After caramelizing onions to a sweet, golden brown and wilting the spinach with minced garlic, the vegetables are mixed into a savory quick bread batter.
Spring has most decidedly not sprung. It is almost June and yet Persephone, the goddess of spring, seems to playing a mischievous game of “drive the mortals mad”. Each morning I pull on capri pants, slip my feet into a pair of sandals, and step outside, ready to be greeted by the warmth of the day. Then reality slaps my windburn face and I skitter back inside to pull on my jeans and fleece top. In case you think that I am being overly dramatic, I swear on a wheel of Brie (it does not get any more sacred than that) that it is currently snowing.
Despite the seasonally-challenged weather, flowers continue to bloom, hummingbirds continue to grace our feeder, and seeds continue to germinate. Spring is the time for asparagus, rhubarb, and leafy greens. We are happy to indulge in some of our seasonal favorites, such as Asparagus Frittata with Smoked Paprika, Thyme & Feta Cheese and Rhubarb Cheesecake Bars with Gingersnap Crust. With the harvest date of lettuce and spinach drawing near, it seemed fitting to feature one here. After caramelizing onions to a sweet, golden brown and wilting the spinach with minced garlic, the vegetables are mixed into a savory quick bread batter. The only fat in this easy bread is extra-virgin olive oil, which lends a slightly fruity taste, along with an abundance of moisture.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
Heat 2 teaspoons olive oil in a large skillet set over medium heat. Cut one large yellow onion in half through the root, peel, and thinly slice into half-circles. Add the onion to the pan. Season with 1/2 teaspoon salt.
Cook for 10 minutes, reduce the heat to medium-low, and cook until the onions are golden brown, about 10 additional minutes.
Add 1 teaspoon olive oil to the onions, then stir in 2 cloves minced garlic and 2 cups (packed) fresh spinach leaves. Stir until the spinach is wilted and bright green, about 1 minute. Remove from the heat.
In a medium bowl, whisk together 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, 2 teaspoons baking powder, and 1/2 teaspoon salt.
In a large bowl, combine 2 eggs, lightly beaten, 3/4 cup 2% milk, and 2/3 cup 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 spinach mixture and 1 ounce crumbled myzithra (or feta) cheese, and stir until just combined.
Butter a loaf pan. Spoon 1 tablespoon flour into the pan and tap the flour around the pan. Shake out the excess. 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, 35 to 40 minutes.
Cool in pan for 15 minutes, then remove the bread from the pan, and cool on a wire rack. Slice and serve.
Savory quick bread recipes:
Dorie Greenspan’s Bacon-Cheddar Quick Bread with Dried Pears
Closet Cooking’s Zucchini Bread with Roasted Red Peppers & Feta
One Perfect Bite’s Olive Bread
What Geeks Eat’s Savory Onion Zucchini Bread
- 3 tsp olive oil, divided
- 1 large yellow onion, cut in half through the root, and thinly sliced
- ½ tsp kosher salt
- 2 cups (packed) fresh spinach leaves
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 2½ cups all-purpose flour
- 2 tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp salt
- 2 eggs, lightly beaten
- ¾ cup 2% milk
- ⅔ cup extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 oz. crumbled myzithra (or feta) cheese
- Butter and flour for pan
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
- Heat 2 teaspoons olive oil in a large skillet set over medium heat. Add the onion to the pan. Season with ½ teaspoon salt. Cook for 10 minutes, reduce the heat to medium-low, and cook until the onions are golden brown, about 10 additional minutes.
- Add 1 teaspoon olive oil to the onions, then stir in garlic and spinach leaves. Stir until the spinach is wilted and bright green, about 1 minute. Remove from the heat.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt. In a large bowl, combine eggs, lightly beaten, 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 spinach mixture and myzithra cheese, and stir until just combined.
- Butter a loaf pan. Spoon 1 tablespoon flour into the pan and tap the flour around the pan. Shake out the excess. 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, 35 to 40 minutes. Cool in pan for 15 minutes, then remove the bread from the pan, and cool on a wire rack. Slice and serve.
