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As summer gave way to fall, I began harvesting the herbs from the garden.  Oregano, sage, thyme, basil, tarragon, to name a few.  I’ve patiently dried and crushed them, tray after tray, and now have wonderfully fragrant herbs carefully stored in glass Ball & Mason jars with neat little labels.  Row after row of jars.  It’s heavenly to open a quart-sized jar of basil and smell that sort of tangy-sweet aroma. Yes, I did say quart-sized jar. Good grief, I do have a lot of fresh-dried herbs. Pint sized jars, quart sized jars, all full of herbs, more herbs than I’ll use this winter (or the next five winters).

So, I’ve been on a mission to find uses for the herbs.   I’m just delighted whenever I find a recipe that uses generous amounts of herbs, or that I can tweak to fit.

This recipe is for Herbs and Cheese Bread.  I’m posting my recipe here for anyone who wants to try a recipe for a flavorful quick bread with herbs, and for those of us who have more garden herbs than we know what to do with!  I adapted it from a recipe I found on allrecipes.com (the original recipe was called Spicy Cheese Quick Bread)  If your cheese is already shredded, this should take about 15 minutes of prep time and be ready to eat about an hour after you put it in the oven.

HERBS AND CHEESE BREAD 

1-1/2 c unbleached flour

1/2 c whole wheat flour

2-1/2 teaspoons baking powder

3/4 teaspoon salt

1-1/2 teaspoons oregano

1-1/2 teaspoons basil

1-1/2 teaspoons thyme

1/2 teaspoon sage

1 teaspoon garlic powder

1-1/2 cups shredded Colby-Jack cheese (may substitute Cheddar or another cheese)

1 Tablespoon butter, melted

1-1/4 cups milk

1 egg

1/3 cup canola oil

1.  Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.  Spray or grease a 9×5 in loaf pan.

2.  Sift together flours, baking powder, salt, herbs, and garlic powder.  Place in a large bowl and stir in shredded cheese.

3.  With a fork or a whisk, thoroughly stir together melted butter, milk ,egg, and canola oil.  Pour mixture in bowl and stir gently until blended.  Do not overmix.

4.  Pour batter into prepared pan.

5.  Bake at 400 degrees for 35 – 40 minutes, or until a knife inserted in center comes out clean.

6.  Cool until bread removes easily from the pan – about 10-20 minutes. Turn onto a wire rack and cool completely.

7.   Slice and serve.  Makes about 10-15 slices.

This bread is a good accompaniment to a meal, especially dishes like ravioli or spaghetti.  It should not need to be buttered to enjoy.  It is also good as a snack or as part of a light meal.  Today I had a great lunch of a slice of this bread and a cup of yogurt.

And best of all, it stores well.

I hope you enjoy this recipe!