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

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 new images.

Prior to making this recipe, I’d never heard of quick bread. Probably because I like using yeast, and the superb taste (not to mention smell) you get when you have time to make bread from scratch. 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.

However, if you do have the time (weekends are great for homemade baked bread), and want to make something with yeast, why not try my mozzarella and red onion spelt bread instead? 

Despite the name, this feta and red onion quick bread certainly doesn’t have a regular bread texture; it is much denser than yeast bread. For me, it reminded more of a savoury muffin, but it was delicious (especially eaten warm, slathered with butter).

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. 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 swap it out in any recipe that asks for buttermilk (and I believe they work interchangeably). The Greek yoghurt adds a wonderful tang which is echoed in 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. 

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

Ingredients

• 50g (¼ cup) butter (melted)
• 250g (2 cups) flour (see note 1)
• 1½ teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking (bicarbonate soda)
• 1 teaspoon 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 (or any plain yoghurt will do)
• 1 egg
• sprinkling mozzarella cheese (see note 3)

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 little 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. I used mozzarella because I wanted to use some up. Any kind of cheese would work just as well.