Herbed Tomato Quick Bread
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A savory bread that comes together quickly using fresh tomatoes and basil. Perfect for using summer produce!
New year, new monthly recipe collection!
2017 brought us cakes.
2018 brought us muffins.
And 2019 will bring us BREAD.
And not just quick bread like you’re seeing here today. We’re going to do 6 quick breads and 6 yeast breads, and a mix of savory and sweet. A whole bunch of bread is coming your way this year, friends!
Anything in particular you’re interested in seeing while I’m still brainstorming my editorial calendar? I have a few things in mind but would love to cater to the masses. Let me know!
So when you think of quick bread, do you immediately think of sweet? Like banana bread, zucchini bread, apple bread, pumpkin bread… Those sorts of flavors?
Well, knock it off! Savory deserves a spot in the quick bread limelight, even if it’s just for a short time before we bring back sugar and sprinkles.
Today we’re putting tomatoes, cheese, basil, and garlic into a bowl with some flour, eggs, milk, and OLIVE OIL to make my new favorite “dinner bread” that will probably be taking the place of plain old dinner rolls at our next hosted meal.
I sort of modeled this bread after my grandmother’s Parmesan parsley bread. While that bread uses yeast, it doesn’t have any rise time, so it’s pretty quick. But I wanted an actual quick bread that I could whip up in a bowl and be done with.
And I wanted to make it savory because the world of quick breads is definitely monopolized by sweetness.
This bread uses one large tomato and a hefty serving of fresh basil. The cheese is up to you, but I like cheddar because it’s a strong flavor (mild or sharp, for sure). There’s a little garlic in there to amp up the flavor, and olive oil brings all the moisture while also bringing a complementing flavor.
You can certainly use vegetable oil, but the olive oil really brings it home with this one. I urge you to use it!
This bread was a hit in our house, even with the infant and the toddler. The toddler, in fact, helped me make it, and one of my 2019 goals is to get him more involved in the kitchen with me.
He’s now 2 and 1/2, so he’s capable of understanding simple instructions and loves counting, so I’m having him help me with things like quick breads that are simple and don’t necessarily depend on super exact measurements, because this is what happens when he helps…
My concrete 2019 goal is to teach him how to crack an egg. And I think we’re going to have to endure some huge messes to get that to happen.
For now, I’m filling measuring cups and spoons with the ingredients, handing them to him, and having him dump them into the bowl. A really BIG bowl so that his aim is pretty accurate and we reduce the possibility of him completely missing. So far, mostly good.
Do you have little helpers in the kitchen? What are your best tips for getting them involved?
I’ll definitely be sharing things I learn along the way, but if I can cut down on the amount of flour all over our kitchen floor while I learn, I’m open to hearing about those strategies!
For now, I’m pretty proud of how much he helped me with this savory quick bread, and I’m happy to report the texture and flavor turned out perfectly despite a few messes through the process.
Tomatoes, basil, garlic, cheese… In bread?! That you don’t have to knead? Definitely put this one on your next dinner menu. You and your guests will not be disappointed.
Herbed Tomato Quick Bread
Ingredients
- 3 cups all purpose flour be sure to measure properly
- 1 and 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 and 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
- 3/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 large tomato diced (about 2 cups)
- 1/4 cup packed fresh basil finely chopped
- 2 cloves of garlic minced
- 2 large eggs lightly beaten
- 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1/2 cup milk
- 1 and 1/2 cups + 1/4 cup shredded cheese any kind, divided
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Spray a loaf pan with nonstick spray or olive oil. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and pepper. Set aside.
- In another large bowl, toss together the tomato, basil, and garlic. Add the eggs, olive oil, and milk, and toss again to coat everything.
- Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and stir until mostly combined. Add 1 and 1/2 cups of the cheese and continue to stir until everything is evenly dispersed. Batter will be thick.
- Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan and spread evenly with a spatula. Sprinkle the remaining 1/4 cup of cheese on top of the batter.