Ravenous Couple says
May 24, 2010 at 4:44 amjust searching for an olive oil bread recipe and lo and behold! love the flavors here…we just got a case of olive oil and a new mixer! yeah!
Tia says
May 24, 2010 at 9:22 amomg yum yum yum!
i would eatthat whole plate just the onions and spinach as is! lol
pegasuslegend says
May 24, 2010 at 10:28 amI make something very similar with black olives instead of onion… this is a great bread and fabulous with soups….delicious looks perfect and ready for the table!! this wouldnt last long here at all 🙂
Koek! says
May 24, 2010 at 11:31 amWe're going INTO winter here in SA, and this looks like just the thing to dunk into some hearty soup… Yum!
Robyn
Kalyn says
May 24, 2010 at 1:20 pmThat looks so good! I'm really tired of the cold spring weather, but if I had this bread to eat, that would make it better!
shriya says
May 24, 2010 at 1:25 pmwow!!! I am drooling. I love onions. Love this loaf, interesting and sounds delicious.
Coco @ Opera Girl Cooks says
May 24, 2010 at 2:30 pmI love it when people come up with sophisticated flavors for quick bread recipes! It's so nice to be able to avoid kneading but still end up with something so posh.
Chef E says
May 24, 2010 at 2:37 pmI just retweeted this and I have to make it- okay bookmarked! YUM
Sarah Lenhart says
May 24, 2010 at 3:29 pmI love caramelized onions! This looks so yummy!
alison says
May 24, 2010 at 4:26 pmyummy and very creative!
Jenny says
May 24, 2010 at 4:31 pmLovely!! Definitely want to try this!
Michelle @ Brown Eyed Baker says
May 24, 2010 at 4:37 pmOh my god, this bread looks insanely fabulous! I need to make it ASAP!
Ingredients of a Woman says
May 24, 2010 at 4:46 pmVery nice!
Alba H. Rodriguez
Ingredients of a Woman says
May 24, 2010 at 4:48 pmVery nice!
Alba H. Rodriguez
Jean says
May 24, 2010 at 5:01 pmI love savory bread and yours looks beautiful.
I understand what you mean about the weather. This extended winter in northern California is getting tiresome.
Maria says
May 24, 2010 at 5:01 pmGreat savory loaf. Love all of the flavors in there.
Cathy says
May 24, 2010 at 5:29 pmPrinting…this looks aweson and I have a bunch of garden spinach. Thanks! Now what to have with it…
Noelle says
May 24, 2010 at 5:32 pmWhoa out of control goodness! Yum!
bunkycooks says
May 24, 2010 at 6:30 pmThis looks delicious! What a lovely loaf of bread. Thank you for sharing the recipe.
Tracy says
May 24, 2010 at 7:37 pmGorgeous bread! It sounds delicious. 🙂
SLCFoodie says
May 24, 2010 at 8:22 pmI've never seen anything like this! It looks moist and super tasty!!
Cookin' Canuck says
May 24, 2010 at 8:29 pmThank you for all of your kind comments! I hope each of you that try it enjoy this savory bread as much as we did.
Claudia, olives sounds like a great alternative. I'm going to try that next time.
Coco, I agree that it's nice to have a savory quick bread in your repertoire – one that doesn't require kneading.
How To: Simplify says
May 24, 2010 at 9:00 pmThis bread is absolutely beautiful!
chris says
May 24, 2010 at 9:22 pmI love quick breads – don't make them enough. And – with the caramelized onions? Love! 😉
Lana @ Never Enough Thyme says
May 24, 2010 at 9:52 pmI can't wait to try this recipe. Lots of my favorites – caramelized onion, garlic, olive oil. How could you go wrong with that combination?
Hope you have some nice warm weather soon. We're already in the low 90's here in Georgia 🙂
Lydia (The Perfect Pantry) says
May 24, 2010 at 10:59 pmI will happily send you our ridiculously hot and steamy Rhode Island weather if you'll send some of this bread!
