The ham and cheese-filled loaf is the savory quick bread you didn't know you needed. We love it with Gruyère, but sharp cheddar works just as well.

　　

Ingredients

4 tablespoons (½ stick/56 grams) unsalted butter, melted and cooled, plus more for the pan

　　2½ cups (325 grams) all-purpose flour, plus more for the pan

　　1½ teaspoons baking powder

　　1 teaspoon fine sea salt

　　½ teaspoon baking soda

　　1 cup (180 grams) coarsely chopped ham

　　3 tablespoons thinly sliced scallions, white and green parts (optional)

　　1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme leaves

　　2 cups (8 ounces/198 grams) grated Gruyère or sharp cheddar cheese

　　2 large eggs

　　1 cup (240 milliliters) buttermilk

　　

Step 1

Heat the oven to 350ºF. Butter and flour a metal 9 × 5-inch loaf pan and set it aside.

　　

Step 2

In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt, and baking soda. Stir in the chopped ham, scallions if using, thyme, and 1¾ cups (7 ounces) of the Gruyère (reserving the rest for topping). In a separate bowl, whisk together the melted butter, eggs, and buttermilk. Add the wet mixture to the flour mixture and stir to combine. The batter will be thick.

　　

Step 3

Transfer the batter to the prepared loaf pan and spread it out evenly, smoothing the top. Sprinkle the remaining ¼ cup (1 ounce) cheese over the top. Bake until the top springs back when lightly pressed and a skewer inserted in the center comes out with some moist crumbs attached, 45 to 55 minutes.

　　

Step 4

Transfer the pan to a wire rack and let it cool for 10 minutes. Then remove the bread from the pan and let it cool completely on the wire rack.

　　Thinking Ahead Bread:

　　You can bake the loaf up to 3 days in advance. Store it, well wrapped, in the refrigerator and bring it to room temperature before serving. Or freeze it for up to 2 months. After freezing, this is best sliced and served toasted and warm—and spread with butter if you like.

　　Excerpted from Dinner in French: My Recipes by Way of France © 2020 by Melissa Clark. Photography by Laura Edwards. Reproduced by permission of Clarkson Potter, an imprint of Penguin Random House, LLC.. All rights reserved.Buy the full book from Amazon.