Friday, June 14, 2013

FFwD: Back-of-the-Card Wild Herb Bread & Daisy Butter


Today´s recipe for the French Fridays with Dorie group is a Back-of-the-Card Cheese and Olive Bread – in my case this would be called a Back-of-the-Card Wild Herb Bread with Daisy Butter. There are times when you need bread in a hurry, and this week's recipe for this easy quick bread will help you rise to the challenge.




The original recipe for this bread was printed on a recipe card produced by the Comté cheese makers. Comté is a well-known French cheese made from unpasteurized cow's milk in the Franche-Comté region of eastern France. This cheese has a pale creamy yellow color,  a relatively hard texture, and  a mild and slightly  nutty and sweet taste. Comté cheese is part of the ingredients for today´s quick bread. The other ingredients listed in the recipe are two other cheeses such as Gruyère or Swiss (I went with Comté only), AP (plain) flour, a good amount of baking powder, fine salt, eggs, milk, tapenade or pesto (I used homemade wild herb pesto), chopped black olives (I went with 100 grams of wild herbs) and the grated zest of one organic lemon.




We are great fans of slow food, and our usual yeast based breads are a case in point. They are wonderful with their big, uneven bubbles, stretchy crumb and golden crust that is both crisp and chewy at the same time. But there are times when instant, or relatively instant, gratification is called for. Thank goodness, then, for quick bread recipes such as this one. This easy recipe is just right for when you want bread in a hurry. It is ready and can be enjoyed in less than an hour, it requires no yeast and therefore no rising time, no kneading and no waiting. The finished bread is dense, hearty and complex-tasting




You can make many variations to this bread for any occasion or according to what you have on hand, what your taste preferences are or what the season has to offer – such as the lovely wild herbs that I used. These herbs are picked early in the morning, shipped off the same day and should be used as soon as they reach your doorstep – which is what I did. I used part of them to make a wild herb pesto to be included in the batter instead of the tapenade and the rest of the wild herbs I chopped up and added them to the dough instead of the chopped olives.




We like these quick bread best fresh from the oven and with lots of butter. And to us this nice wild herb variation of the back-of-the-card bread recipe, called for an equally delicious and somewhat unusual butter. So, I was happy to oblige and prepared a daisy butter – nothing nicer than getting the kids involved in some daisy picking in our garden.




Remember that baking powder breads tend to stale relatively quickly and should be eaten soon after baking. But with the variations that I made to the recipe or rather the additions that I made, that did not seem to be a great burden – we enjoyed a simple homemade chicken noodle soup with this bread and the accompanying butter and everyone seemed to be quite happy with this delicious and colorful combination.




If you are interested in the back-of-the-card breads that the other members of the French Fridays with Dorie group quickly baked, please do click here.




Have a wonderful weekend! - Bon week-end! – Bonne fin de semaine! – Ein schönes Wochenende!




46 comments:

  1. That slice of bread looks soooo delicious with the daisy butter. I
    love your variations too. We enjoyed this a lot, I made Dorie's
    original version, but I would like to try other ingredients. Have
    a wonderful weekend.

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    1. Thank you Nana, this was a fun variation on the main theme born out of thse fact that we eat mediterranean fare so ofen that we just needed something different yesterday - and it worked so well - besides I needed a recipe to finally be able to put that vintage plate with the garden flowers on display!

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  2. Andrea, thank you for giving a very thorough explanation of Comté. I was going to do just that but my Post got rather long so I cut it out and hoped you would offer it. I don't understand about the Wild Herbs. Do you order them by mail? From where? And, how do you make daisy butter? (I couldn't get your links to work.) I'll check back to your site for your answers. Your quick bread looks delicious and I think homemade chicken noodle soup works every time. As I've often said. Your family is lucky.

