edges tend to go black and torn leaves are thought to retain more essential oil.
Now make a well in the centre and crack in 2 eggs. Start stirring, then add a splash of milk to create a thick, cake-like batter.
As different flours absorb different amounts of liquid (and some ingredients e.g. sun-dried tomatoes may have more or less oil clinging to them), I can’t give the precise quantity of milk you’ll need. But the main thing is not to make the mixture too wet or dry. So be guided by the final image above for the texture you’re looking for.
BAKING THE QUICK BREAD
Transfer the batter to your prepared loaf tin, pressing it down, making sure you go right into the corners, and smooth the top. At first, you may think there’s too much mixture for the small tin. But so long as you press it down, it will fit. Put the tin on the middle shelf of your preheated oven: I find the small tin easier to manoeuvre when wearing thick oven gloves if it’s on a baking tray.
The bread should take between 50 and 60 minutes to get risen, brown, and cooked all the way through. To check, insert a skewer or cocktail stick: it should come out clean when the loaf’s done. Tip: as ovens vary, I recommend you take a peek at 35 – 40 minutes and check it isn’t getting too dark. If it is, cover loosely with a piece of foil.
When your Savoury Mediterranean Quick Bread is done place it on a cooling rack, still in its tin, for 5 – 10 minutes. Then carefully tip or lift out and sit it directly on the rack. Leave until just warm or cold before slicing. Don’t be tempted to cut into it while its hot: just like sweet cake, it will most likely crumble.
SERVING & STORING SAVOURY MEDITERRANEAN QUICK BREAD
Packed full of veggies, nuts and seeds, protein rich eggs and cheese, I enjoy this flavoursome loaf on its own for a snack, quick lunch, or on picnics. For a larger meal, serve it alongside salad or soup, or cured meats, cheeses and pickles. Or why not go French-style and serve morsels with drinks at your own l’heure de l’apéro gathering?
While Savoury Mediterranean Quick Bread is lovely just warm, I think it’s equally good cold. But if you want to lightly re-warm you can pop it in the microwave or even toast slices. If you have leftovers or just want to make in advance, wrap in foil and keep in an airtight container in the fridge. It should be fine there for 3 – 4 days. If we’re not eating it all within a couple of days though, I slice then freeze the bread. This means I can take out and enjoy just as much as I want with no waste.
If you’ve made this recipe, I’d love to know what you thought. Please leave a comment and rating.
Savoury Mediterranean Quick Bread
An easy but delicious loaf packed with classic Mediterranean flavours.
Made with self-raising flour and eggs instead of yeast, the moist, cake-like bread is great as a savoury snack, in lunch boxes and for picnics, served with salad or soups or as a nibble with drinks.
It's recommended you read the accompanying blog post before starting the recipe, using digital scales and metric measurements.
Ingredients
- 1 medium courgette (approx. 200 g before preparing)
- salt (see instructions for suggested amounts)
- 225 g self-raising flour (or plain flour + 2 level tsp baking powder)
- 60 g cold butter (plus extra for greasing the tin)
- 1 roasted red pepper (roughly chopped)
- 1 small red onion (finely chopped)
- 40 g sun-dried tomatoes in oil (drained then roughly chopped)
- 30 g black olives (sliced or roughly chopped)
- 2 cloves garlic (finely chopped)
- 1 tsp dried mixed herbs (e.g. Italian style or herbs de Provence)
- ¼ tsp black pepper
- 30 g chopped mixed nuts and seeds (e.g. chopped hazelnuts or almonds plus sesame seeds)
- 100 g feta cheese (diced small)
- 25 g Parmesan cheese (finely grated)
- 1 small bunch basil (leaves only: approx. 10 g after prep)
- 2 med - large eggs
- 25 - 50 ml milk
Instructions
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Extract some of the liquid from the courgette by coarsely grating it (discard the seeds in the middle) then put into a sieve and toss through a large pinch of salt.
Place over a bowl to catch the liquid while you complete the next steps.
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Preheat the oven to 180°C / 160° Fan / Gas 4 / 350°F with a shelf positioned in the middle.
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Butter a small, non-stick loaf tin with a capacity of 450ml or 1 lb (approx. 19 x 9 x 6 cm).
Tip: to make it easier to lift out the loaf, you can also line the tin with a strip of baking/greaseproof paper along the bottom so it comes up above the rim.
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Sift the flour and 1 level tsp of salt into a large mixing bowl.
Grate the butter into the flour (dip the butter into the flour now and again to stop it sticking to the grater), then rub in with your fingertips.
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Take handfuls of the grated courgette and squeeze hard to remove and discard as much liquid as possible then return to the sieve.
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To the bowl containing the flour and butter mixture add the prepared red pepper, onion, sun-dried tomatoes, olives, garlic, plus dried mixed herbs and black pepper.
Take handfuls of the courgette again and squeeze once more before adding to the bowl.
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Stir all the ingredients together: if any of the vegetables stick to each other, run your hands through the mixture to separate and ensure all are coated in flour.
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Add the nuts and seeds, the feta and Parmesan. Roughly tear the basil leaves and add those too before stirring.
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Make a well in the centre of the mixture and crack in the eggs. Start stirring then add a splash of milk to create a thick, cake-like batter. Don't make the mixture too wet: refer to the image in the blog post to see the texture you're aiming for, adding more milk as necessary.
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Transfer the mixture to the prepared tin, pressing down, making sure you go into the corners, and smooth the top. At first it may look like too much mixture, but it will fit if you press down.
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Put into the preheated oven: placing it on a baking tray makes the small tin easier to manoeuvre when wearing thick oven gloves.
Bake until risen, brown and firm: a skewer or cocktail stick inserted should come out clean when done (approx. 50-60 min).
Recommended: check at 35-40 minutes whether the top is browning too quickly. If it is, cover loosely with foil.
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When the loaf is done, leave in the tin on a cooling rack for 5 - 10 minutes.
Tip or lift out of the tin and leave on the rack until cold or only just warm before slicing.
The loaf should keep 3 - 4 days wrapped in foil in an airtight container in the fridge. Can also be frozen.
Eat be eaten cold or lightly warmed in a microwave, low oven, or air fryer. Slices can also be toasted.
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