Maggy @ ThreeManyCooks says
May 24, 2010 at 11:28 pmI LOVE the look of this bread! I'm imagining this straight out of the oven with some butter on it. Great flavors!
Fuji Mama says
May 24, 2010 at 11:50 pmWhat an amazing mixture of flavors! Plus, gotta love that it is a quick bread. So great for moms with whiny impatient kids!
Belinda @zomppa says
May 25, 2010 at 12:04 amOh my! A whole meal into itself. Great recipe.
Debbie says
May 25, 2010 at 12:26 amWhat a colorful bread! Looks great 🙂
citronetvanille says
May 25, 2010 at 1:00 amWhat a gorgeous bread, in France we call this "cake salé" savory cake, and serve them at apéritif!The combination of onions and spinach is delightful. As for the cold weather, I think it's all over, in San Francisco, it's so windy and cold too…I think we just have to be patient.
Amanda says
May 25, 2010 at 2:13 amWow that is absolutely gorgeous!! I have bookmarked this to try. Yum! I just recently made a whole wheat sunflower quick bread that was awesome too!
Trix says
May 25, 2010 at 2:49 amEw, snow, I am SO sorry! But. Savory quickbread can cure a world of ills, and I love this one.
sweetlife says
May 25, 2010 at 5:01 amlove quick breads, and this is packed with our fav flavors..yum
sweetlife
roxan says
May 25, 2010 at 5:12 amWhoa, this looks like a seriously delicious savory bread!!! I will definitely have to make this.
Suzanne aka vivisue says
May 25, 2010 at 1:43 pmHow beautiful! And I am much more of a savory than sweet gal. This one is going on the menu!
Cherine says
May 25, 2010 at 3:11 pmGorgeous bread! Looks absolutely delicious!
Katie@Cozydeliciou says
May 25, 2010 at 5:22 pmThis bread looks fantastic. And it's kind of a perfect in-between food. It has hints of spring, but would be wonderful along with a big bowl of steamy soup too. Yum!
tspegar says
May 25, 2010 at 6:09 pmthis looks savory and fantastic! i love this idea.
Julia says
May 25, 2010 at 8:15 pmHoly Cow this looks freaking amazing!!!! All I can think about is using this for a grilled cheese sandwich, YUM!
kristi@ja cie kocham says
May 25, 2010 at 11:24 pmGORGEOUS bread!!! Boy, could I eat that whole thing all on my own 🙂
I live in the NE part of the US, and we are expected to hit 90 degrees tomorrow! Mind you, last week it was in the 50s. Crazy, I tell ya!
Miranda says
May 26, 2010 at 12:26 amOh my. Oh my. Oh my. I must have this 😉
Cande says
May 26, 2010 at 3:32 amLooks yummy! So, did you use the whole onion or just half an onion? It's hard to tell from the way it's written.
Megan says
May 26, 2010 at 4:32 pmThis looks killer! I give it 2 thumbs up! 🙂
Peggy says
May 27, 2010 at 9:49 amdefinitely a great pairing of flavors here!
ivoryhut says
May 28, 2010 at 2:57 amThat is just too delicious for words. Caramelized onions? Olive oil? Sign me up!
Scott says
May 29, 2010 at 7:03 pmLooks like it would all be eaten up once it came out of the oven! Nice!
Julia@SometimesLucid says
Jun 1, 2010 at 6:22 pmI made this over the weekend at my parents house. We could not stop eating it! YUM!!!
Cookin' Canuck says
Jun 1, 2010 at 7:11 pmJulia, thanks so much for letting me know. I'm so glad you enjoyed it. Do you have a chance to try it toasted?
Park Slope Kitchen says
Jun 1, 2010 at 10:03 pmI'm bookmarking this recipe right now– looks incredible!
Anne says
Jun 4, 2010 at 3:11 amThis looks great! Spinach and caramelized onions are two of my favorite ingredients 🙂
Kevin says
Jun 5, 2010 at 6:42 pmWhat a good flavour combo for a savoury quick bread!
