Back-of-the-Card Cheese & Olive Bread #French Fridays with Dorie

I am no longer afraid of loaves... truly, thanks to Dorie I have baked enough loaf breads that they are starting to turn out well! There may still be hope for me as a baker, though I don't think I will ever surpass my daughter's baking skills. She just has too much of a jump on me.

For now I am content with baking my loaf breads... and what a loaf of bread this was chock full of cheese, I used Gruyere, and olives...mmmuh a meal in itself.
Dorie said you could use Comte, Swiss or Cheddar I think all of these are good except Cheddar... I just don't see this cheese going with such a Mediterranean flavor as olive. I would also skip the extra bit of salt that is in the recipe. Filled with cheese and cured olives this bread doesn't need any additional salt.

I served the loaf with a Strawberry Balsamic Chicken...remember my bottle of strawberry balsamic vinegar from our goat cheese strawberry tartine? Well, I'm enjoying finding more uses for it. I got this recipe off of Patricia & Paul Artisans of Fine Oils and Balsamics facebook page. Dipping this salty bread into a sweet balsamic sauce had my mouth popping with flavor. Definitely accompany this bread with Champagne or a sweet white wine like a Sauvignon Blanc or a Riesling.

What I love most about this recipe is it's versatility. Say you have a mild semi-soft cheese that is getting a little ripe, and some left over tapenade or sun dried tomatoes... mix them up with this bread recipe and your loaf will not seem haphazardly made at all, in fact it will look and taste like you just had it shipped from Provence.

Back-of-the-Card Cheese & Olive Bread Recipe

Note: Dorie happened to have published this recipe in her newsletter.

Note: As a member of French Friday's with Dorie I am not allowed to print the recipe. I invite you to take a look at this wonderful cookbook "Around My French Table" if you are interested in this or any other recipe I review.