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    1. Mary, I did not provide any links or recipes this time - I just did not think that anyone was going to be interested but I will mail you the recipe for Daisy Butter today and as far as the wild herbs are concerned, I order them online at a specialty "wild herb farm", they harvest twice a week at this time of year, so you got to plan ahead, then they pack and ship the same day. All that is left to do is prepare a pesto with those herbs, include it in the batter and chop up the rest and include the chopped herbs as well. Voilà, simple as that - wild herb mixes can include such plants as sorrel, stinging nettle, chickweed, deed nettle, yarrow and ashweed.
      As far as bi-lingual postst are concerned - I will try to do English/German for my "own posts" while keeping English only for "group posts" - it is rather time consuming to tranlate these posts and, again, I do not really think that anyone is really all that interested in my German.

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  3. I used part whole wheat flour, but I think all white makes the bread rise more. The daisy butter sounds really nice Andrea, and like Mary, I wonder how it´s made. You always come up with great local ingredients. I love that about your baking, and this bread turned out gorgeous!

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    1. Paula, thank you for your kind words, I keep trying to learn as much about the different types of flour as I can and whenever I have the feeling I learnt something new, there is another new thing/fact that I learn, different flour mills, different sources for the flour...I am forever behind it seems. So, now I try to get my different flours from one and the same local flour mill and get used to the different types that they produce and then take it from there.

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  4. Sehr schön! :)
    I've never tried Dorie's recipes, but I think that it is a "shame on me" fact :/ they are simple and stunning ;)
    I've seen your carrot pie last post, yet I forgot to comment it since study blurred my mind the whole week! it was so well put together, the carrots look gorgeous on the top...
    For now I think I must try this bread, because you made it look so beautiful that even though I've just had lunch I got hungry again!
    Um bom fim-de-semana ;)

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    1. Muito obrigado, Inês! You are so very kind my dear - honestly, I do not know whether Dorie would approve of my rather personal interpretations of her recipes but I love interpretating her (already wonderful) recipes in my style, life is stressful and it soothes my mind to create challenges in the kitchen!
      Ich wünsche dir von ganzen Herzen ein schönes Wochenende! Und liebe Grüße nach Porto!

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  5. I love the wild herb pesto. I think yours is the most beautiful loaf I've seen. Perfect pairing with a simple chicken soup, well done.

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    1. Thank you kindly, Diane - wild herbs and flowers are beautiful and somehow that´s all I had on my mind during the last couple of days.

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  6. I'd love to dine at your house...your presentation is always top notch. Beautiful, delicious loaves...with the pretty daisy butter :)

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    1. Liz, thank you very much - anytime you are in the neighbourhood, do make sure to drop by for lunch or dinner or tea in the afternoon!

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  7. Your version sounds great, Andrea. What kinds of herbs do you get in the assortment? I love using flowers at the table, to eat. Daisy butter sounds like a fun twist on edible flowers. Your photos, as always, are lovely!

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    1. Betsy, at this time of year wild herb mixes can include such plants as sorrel, stinging nettle, chickweed, deed nettle, yarrow and ashweed. But it always depends on the time of year, seasonal at its best - herb farmers harvest in the morning and ship the same day and you have to prepare whatever you are making with the wild herbs as soon as possible.

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  8. I love it all but especially the wild herb pesto! Beautiful pictures.

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    1. Thank you, Guyla, I tried to make it all look as pretty as possible but it tasted wonderful too.

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  9. Love your daisy butter Andrea - it is so pretty. I loved this tasty bread. Have a great weekend.

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    1. Glad that you liked this recipe and daisy butter is certainl worth trying.

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  10. Ah, this does look lovely. So many fresh herbs. What a taste of summer! I love yeast breads too, but it is certainly nice to have a good quick bread recipe. Especially when you find out you're having company at the last minute! And chicken noodle soup plus bread is my ideal meal! Thank you for sharing. These are such beautiful and inviting photographs, sweet friend.

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    1. Monet, thanks so much, it is nice to eat differently atthis time of year, seasonal and light is what we seem to crave most - the chicken noodle soup that I served with this quick bread had tons of interestingly shaped noodles chosen by our youngest - she fancies "retty noodles" in her soup!

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    2. Hi Andrea, I got to know about you and this blog from a friend of mine. I had one of your birthday cakes at her place recently and totally fell in love with it :) My son will be one in about 4 weeks from now and I'd like to order one of your cakes for the occasion. Is it possible for me to visit you / speak with you sometime soon to discuss about the same? Thanks, Shruti

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    3. Hello Shruti, please do contact me at andrea@thekitchenlioness.de - Thank you!