Kristie says
Jun 8, 2010 at 2:08 pmI made this. It was delicious right out of the oven, but the next day it ws so moist it fell apart. Yummy though.
Patricia Scarpin says
Jun 11, 2010 at 4:06 pmI've just seen this post on Baking is hot and what a great thing it was – I'm glad I found this stunning blog!
Love the flavors you combined here – and the photo is gorgeous!
Anonymous says
Aug 12, 2010 at 3:36 pmI made this yesterday – so easy and so delicious. Thanks for the recipe, will definitely make it again.
Kim says
Sep 19, 2010 at 11:23 pmI am saving this one. How was the flavor? I have some spinach to use up, and feta… MMMMMMMMMM
Medifast Coupons says
Oct 7, 2010 at 4:47 pmI can't wait to try and make this bread, looks wonderful, rich colors and tender looking.
Liz C says
Mar 27, 2011 at 2:28 pmJust made this bread with some leftovers from a spinach and feta salad last night. It’s going to be very hard not eating the entire thing right here and now. Only change I’d make is maaaybe reducing the olive oil by a little bit next time, because while it made the inside nice and moist and gave the whole bread a wonderful flavor, it’s still quite a bit of oil. Overall, though, absolutely delicious and I will DEFINITELY be adding this to my recipe book!
Nev says
Aug 23, 2011 at 1:23 pmThis looks yummay! does it work without cheese?
Nev
Dara (Cookin' Canuck) says
Aug 23, 2011 at 5:11 pmAbsolutely! The cheese just provides an extra layer of flavor and a bit of extra moisture, but it should work fine without it.
Marilyn says
Nov 29, 2011 at 12:32 pmLooking for savory quick bread recipes to make for Christmas gifts and this looks heavenly. Am going to try it today! Do you think it’s shippable?
Megan says
Jan 28, 2012 at 6:43 pmJust made this with basil rather than spinach, (don’t care for spinach), and no feta, as I don’t care for it either, and it was SO GOOD. It took a little longer for me to bake it, but it was soooo very yummy!
KaterinaBonVora says
Feb 5, 2012 at 4:25 amI’ve adapted the recipe, its reaaaally yum. thanks for sharing! oh, and here’s my quick bread attempt: http://bit.ly/wCzdPd
darlene says
Apr 18, 2012 at 3:19 pmDrooling…
Kristy K says
Jun 10, 2012 at 3:56 pmI just made this and it is so good and different! I doubled the feta because… well, it’s feta. 🙂 Thanks so much for the idea and instruction!
Amanda says
Aug 8, 2012 at 9:19 amOMG Dara this looks amazing, I really want to try this! Will be pinning it for later 🙂 🙂
Rachel says
Aug 14, 2012 at 4:47 amI just baked this. I didn’t have any spinach on hand so I substituted it with brown mushrooms instead. I sliced and sauteed them in a little butter and followed the rest of the recipe as it is. The end result was really yummy. I can’t wait to try the original version. Thank you for posting this amazing recipe!
Megan says
Aug 25, 2012 at 6:49 pmI was sooooo looking forward to this. Made everything exactly as the recipe says, but after 1 hr and 15 min of baking, it was still not done throughout, and burning on the top. : (
Dara (Cookin' Canuck) says
Aug 26, 2012 at 11:53 amMegan, I’m sorry to hear that this didn’t work out for you! I know how disappointing that can be when you are looking forward to trying a new recipe and it doesn’t turn out. Quite honestly, I’m not sure what wrong. I’ve made this several times and, as you might have read in the comments, several other people have made it as well, with great success. My only suggestions would be 1) double-check the measurements that you used and 2) be sure that your oven is callibrated correctly (easily done with the use of an oven thermometer).
sarah says
Sep 19, 2012 at 3:47 amhi .. i was thinking of making a spinach and onion bread and came across your website while researching about it… however, i am allergic to eggs and cheese.. i am sure this recipe is alright minus the cheese, but what about the eggs? any ideas?