- Bake loaf for 55-60 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out mostly clean. Allow to cool in the pan at least 15 minutes before removing and serving warm. Store leftovers covered tightly at room temperature up to 3 days, or in the refrigerator up to one week. Since bread is very moist, it will spoil quickly at room temperature. Warm slices in the microwave or toast in a toaster oven or broiler, if desired. Loaf freezes well, up to 2 months. Thaw in refrigerator overnight.
Nutrition Disclosure
All nutritional values are approximate and provided to the reader as a courtesy. Changing ingredients and/or quantities will alter the estimated nutritional calculations.
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OMG. I can’t wait to try this. Sounds like it will be a perfect side to veggie soup in the winter. I may even try substituting the tomato with fresh chopped salsa…….
YES! A PERFECT bread for soup! I like your idea of salsa– you’ll have to let me know if you try it!
Yum, this bread looks out of this world delicious. I am so excited about your goal of 6 quick and 6 yeast breads I can’t wait. Meanwhile my goal is to make this herb tomato bread this weekend!!
I hope you like it, Mary!
I say to kids, bump the egg on the counter and open it like a book.
Then we eat scrambled eggs.
That’s a good way to word it… I’ll have to try that!
This bread takes far longer to bake! After 60 Minutes I pulled it out and the middle was doey. if and when I make this recipe again I will try the muffin tins because right now I have a half Baked loaf of bread well it is delicious at least the part that is baked through the rest of it I don’t know what to do with.
I’m sorry to hear that, Joansy! Any chance you have a convection oven? This bread never takes me more than an hour to bake.
I modified this to make it GF due to allergies and it turned out great. I subbed 1:1 gf flour, added 1.5 tsp xanthum gum (may be more for you if your flour doesn’t already have it in there) and also made sure to beat dough in stand mixer on low for a few minutes. Add cook time since gf flour takes longer. Turned out great.
Thanks so much, Kaela! And thank you for sharing your subs.
I used this recipe but instead I put it into muffin tins. Half the time which I love on a hot day. House smells amazing! Just took them out they look great and they are very flavorful. Used mozzarella cheese. Posted it on my food page on Facebook. Not sure how to tag you but I will add you site to it. Thank you again
Thanks so much, Robin! I love your adaptation. And I did see your post– thank you for sharing 🙂
This was SO good! Baked for 58 minutes and it was perfect. Had some last night with dinner, then made grilled cheese sandwiches with it, and it was AMAZING! Going to make another loaf soon, as I have a bumper crop of tomatoes and am always looking for recipes to use them when they’re fresh and perfectly ripe. Thank you for this recipe!
Thank you so much, Karen! Grilled cheese with this bread sounds AMAZING– so smart!
I made this using roasted garden tomatoes and Kalamata olives. Delicious, but EVEN BETTER when I experimented with putting slices in the dehydrator and making crunchy melba toast! It holds together well. I’m adapting this recipe to experiment with using other veggies and herbs. I plan to grow some new varieties of high-protein greens (seeds from Baker Street) and I think these might sell very well at our Farmers Markets. I think I can substitute two cups of ANY wet veggies.
Thanks so much, Morgan! Can’t wait to hear what other combos you make 🙂
I’ve enjoyed cooking for family and friends for years. I received the most compliments ever for this receipt which I followed exactly. My neighbor from whom I get the fresh tomatoes said she was honored her tomatoes went into this beautiful bread.
Thank you so much for this 🙂
I made this today and I really liked it, but next time I will add 1 tsp. salt instead of 3/4 tsp. It may just be my personal taste preference, but I thought it was delicious! Thanks for sharing! I will make it again!
Thanks so much, Melody! 🙂
I agree with adding a tad more salt
I would actually give this recipe 4.5.
This recipe is very easy and makes a very tasty tomato bread. I took half a star off because, for whatever reason, the loaf wound up rising lopsided. I very accurately followed the recipe including placing the batter into a ‘prepared bread pan’ and smoothing it out before placing in my oven. Perhaps the reason for the lopsided appearance was due to a trapped air bubble, or baking it in a convection oven at 370 feet above sea level or…? Anyway, it is a very tasty, moist bread and should be consumed or frozen readily as mentioned in the recipe.
Thanks for the feedback, Laraine! 🙂