Cheddar, Scallion & Black Pepper Quick Bread

Instructions

1. 1

   Heat the oven and prep the pan

   Set a rack in the center of the oven and heat it to 350°F. Grease a 9x5-inch loaf pan thoroughly, then line it with a sling of parchment that hangs over the two long sides. Melted cheese loves to weld itself to metal, so be generous with the butter or spray even if you're using parchment.

2. 2

   Whisk the dry ingredients

   In a large bowl, whisk the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, sugar, black pepper, and garlic powder together for a good 20 seconds. You want the leavening evenly dispersed now, because you'll be mixing the finished batter as little as possible.

3. 3

   Coat the cheese and aromatics

   Add the cheddar, Parmesan, scallions, and thyme to the dry ingredients and toss with your fingers until every shred is dusted with flour and no clumps of cheese remain. That flour coating keeps the cheese suspended in the loaf instead of sinking into a greasy layer at the bottom.

4. 4

   Mix the wet ingredients

   In a separate bowl or large measuring cup, whisk the buttermilk and eggs until smooth, then whisk in the melted butter. If your buttermilk is straight from the fridge, the butter will seize into little flecks — that's harmless, but room-temperature dairy gives you a smoother batter.

5. 5

   Combine, and stop early

   Pour the wet mixture into the dry and fold with a sturdy spatula just until no dry flour is visible. The batter will be thick, lumpy, and shaggy, closer to drop-biscuit dough than cake batter. Overmixing is the only real way to ruin this bread, so put the spatula down the moment it comes together.

6. 6

   Fill the pan and top it

   Scrape the batter into the pan and smooth the top roughly with wet fingers or the back of the spatula. Scatter the remaining cheddar over the surface and drizzle the tablespoon of melted butter across the top for a crisp, golden crust.

7. 7

   Bake

   Bake for 50 to 60 minutes, until the top is deep golden and springs back when pressed, and a skewer inserted in the center comes out with no wet batter. An instant-read thermometer should show 200 to 205°F in the middle. If the cheese topping is browning hard before the center is set, tent loosely with foil for the last 15 minutes.

8. 8

   Cool before slicing

   Let the loaf sit in the pan on a wire rack for 15 minutes, then lift it out by the parchment and cool another 20 minutes before cutting. Slicing into it too soon gives you a gummy crumb — the interior is still setting as it cools. Use a serrated knife and a gentle sawing motion.

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Baker's Tips

• 1.

  Grate your own cheese from a block. Pre-shredded cheese is coated in starch to stop it clumping, and that coating makes the loaf drier and keeps the cheese from melting into proper pockets.

• 2.

  No buttermilk? Stir 1 tablespoon of lemon juice or white vinegar into 1 1/4 cups whole milk and let it stand 10 minutes. It won't be as thick, but the acid is what matters for activating the baking soda.

• 3.

  Treat the add-ins as a template: swap the cheddar for Gruyère or crumbled feta, the scallions for caramelized onion or chopped olives, and add 1/2 cup of cooked crumbled bacon or chopped sun-dried tomatoes if you like.

• 4.

  The batter should be thick enough to hold a spoon upright for a second. If it looks pourable, your flour was likely under-measured — spoon flour into the cup and level it rather than scooping with the cup.

• 5.

  For muffins, divide the batter among 12 greased muffin cups and bake at 350°F for 22 to 26 minutes.

• 6.

  Day-old slices are genuinely better toasted in a skillet with butter than fresh, so don't panic about leftovers.

Equipment

• 9x5-inch loaf pan
• Parchment paper
• Large mixing bowl
• Medium mixing bowl or large liquid measuring cup
• Whisk
• Flexible spatula
• Box grater
• Wire cooling rack
• Instant-read thermometer (optional)

Storage