This amazing quick bread is filled with all of the flavors of caprese salad - tomatoes, mozzarella and basil. Fantastic with soup or salad!
Each morning, my 7-year old son sneaks outside for "Produce Patrol". He starts with the strawberry plants, then gradually makes his way over to the tomatoes and lettuce, picking off any specimens he deems ripe enough for immediate consumption. If his bounty includes four strawberries, he washes them and doles one out to each family member. If there are only two, he carefully cuts them in half first, which is no small feat considering the strawberries are no bigger than his thumbnail. His favorite time is mid-August, when the tomatoes are plentiful and he can load his lunch plate with a handful of the sweet little orbs. Until those days of endless caprese salads, we have to satisfy ourselves with pairing bocconcini and fresh basil with jarred sun-dried tomatoes.
The beginning of our summer crop in the awesome raised planters built by my husband.
Last year, I started making one of my favorite summertime breakfast dishes, a Caprese Frittata with Sun-Dried Tomatoes, Fresh Mozzarella and Basil. Around the same time, Caramelized Onion and Spinach Olive Oil Quick Bread stole my heart. Why not the combine the two? Out came the onions and spinach, in went the sun-dried tomatoes, fresh mozzarella and basil. The bread is dense, with a crumbly but moist crumb and filled with the fresh flavors of the season. It should hold us over until those tomatoes make their appearance.
Serve this bread with a hearty soup, such as Chicken Vegetable Soup or Beef Barley Soup. Or serve it with a dinner salad, such as Mediterranean Chicken Couscous Salad Bowls or Salmon Panzanella Salad.
How to Make Caprese Olive Oil Quick Bread
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt. In a large bowl, combine eggs, milk, and extra-virgin olive oil. Whisk well until combined.
Pour the flour mixture into the eggs mixture and stir until just combined. Do not overmix or the bread will become tough. Add the sun-dried tomatoes, bocconcini and basil, and stir until just combined. I found these extra-mini bocconcini at the grocery store (something straight out of Gulliver's Travels), but you can also use larger bocconcini and cut them into smaller pieces.
Coat a loaf pan with cooking spray. Scoop the batter into the pan and smooth the top.
Okay, the mini bocconcini look like marshmallows in this photo. Try to push past that.
Bake until the top is light golden brown and a wooden skewer inserted into the center comes out dry, 30 to 35 minutes. Cool in pan for 15 minutes, then remove the bread from the pan, and cool completely on a wire rack. Slice and serve.
Other savory quick bread recipes:
Caramelized Onion Spinach Olive Oil Quick Bread
Mushroom Rosemary Olive Oil Bread
Printable Recipe
Caprese Olive Oil Quick Bread
Ingredients
- 2 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- 2 eggs lightly beaten
- ¾ cup 2% milk
- â…” cup extra-virgin olive oil
- ¾ cup sliced sun-dried tomatoes
- 3 ounces bocconcini small fresh mozzarella balls
- ¼ cup thinly sliced fresh basil
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt. In a large bowl, combine eggs, milk, and extra-virgin olive oil. Whisk well until combined.
- Pour the flour mixture into the eggs mixture and stir until just combined. Do not overmix or the bread will become tough. Add the sun-dried tomatoes, bocconcini and basil, and stir until just combined.
- Coat a loaf pan with cooking spray. Scoop the batter into the pan and smooth the top.
- Bake until the top is light golden brown and a wooden skewer inserted into the center comes out dry, 30 to 35 minutes. Cool in pan for 15 minutes, then remove the bread from the pan, and cool completely on a wire rack. Slice and serve.
Nutrition
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Lauren at Keep It Sweet
It would definitely be hard to stop at one piece!
Heather | Farmgirl Gourmet
Considering I'm a low carb "diet", I will live vicariously through you and that picture! Don't tell anyone, but I sniffed my screen. 🙂 Looks amazing Dara. Yum yum!
Dara (Cookin' Canuck)
Your secret's safe with me.
carolinaheartstrings
What a wonderful post. I can almost see him out there picking in the morning all by himself. This recipe just looks fantastic.
Pretend Chef
This bread looks incredible. All I keep thinking about is grilling up some chicken and sandwiching it with some avocado. Yummy!
Dara (Cookin' Canuck)
Thank you! As good as the sandwich idea sounds, be aware that this bread has a crumbly quick bread texture, so wouldn't hold together well as a sandwich - unless there was a knife and fork involved.
Kelly
This bread looks so fantastic!! What a delicious recipe, love it! 🙂
Sommer@ASpicyPerspective
Dear lord, that bread looks utterly sensational! I love that crumbly texture and that it's PACKED with garden goodies.
Bijouxs
Looks yummy Dara! Great to pack along on a picnic or concert in the park.
MikeVFMK
Dara. Seriously, you should sell this bread. It looks beyond delicous! And your son sounds precious. Any young boy that spilts the backyard goods with all his family members sounds like a boy with great parents.
Dara (Cookin' Canuck)
Aww, thank you, Mike. He's a pretty sweet little boy.
Maria
Our basil is going crazy this year. I will have to make this soon!
brandi@BranAppetit
love this idea! savory breads are so fun to make.