Artichoke Biscuit Bread with Asiago Cheese and Olives
Sunday, September 4, 2011 at 11:09AM 
Last week there was a column in the newspaper highlighting some of the writer’s recent finds at local farmer’s markets, and she mentioned this artichoke bread that I subsequently have not been able to get out of my mind. There was no recipe, just the merest hint that the bread itself had a biscuit-like quality and there was cheese involved. I would gladly have hunted down this bread, except that said farmer’s market was like over an hour from here and frankly, I think I’d rather spend those couple of hours in the kitchen than in the car.
So, people, here’s what I did. I took a recipe that I had in my files (I had been meaning to make this bread anyway) for a buttermilk quick bread (I think it was originally from Cooking Light magazine) and I threw in chopped artichoke hearts, grated asiago cheese and sliced green olives.
I have no idea what that farmer’s market bread tasted like, but boy howdy, was this stuff ever amazing! I sliced it up and served it with a glass of wine at happy hour and completely lost my interest in dinner. Artichoke bread would do just fine, thank you.
If you’re not an olive person, you could leave them out, but I loved the salty, brine-y kick they added. The asiago cheese was incredible, but you could probably swap it out for cheddar if you can’t find it. But if you’re not crazy about artichokes, I suggest you just move on and don’t bother with this one, because without the artichokes, there is no party here. Really. Here’s the recipe…
Artichoke Biscuit Bread with Asiago Cheese and Olives
Click here for a printable recipe
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 egg, lightly beaten
1 3/4 cup buttermilk
¼ cup butter, melted
2 cups frozen or canned artichoke hearts, quartered
1 ½ cups grated asiago cheese
1 cup green manzanilla olives, halved
1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
Preheat the oven to 325 degrees
Grease a 9x5-inch loaf pan
Set aside ¼ cup of the quartered artichoke hearts and ¼ cup of the grated asiago cheese
Combine the flour, baking powder, parmesan cheese, salt and baking soda. Mix well. In a separate bowl whisk together the egg, buttermilk and melted butter. Add to the dry ingredients along with the olives, 1 ¼ cups of the asiago cheese and 1 3/4 cups of the artichoke hearts. Mix until just combined (the batter will be a little stiff) and spread in the prepared loaf pan. Top with the remaining ¼ cup of cheese and artichoke hearts.
Bake for 65 to 70 minutes (it took the full 70 minutes the last time I made this). You might have to tent the loaf with foil for the last 5 or 10 minutes of baking if it’s getting too brown. Test for doneness if a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
Cool in the pan for about 10 minutes and then turn out on a wire rack. When cool, slice and serve as an accompaniment to salads, soups or with a glass of wine. To store, wrap in foil and refrigerate. Will keep for several days.
Reader Comments (25)
Wow. That looks so good. I have buttermilk in my fridge and I'm pretty sure the world will implode if I don't use it to make this bread. YUMMY!! And I'm pretty sure that I wouldn't care about dinner or dessert if I had this bread in the front of me! Thanks for sharing.
Love artichokes and olives so this sounds perfect to me.
You're welcome, Tanya. No imploding worlds... you better get this bread made!
The olives and artichokes are such a great combination in this bread, Theresa. Let me know what you think. Thanks for stopping in.
I just found your blog (avocado fries on Pinterest....) and can I just say - I'll be moving in with you. Hope that doesn't sound stalkerish or anything.
Seriously every recipe I've read so far I want to make tomorrow. We are going to be eating a LOT.
Fabulous recipes and photos.
Thanks so much, Andrea, and not stalkerish at all :) So nice to hear from you and we do hope you check back in often!
I can not wait to make this bread! Great flavors going on, right up my alley. Thanks for sharing, so glad I found your blog.
Well, we're glad you stopped in, Gwen. Enjoy the artichoke bread!
Could I make thus with spinach instead of olives? I'm not big on olives but I love spinach and artichoke together... What would I need to adjust in the recipe?
I think you could substitute spinach for the olives, but you would lose the salty/brine-y flavor that olives bring to the mix. But if you want to use spinach (frozen, thawed), just make sure that you squeeze it really dry before adding it in or it could make the bread a little soggy. I'd love to hear how it turns out if you make it, Amber. I love spinach and artichokes together too!
Um - you just ruined my diet. Making this during naptime today.
Hi!
The bread looks yummy and i can;t wait to try it - btu you think i could skip or substitute the eggs? We don;t eat eggs.
thanks
Since there is only one egg in this recipe, Archana, you could probably skip it with no ill effects at all. I've heard some people say that substituting 3 tablespoons of mayonnaise for an egg works really well too. Shouldn't be a problem, though.
I just made it — tasted great, but it needed much more than 70 minutes to cook. I will definitely make it again — maybe as simple biscuits, too. Thanks for sharing!
I agree, Halley, this takes close to an hour and a half to finish baking. But everyone's oven is different, so you just have know your oven and keep an eye on it. So good.
Wow. I really love the creativity in this recipe (and all the recipes on this site!). I'm always looking for new ways to change old favorites and will definitely be bookmarking this blog!
Thanks, Gina! And welcome! Enjoy the artichoke biscuit bread and we hope to see you back soon!
Wow. That is very mouth watering. Thanks for sharing the recipe.
I thought this was really good but tasted way too salty for me. I would like to make it again though so I wanted to ask you if it'd still rise and come out ok if I reduced the salt to 1/2 teaspoon instead of 2? Thank you for a great recipe!
I should have noted that the recipe calls for kosher salt, not table salt, which is much saltier. I'm not sure which you used, Tali, but I will make a note of that on the recipe. In any case, you can lower the salt to 1/2 tsp without any ill effects at all. Thanks for letting us know!
Its official. you are a genius. I need some of this bread in my life! We'd love it if you would link up your recipe at seasonalpotluck.com March is artichoke month! http://bit.ly/zRfNjo
Thanks for posting this. I am going to the store tomorrow to pick up the ingredients to give it a shot. Hope it turns out well.
It's pretty easy to make, Alicia. Hope you enjoy it! Nice to hear from you!
I made this bread and it was AmAzInG!!!! I recently tried a recipe for a French olive/ham/Gruyere bread and all though it looked amazing, it was not good and I through it out. This recipe was everything I wanted. Such amazing texture and flavor. I did bake at just a little higher temp and drizzled olive oil into the batter as I folded, 70 minutes later I was in love! Cu-does! Now I am a fan of your blog and cannot wait to sample more recipes.
I'm so glad you liked it, Jen! We love that bread! Thanks for the kind words and I hope you try lots more recipes. So great to hear from you!