Soft and fluffy bread baked with Gruyere cheese, chopped smoked ham, and green olives. Perfect for lunch or a snack!
Every day I try to make wholesome food from scratch with the least amount of "easy" prep-work like canned or pre-made. This sounds crazy to some but I fully believe that the more heart you put into something, the better it will taste. I put my love into my cooking and hopefully you can taste it. That being said, it can be really time-consuming! Sometimes I find myself making the same thing over and over again because I know exactly how much time it takes and I can plan accordingly. Once I've gone a few rounds of this I pull myself back from my humdrum routine and try to jazz things up.
This is all too apparent when I make lunch for my little R. For every lunch I give her something from each food group and many times I get really creative and other times I fall into my routine of making the same thing over and over again. I know she really doesn't care at this age or at least doesn't notice but I notice and that's enough for me. I definitely try to live up to some standard of mother and teacher of all things (especially food related) that I'm not sure how I came up with this pedestal in the first place.
My mantra as of recently: I am enough. Between the working out, cooking, writing, reading, cleaning, and anything else I seem to squeeze into myself in one week, this mantra seems to be playing on repeat when I find myself being spread a little too thin. I am enough. And you are too. Everyone has it hard and we try to live up to something that may actually be impossible to fulfill. It's too easy nowadays to be wrapped up in other people's lives when you see how glamorous they are on social media. Everything seems easy. Everything seems fun. They are flawless and happy and content with everything. It's easy to try to live up to how others are living their lives. But just remind yourself that they're not showing you the negative stuff. How their child was having a full blown tantrum right before that happy family picture or the argument they had with their partner just moments before their "#perfectcouple" picture. The point is, you are enough.
To bring it back to this bread, this was a lunch I made for little R two weeks in a row because she absolutely loved it. It's quick and easy to make and I served two slices to her with a half a piece of fruit to make a complete meal. This was me cooking something new for her while also telling myself that I am enough. I don't need to make an elaborate meal but as long as I am thinking about her wellbeing and trying my hardest to give her wholesome food and teaching her about different flavors and textures, I am already fulfilling my duty.
This loaf is so easy to make and it is DAMN good, pardon my French. Oh and speaking of which, this loaf came from my favorite French food blogger French Foodie Baby. Gruyere is a must. You can try mozzarella or Swiss but it just won't have the same punch. And I promise, if you're not an adventurous cheese lover but still love your cheese, you'll like gruyere. I think the name is intimidating but it's the cheese flavor you've been searching for your entire life. This cheese combined with the ham and olives is the absolute perfect marriage of any flavors known. Maybe not to that extreme but when you try it I bet you'll be saying the same thing. And it keeps really well in the refrigerator for a week. I have no idea if it lasts longer than that because it's been eaten in that time.
Ingredients:
3 Eggs
1 1/4 cup Gluten-Free Flour, or regular flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 cup + a splash of canola oil
1/2 cup + a splash of milk
3.5 oz of grated Gruyere cheese
6-7 oz ham, chopped roughly
2.5 oz green pitted olives, chopped roughly
Pinch of salt and pepper
Instructions:
1. Pre heat oven to 350 degrees F. Line a loaf pan with parchment paper (or grease with butter).
2. Using a stand mixer with the whisk attachment (or a large bowl), combine the eggs, flour, baking powder, and salt and pepper.
3. Gradually mix in the oil. Then gradually mix in the milk.
4. Take out the bowl of the stand mixer and mix in the cheese by hand with a spatula.
5. Mix in the ham and olives.
6. Pour batter into prepared loaf pan and bake in preheated oven for 45-50 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Enjoy!