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  11. Daisy butter??? What a lovely and fantastic idea!! I'm totally in love with this... So pretty!! I just discovered your blog and I love it :)
    xox Amy

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    1. Thanks you Amy for stopping by - I appreciate your kind comment. It is nice to read that you enjoy my blog, hopefully you will find on or the other inspirations on my blog and visit again soon! I will hop on over to your blog now...

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  12. Great idea for the herbed pesto. I made mine 'off the card' so to speak as I didn't change much except to add pepper. Its a few days old but still quite fresh which is surprising me. I've taken to toasting it though... If I were eating this now at your house i would distract you and steal your beautiful knife. "Where is it ? Was here a minute ago!"

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    1. Thank you, Trevor, you do have a very keen eye indeed - these knives are rather special, with a long history and almost impossilble to find in antique stores these days. They are very dear to me and might not take too kindly to the fact that they could get "lost" during dinner time...

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  13. The daisies are so beautiful, and I love the idea of daisy butter! Hope you're having a great weekend too.

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  14. I have never heard of daisy butter - but what a beautiful addition to your bread. Can I come have lunch at your house :-)

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    1. Cher, dasiy butter is something I came up with on a lazy hazy afternoon that´s why you might not have heard of it - thank you for the kind words!

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  15. I think we need the recipe for daisy butter! how pretty!!

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    1. Alice, I will put the recipe together and post it as soon as I get a chance, it should be up in a few days time - thank you for the lovely comment!

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  16. Andrea, I love quick, versatile breads like this. My imagination is going in all directions with this :) And I'm with you, though I love baking with yeast, sometimes it's wonderful to be a able to have a delicious bread in less than an hour.

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    1. Chris, quick bread can be a real convenience bread to bake now and then and I must admit that adding the wild herb pesto as well as the chopped wild herbs to the batter and slathering the baked bread with some of that lovely daisy butter is exquisite once in a while. Thank you for the nice comment!

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  17. Hi Andrea! I am sorry for the VERY VERY late comment :) I love the wild herb idea! It is so summer! Great photos as always! :) :)

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    1. Maria, do not worry about "commenting" late - noone really has time to comment "on time" all the time! Thanks for the nice comment about the "wild theme"!

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  18. I've never tried--or even seen--wild herbs. They sounds so interesting. Your butter sounds exotic too. I wish I had thought to serve this bread with butter. I don't know why it didn't occur to me. I think I would've liked it much better....Thanks for the congratulations :-) We are tired, but very happy.

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    1. Jora, thank you for commenting - wild herbs are a bit of a special ingredient, you either have to collect them (if you are that knowledgable) or you can also order them online and have them shipped to you the very same day they are collected. And I am so very glad to read that all is well with you and your baby daughter!

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  19. Your bread came out beautiful and looks so tasty! Wild herbs sound like such a wonderful addition to this bread, and I”m sure added great flavor.

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    1. Kathy, the wild herbs were quite delicious in this bread - I added them "twice", once in the form of a homemade wild herb pesto and then in a chopped version - that was certainly worth a repeat performance.

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  20. Andrea, this herb bread looks irresistible. What lovely pics, too. I love daisies. Have a great Thursday! xo

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    1. Colette, I know that your daughter´s name is Daisy - love that utterly adorable name and those pretty flowers.

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  21. Quick breads certainly have their place in meal planning. this quick bread looks delicious. My herbs are just now coming on so I can make this soon. Beautiful photos, your posts are magical!

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    1. Cindy, thank you very much - you comment makes my day, I am so happy that you enjoy my posts and take the time to tell ma about it as well. Thanks again, Cindy!

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  22. Not only does your bread and butter sound delicious but the plating was perfect with your pretty flowered plate and antique knife. I have napkins that I bought in Germany years ago trimmed in lace that go nicely with your dish. :)

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    1. Karen, that would be nice, let us just set the table together, you bring the lovely napkins and I provide the plates and the wild herb bread and daisy butter. That plate with the flowers is a new found favorite of mine - love the hand painted local flowers and the butterfly.

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