French Friday with Dorie: Savory Cheese and Chive Bread

TWO VARIETIES OF SAVORY AND CHEESY BREAD

I love fresh breads.  I love baking them, smelling them, eating them, enjoying their textures and varieties...and this evening I loved baking a new savory, cheesy bread just for fun.  Dinner was cleaned up and I had an hour to myself...always a nice combination for baking.

I had bricks of Comte,  Swiss, and jalapeno cheddar cheeses in my fridge.  I have chives and a variety of peppers in my garden...all that has survived from this coldest winter since the 80's.  I decided to make the recipe as written and with the walnuts and a pinch of cayenne,  and then to make a 2nd batch with the jalapeno cheddar, red peppers, and onion.  I decided to have a family taste test.

ALL INGREDIENTS ARE READIED

THE TWO VERSIONS ARE READY FOR THE OVEN

It took about 30 minutes to ready all the ingredients which included shredded and diced cheeses and veges/herbs.  While the breads were baking I mowed my front lawn which takes about the same amount of time as the baking required.  Just as I finished, I looked down the street and caught my breath when I saw nature’s beauty in a AZ sunset.  I couldn’t believe that I had not noticed this spectacular vision when it was right in front of my eyes.  Since my trusty little point-and-shoot camera was handy from taking a few bread pics I snapped a couple of sunset pics just to remind myself to enjoy not only the anticipated bread which was almost ready to exit the oven, but also the beauties in our wonderful world...and I’m glad I did, because sadly I quickly forgot the sunset until I retrieved my baking photos and there it was again...the sunset and the sunset again only two minutes later...and then it was gone.

LOOKING WEST FROM MY FRONT DOOR

JUST TWO MINUTES LATER

And then to go back into the house and be greeted by the wonderful aroma from the baking savory breads was incredible.  It was hard to be patient letting the breads cool.  They not only smelled terrific, but they were beautiful. The FFwD recipe was green and browns from the chives, cheeses and walnuts.  The jalapeno cheddar was orange and reds from the cheese and peppers.  Just looking at these beautiful savory breads made my mouth water.

When sliced it was easy to see how clever the recipe is to have us add both grated and diced cheeses...the grated cheese melts and the dicedcheese leaves little pieces through the bread adding to the beauty and texture and flavor of this awesome savory bread.

THE BREADS JUST OUT OF THE OVEN

THE FFwD RECIPE

SLICED

It was interesting to me that the jalapeno cheddar version rose up higher in the pan and was a lighter texture.  The Comte cheese seemed to melt better and created a denser version; both were delicious.

JALAPENO-CHEDDAR-RED PEPPER-ONION VERSION

SLICED

Several of my family stopped by and, of course, they wanted to try the breads.  Personally I enjoyed the more intense flavors of the jalapeno cheddar/peppers bread.   Hubby chose FfwD as his favored slice, and the rest of my family was divided evenly as to their favorite.  We all suggested meals that would go well with the breads such as a fish or seafood dinner, a bowl of spicy chili, or a fresh garden salad seemed to be favorite ideas. 

This is another recipe that will be used again and I think it would make a tasty gift as an alternative to the usual sweet breads.  It will be fun to choose other ingredients and flavors to try.  Again I am appreciative of this baking “assignment” as I am a sweet girl and might have overlooked this delicious savory recipe.