Savory Gruyère Bread with Ham and Herbs
An easy appetizer to serve along side a glass of wine.
Servings 1 loaf
Ingredients
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled + more for greasing the pan
- 2-1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour + more for dusting the pan
- 1-1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 cup ham, roughly chopped I used Niman Ranch Applewood Smoked Uncured Ham Steak
- 3 tablespoons fresh chives, chopped
- 1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves, chopped
- 2 cups Gruyère cheese, grated
- 2 large eggs
- 1 cup buttermilk
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 F. Butter and flour a 9 X 5-inch loaf pan.
- In a large shallow bowl, add the flour, baking powder, salt, and baking soda. Whisk to combine. Mix in the chopped ham, chives, thyme, and 1-1/2 cups of the cheese. (Reserve the remaining 1/4 cup of cheese for the topping).
- In a medium shallow bowl, whisk together the melted butter, eggs, and buttermilk. Pour the liquid mixture into the flour mixture and mix to combine. The batter will seem dry but mix until the flour mixture is incorporated with the wet ingredients.
- Transfer the mixture to the prepared loaf pan. Smooth the top. Sprinkle the 1/4 cup Gruyère over the top.
- Bake for 45-55 minutes or until the top is just golden and a skewer inserted in the center comes out clean.
- Transfer to a rack and cool for 10 minutes. Remove the bread from the pan and let it cool completely on the rack.