Dara (Cookin' Canuck) says
Sep 19, 2012 at 4:04 pmHi Sarah, it would be fine without the cheese, but I don’t know about omitting the eggs. You might want to look up substitutions for eggs on Google.
Sharon Maxwell-Yamamoto says
Dec 12, 2012 at 4:05 pmThanks so much for the gorgeous recipe! I just made it and it’s cooling, so haven’t tasted it yet, but had to thank you. I didn’t have spinach and so I used sliced black olives to go along with the herb feta cheese I had on hand. I always have sweet onions because we’re big fans of that, so this was going to be a winner, no matter what. I had JUST enough flour and olive oil to make it. Whew!
OMG I JUST WENT AND TASTED IT AND WOW!!! LOL, My husband is going to love this. Thanks a million!
Angela says
Jan 7, 2014 at 7:37 pmI made this for my VERY picky family. My sister hates onions with a passion so I made one batch as you had it and on the second I omitted the onions and added oven dried tomatoes. It was wonderful, almost everyone loved it- being as this is a hard to please group of about 10 people, and I had only one complainer, this was a success for me! Thank you so much for your recipe!
Debbie says
Mar 8, 2014 at 6:18 pmGood Evening, I am very intrigued by your recipe for the caramelized onion/spinach bread! I have in the oven now and I would like to serve for dinner tomorrow night! Should I not cook fully thru and finish tomorrow or cook thru and reheat and if so how long?
I appreciate all the hard work that goes into cooking!
Sincerely, Debbie
jane watterson says
Aug 8, 2014 at 8:42 amI made the bread yesterday, i had some visitors coming and i served the bread to them and they really loved it. i served it like an italian bread, with sundried tomatoes and olives. Its a very very nice bread.
Dara says
Aug 12, 2014 at 11:22 amI’m glad to hear that, Jane! What a wonderful way to serve the bread.
felicia says
Apr 3, 2015 at 10:40 amI’m thinking of making this for a party but would have to do it the day before. I figure this would keep ok to the next day if I covered it in foil – do you think that’d be ok?
Dara says
Apr 3, 2015 at 10:42 amHi Felicia, that should be absolutely fine. I hope you enjoy it!
Alany says
Apr 8, 2015 at 7:18 amHi,
Thanks for the recipe, I love it!
I would like to know how it should be stored and for how long? Thank you!
felicia says
Apr 13, 2015 at 3:59 pmI made this for a potluck yesterday, to rave reviews! What a great recipe, lots of flavor and a good texture too. Thanks for sharing!
Deepti says
Apr 15, 2015 at 7:07 pmI’ve made it once before and loved the flavour. Was wondering if it will be ok to leave the eggs out. Any alternative that can be suggested
Tina says
Dec 18, 2016 at 4:15 pmDoes this freeze well?
Sheryl says
Apr 1, 2017 at 2:00 pmThank you for this recipe. I followed the recipe as described, adding about 3-5 teaspoons of feta cheese and wasn’t disappointed! The bread had the consistency and flavor of a moist biscuit! From hence forward I will call it “Biscuit Bread.” The next time I make it, I will try adding an extra onion, since the bites of bread that had the onion in it were divine. The feta flavor didn’t come through much, even though I added extra. Will make again, thanks!
Sheryl says
Apr 1, 2017 at 11:29 pmedit: it is several hours since I last tasted the bread when it came out of the oven. wow! it tastes soooo goood!! It does not need an extra onion, as I previously thought. The bread even tastes delicious room temperature plain. The world needs to taste the deliciousness that is this bread! I change my review to 5 stars!
Lys says
Mar 27, 2018 at 6:25 pmI just made this and I have to say it is delicious! GREAT taste! I had to stop myself from eating the entire loaf. I managed to abide to reason by the 4th slice XD
I would like to ask how you would make the loaf less crumbly and drier: I mean, while it doesn’t completely fall apart, it is so moist and disintegrates a little bit (and I wanted to use this bread for sandwiches… I don’t think that would work). Would you add more flour? Or just reduce the amount of olive oil? (any idea about how much you would add / reduce, if so?)
Thanks a lot in advance!