Feta and Red Onion Quick Bread

This feta and red onion quick bread has no yeast. With a denser crumb, the bread has pockets of feta, and is on the table within an hour. The bread is easily adapted and can be made with all-purpose (plain) or spelt flour. 

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This feta and red onion quick bread first appeared in August 2016, and was featured on my former blog, The Culinary Jumble. The recipe has been amended to add/swap ingredients (including spelt flour), and includes new images.

What is quick bread?

Simply put, quick bread is any kind of bread without yeast. So, in other words, quick to make. There’s all that proofing and hanging about with yeast breads. It can feel laborious waiting around for the yeast to work its magic and inflate the dough. Not the case with quick bread. The ingredients are mixed together, then baked. Simple as that.

Soda bread is a classic example of a quick bread, but it can be any kind of bread. Even sweet bread like banana loaf. Anything classed as bread, but without yeast.

Prior to making this recipe, I’d never heard of quick bread. Probably because I like using yeast. There is nothing that beats the taste and smell of fresh bread, so if I have the time, I will always make it that way. But you know what, when we have busy lives and hungry children, time is not always our friend, and something quick is needed. Enter this recipe.

Using a leavening agent in bread

Instead of yeast, quick bread looks to other ingredients to make the bread rise. These are referred to as leavening agents, and most frequently they are baking powder or bicarbonate of soda (baking soda). Along with the leavening agent an additional ingredient, something that creates a chemical reaction (causing bread to rise), is also required.

In this recipe, I’ve used Greek yoghurt along with leavening agents, but buttermilk and sour cream work in the same way. For more information on which foods act as leavening agents and how they work, Masterclass’ article, Leavening Agents and Baked Goods is well worth a read. 

Does quick bread taste like yeast bread?

Despite the name, this feta and red onion quick bread certainly doesn’t have a regular bread texture. It has a denser crumb than yeast bread. It reminded more of a mix between savoury muffins and cheese scones. I haven’t tried it as sandwich bread, but it is beyond delicious, especially eaten warm, slathered with butter.

Adapting this recipe

I’ve made this recipe for feta and red onion quick bread many times. Originally I used bread flour, and now spelt flour, without noticing any real difference. You could use either of these, or regular flour. Oh, and if you’re quite new to spelt flour and wonder how it comes up against all-purpose (plain) flour, have a read of my experiment, Spelt vs Plain Flour: which makes the best cupcake. It’s really quite an eye-opener. 

Sometimes, I switch the ingredients around a little (there’s even a version featured on my book, Baking with Spelt). It’s a very adaptable recipe, and I think you could absolutely add your own preferred ingredients. 

Although most recipes for quick bread include buttermilk, I use Greek yoghurt. In fact, I often swap it out in any recipe that asks for buttermilk (as they work pretty much interchangeably). Alternatively, you could use sour cream. The Greek yoghurt adds a wonderful tang, though, which is echoed in the feta cheese, so I highly recommend you try it.

Along with the feta cheese, I went for a sprinkling of mozzarella, mainly to give the lovely vibrant colour on top, but you could go with any cheese you like. 

Other quick bread recipes

If you’re in a hurry for your bread, take a look at some of my best quick bread recipes:

• Cherry and lemon spelt soda bread
• Spelt cheddar soda bread
• Wholemeal spelt soda bread
• Chia seed soda bread
• Swedish rye and wholegrain loaf
• Banana bread with cream cheese and maple frosting
• Spelt jalapeño cornbread

Print Pin

Feta and Red Onion Quick Bread (regular or spelt flour)

Ingredients

• 50g (¼ cup) butter (melted)
• 250g (2 cups) flour (see note 1)
• 1½ tsp baking powder
• ½ tsp baking soda (bicarbonate of soda)
• 1 tsp sugar
• 1 small red onion (very finely chopped)
• 50g (1¾ oz) feta cheese
• 125ml (½ cup) milk (see note 2)
• 115g (½ cup) Greek yoghurt (see note 3)
• 1 egg (medium)
• sprinkling of mozzarella cheese (see note 4)

Instructions

• Pre-heat the oven to 175°C (350°F) and grease a medium-large loaf tin.
• Melt the butter and set to one side.
• In a large bowl, mix the flour, baking powder, baking soda and sugar together. Add the chopped red onion and crumble in the feta.
• In a separate bowl, beat the egg and add the yoghurt and milk.
• Add the wet ingredients to the dry and stir only until justs combined (the dough will be sticky).
• Pour into the prepared loaf tin and sprinkle with a little mozzarella (or cheese of your choice).
• Bake for around 35-40 minutes (start to check at the 30 minute mark). The bread is ready when an inserted skewer comes out clean. Leave to cool and then slice. Enjoy!

Notes

 

Disclaimer: I use scales to measure my ingredients but have included cups and ounces to help my readers. Because I have not used imperial measurements myself, results cannot be guaranteed if you choose to use cups and ounces. 

1. I have used both bread and spelt flour to make this recipe, with no noticeable difference. You could also use regular flour and do a straight swap (using the same amount).
2. I used almond milk, but you could use any kind you like.
3. You can use buttermilk or sour cream in place of the Greek yoghurt.
4. I used mozzarella because I wanted to use some up. Any kind of cheese would work just as well.