Cheese and Olive Bread

I made this delectable loaf and, for once, didn't gobble half of it down before it was on the table, but only because my family got there first.

Cheese and Olive Bread

slightly adapted from Dorie Greenspan's Around my French Table

1 2/3 cups plain flour

2 3/4 teaspoons baking powder

3/4 teaspoon fine salt

4 eggs, room temperature

1/4 cup milk

1/4 cup cream

6 1/2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

1 1/2 tablespoons black olive tapenade

170g Gruyere cheese

2/3 cup pitted oil-cured black olives (I used Ligurian olives), coarsely chopped

Grated zest of half an orange

Preheat the oven to 200 degrees C. Spray a 20cm x 11cm non-sick loaf pan with cooking oil spray and line it with baking paper.

Put the flour, baking powder and salt into a large bowl and whisk briefly with a hand held whisk to aerate the mix and get rid of any lumps.

In another bowl, lightly beat the eggs, then whisk in the milk, cream, olive oil and tapenade. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and gently stir until just incorporated. Fold in the cheese, olives and grated zest. Pour the batter into the prepared pan.

Bake for 10 minutes at 200 degrees C, then reduce the heat to 190 degrees C and bake for a further 35 minutes or until a fine knife inserted into the centre comes out clean.  Transfer the pan to a wire rack and let it rest for 5 minutes before turning it out to cool completely on the rack.