A rosemary-scented quick bread perfect for wholesome snacking and gift-giving, made with whole grain flour, dark chocolate and olive oil.
This is olive oil quick bread is made without yeast and seasoned with fragrant fresh rosemary and chunks of bittersweet chocolate.
It is perfect to make in little loaves to give as gifts, or to snack on when you crave a bite of something not-too-sweet.
I’ve been experimenting with switching out butter for olive oil in baking, which led to Olive Oil and Lemon Ricotta Cake.
The first time I baked this lightly sweet cake (to me it’s actually more of a quick bread than a cake), I threw in some freshly grated lemon zest.
Lemon is a nice partner with the fruity taste of the olive oil and chocolate, but it got a little lost in there.
Baking with rosemary
I also have a special place for rosemary in my cooking, so any time I see an opportunity to highlight its distinctive piney-lemon character I jump in to explore.
Next, I tried adding some ground coriander, a spice that has essential elements of citrus and balsam.
You barely notice it in the background, but I think it naturally unites the slightly unusual pairing of chocolate with rosemary and olive oil.
I couldn’t help gilding the rosemary, so I sprinkled rosemary sugar leftover from my Italian Greyhound cocktails over the tops just before putting them in the oven.
More quick baking treats:
Rosemary Chocolate Olive Oil Quick Bread
A scrumptious moist olive oil cake studded with chocolate chunks and fresh rosemary. This not-too-sweet loaf makes a perfect snacking cake and perfect for gifting.
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup (110g) spelt flour (or use an equal amount of all purpose flour)
- 1 1/2 cups (215g) all-purpose flour
- 3/4 (160g) cup sugar
- 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon ground coriander or cardamom (optional)
- 3 large eggs
- 1 cup (236ml) olive oil
- 3/4 (177ml) cup milk
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh rosemary
- 5 ounces (143g) bittersweet chocolate, chopped into 1/2-inch or smaller pieces
- Rosemary sugar
Instructions
- Arrange an oven rack to the middle position and heat oven to 350 degrees.
- Lightly coat 4 small loaf pans (5" x 2") or one large ( 9" x 5" x 2.75") loaf pan with olive oil. Place the pans on a baking sheet. If using a single loaf pan, you can skip the baking sheet.
- Put the flours, sugar, baking powder, salt and coriander in a large bowl. Use a whisk to blend the dry ingredients.
- In a separate bowl, whisk the eggs thoroughly. Add the olive oil and whisk together. Add the milk and rosemary and mix again just to blend.
- Pour the wet ingredients over the dry, stirring gently to combine. Stir in the chocolate until evenly distributed.
- Divide the batter among the pans and smooth the top. Sprinkle tops evenly with some Rosemary Sugar, about 2 teaspoons each, or regular sugar mixed with 1/2 teaspoon chopped fresh rosemary.
- Bake for 25-30 minutes for small loaves; 55-60 minutes for standard loaf or until the tops are domed and a skewer inserted in the middle of the loaves comes out clean.
- Cool on a rack before slicing either warm or cool.
Notes
Adapted from Good to the Grain: Baking with Whole Grain Flours
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Nutrition Information:
Yield:
8Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 280Total Fat: 6gSaturated Fat: 2gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 3gCholesterol: 73mgSodium: 333mgCarbohydrates: 50gFiber: 1gSugar: 21gProtein: 7g
Nutrition information is automatically calculated by Nutritionix. I am not a nutritionist and cannot guarantee accuracy. If your health depends on nutrition information, please calculate with your favorite calculator.
Maiti says
Made the house smell so delicious! Disappeared in one day the whole family loved it!
jennifer says
and olive oil (name and brand). Kind of new at baking
Karen says
Hi Jennifer! I like Scharffen Berger chocolate for baking. As for olive oil, use a good extra-virgin that you use every day.
jennifer says
is there a specific chocolate you recommend using?
Laura says
I just made this, but I healthified it a bit – reduced the oil by 2/3 and replaced it with pumpkin puree (it just gets a tiny hint of pumpkin, rosemary and chocolate are still stronger in taste), made it entirely with whole spelt flour and I made it vegan by using flax eggs. It’s wonderfully moist and delicious!
Thank you so much for the recipe/inspiration.
Jenn says
The bread looks delicious but the 25-30 min cook time doesn’t work at all if you cook this in a single standard loaf pan.
I just made a loaf and let it bake 60 minutes and toothpicks are still coming out wet and covered in batter.
Does the original recipe recommend a different temperature or cook time for a full loaf?
Karen says
I’ve updated the recipe baking time to include a standard loaf – apologies if you had trouble. The time will increase to 45 – 50 minutes or slightly more depending on your oven calibration.
Karen says
Sook, thank you. I’m glad you visited. Cheers!
mollie says
this bread is in my oven baking away right this very minute. AMAZING!!!! i licked the batter and bowl like a little kid. my house smells phenominal!! so glad you posted this recipe. Happy mothers day to me INDEED!
Deborah Dowd says
I would never have thought of this as a combination, but it is so intriguing…
Lindsay @ Pinch of Yum says
This looks so interesting. I love rosemary, and I love chocolate, so I don’t see how I could go wrong here! Beautiful bread and great pictures!
Matthew Kadey says
Wow, I never really thought of matching up chocolate and rosemary. Thanks for the inspiration.
sara says
Lovely! This bread sounds like a great combination of flavors!