Cheese and Pepper Bread

I have been food blogging in one way or another since 2003. I started over on My Space, moved to AOL Journals and then to Blogger. I think I was probably one of the first food bloggers. In truth, I have always been a food journal keep and recipe sharer, since before blogs ever existed.
I have a Big Blue Binder which has traveled all over the world with me and it contains a wealth of recipe treasures. Recipes that I have gleaned from friends, family, magazine clippings, etc. Some I know their origins. Others I do not.

This Cheese and Pepper Bread recipe is one that I originally shared on my now defunct Oak Cottage blog. It is a fabulous quick bread recipe that goes together in a flash and that is perfect served along side of soups, stews or salads, or with a meat and cheese tray, or even enjoyed slice and buttered all on its own.
I think it is probably a recipe that I gleaned from one of my ex boss's Junior League cookbooks. I would be hard pressed to tell you which one, but the recipe is on a photocopied page which leads me to believe that is the source.
Cheese and Pepper Bread

I had not made it in a very long time and I was wanting something quick to enjoy with some soup today. I remembered this lovely quick bread and decided to bake it.

WHAT IS A QUICK BREAD

A quick bread is a type of bread that does not use yeast as a leavener. Instead it will use baking powder or baking soda, or a combination of the two.
They come in both sweet and savory versions, as well as in loaf and muffin shapes. Think Banana Bread or Bran Muffins. Both are what is known as quick breads.
Cheese and Pepper Bread

One thing that I really love about quick breads is that they go together very quickly. You can have them stirred together and baking lickety split. Most of them bake to done in less than an hour as well, which makes them a really great option for when you are looking for a bread to serve for any meal or occasion but don't have a lot of time to spend.
I also love that they come in both quick and savory versions. Today's recipe is a delicious savory version. Rich and cheesy, which means it is excellent to serve with soups or stews, salads or even on it's own.
You could also make some really nice savory tea sandwiches with it, cutting it in thin slices and sandwiching them together with some boursin or cream cheese. These would be lovely cut into finger sandwiches.
Cheese and Pepper Bread

HINTS AND TIPS FOR QUICK BREAD SUCCESS
If you follow my hints and tips there is no reason why you can't bake a really great quick bread successfully!
1. Make sure all of your ingredients are at room temperature unless otherwise specified.
2. Use the best quality ingredients that you can afford and at your disposal.
3. Whisk all of the dry ingredients together in one bowl and your wet ingredients together in another bowl/beaker before combining together.
4. Combine the wet and dry ingredients together quickly and do not over mix. They need only be combined until the dry ingredients are evenly moistened without any large pockets or streaks of dry ingredients.
5. Do not over combine the dough. A light hand is preferable. A few lumps are perfectly okay and quite acceptable. Over combining yields a tougher bake.
6. Spoon into your baking pan/tin as soon as possible after combining in order to gain the maximum lift from the leavening used.

WHAT YOU NEED TO MAKE CHEESE AND PEPPER BREAD
Very simple, every day, ordinary ingredients. You probably have everything you need in the house right now to make this delicious bread!

2 cups (280g) all purpose plain flour
1 cup (120g) grated sharp cheddar cheese
1 TBS granulated sugar
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp coarsely grated black pepper
1 cup (240ml) buttermilk (see notes)
1/3 cup (80g) melted butter
2 large free range eggs

Use a really good quality sharp/strong cheddar cheese. I really love a good farmhouse cheddar. Grate your cheese yourself. They put things into pre-grated bags of cheese to help them flow easier.
I always have buttermilk in my refrigerator. You can find it in the dairy aisle of the grocery store near the creams. Don't worry if you don't have any or you can't find any, I have provided a simple way to make a viable and easy substitution which works very well.
Cheese and Pepper Bread

Don't be tempted to use regular ground pepper in this loaf. You will get much better results if you use coarse ground pepper. If you look at the photographs you will see that the grains of pepper are quite obvious in the loaf and that is what you want.
You can buy coarse ground black pepper, or even better yet grind some peppercorns up yourself in your pepper or coffee grinder.
Cheese and Pepper Bread

I always use salted butter in my baking. I can't afford to have two kinds of butter on hand. If I think it is going to make a huge difference salt wise, I simply leave out the salt in the recipe. I have never had a problem doing this.
If all of your ingredients are at room temperature your butter will mix well into the buttermilk and eggs. Don't mix the butter in hot or it may cook your eggs which you don't want.

HOW TO MAKE CHEESE AND PEPPER BREAD
Nothing could be easier.
Preheat the oven to 350*F/180*C/ gas mark 4. Butter and line the bottom only of an 8 by 4 inch or 9 by 5 inch loaf tin. (The smaller one will yield a much taller loaf.)
Whisk the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, sugar and cheese together in a bowl.
Whisk the melted butter, milk and eggs together in a beaker. Add all at once to the dry ingredients and mix everything together quickly until just combined but the dry ingredients are moistened. Spoon into the prepared baking tin.
Cheese and Pepper Bread

Bake in the preheated oven for 35 to 45 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean and the top springs back when lightly touched.
Remove from the pan by running a round bladed knife around the edges. Tip onto a wire rack and cool slightly.
Serve warm, cut into slices, with butter for spreading.

Notes

If you don't have buttermilk you can make a quick substitute in one of the two following ways:

Put 1 TBS of vinegar or lemon juice into a beaker and add milk to the 1 cup/240ml mark. Whisk together and leave to clabber for 5 minutes.
Whisk together equal parts of full fat plain yogurt and full fat milk.

This really is a lovely quick bread. I enjoyed it today sliced and spread with butter while it was still warm along side a hot cup of soup.
I do think it would be really nice served with any soup or stew and I think it would be fabulous served for breakfast along with some softly scrambled eggs and sausage and or bacon on the side. The flavors of this bread are quite simply fabulous!
Cheese and Pepper Bread

Some other delicious Quick Bread Recipes that I have shared here in the English Kitchen are:
CRANBERRY, NUT & ORANGE BREAD - This is a deliciously classic quick bread that is beautiful served warm or cold, thinly sliced and spread with butter or cream cheese. It goes beautifully with a hot drink such as tea. You can also make cream cheese sandwiches with it to serve at tea parties. It is a simple and really tasty loaf, flavored with orange and generously studded with cranberries and toasted nuts.
CORNBREAD WITH FENNEL, CRANBERRIES AND SULTANAS -The recipe is one of my favorite of all the quick breads that I make. It is no secret that I am a huge fan of cornbread. I also happen to love quick breads with dried fruit in them, especially raisins and cranberries. Add fennel seed to anything and I am so on it! I just adore its slight anise-like flavor. This lovely bread incorporates those three loves of mine in a most delicious way!
Yield: 1 loafAuthor: Marie Rayner