Rosemary–Olive Oil Tea Cake
Someone once told me that if you want to sell a house, you should bake a loaf of bread. When you walk into a home where something is baking, feelings of comfort and warmth immediately surface. Home cooking is a sign of sharing, of giving, of nurturing one’s self and others. These qualities are the grounding point of the home and the emotions of the heart. As the expression goes, “Home is where the heart is.” It is important to our physiology too. It has been proven that up to 20 percent of digestive secretions associated with digesting a meal are released before food even hits the stomach. This is called the cephalic phase, and it is stimulated by thoughts, tastes, and smells of food. Cooking does far more than create delicious food. It connects us to the processes of our body and helps create a feeling of home for ourselves and our loved ones.
Yield: 1 loaf
1½ cups unbleached white wheat or spelt flour
¾ cup whole wheat or whole spelt flour
¾ cup raw cane sugar
1½ teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
3 eggs
1 cup olive oil
¾ cup whole milk
¼ cup finely chopped fresh rosemary
1. Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C). Grease a 4½- by 13-inch loaf pan with olive oil.
2. Combine the flours, sugar, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl and stir well, pressing out any lumps.
3. Whisk the eggs together in a separate bowl, then add the oil, milk, and rosemary. Add the egg mixture to the flour mixture, gently folding until combined.
4. Pour the batter into the prepared pan, smoothing the top so it is relatively even. Bake for 70 to 80 minutes, or until the top is golden and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
5. Remove the bread from the oven. You can eat it hot from the pan, or you can let it cool in the pan, then remove it, wrap it in plastic, and store it in the refrigerator, where it will keep for 3 to 4 days.
Olive Oil The type of olive oil you use will influence the flavor; any olive oil that has a flavor you like will be excellent. However, don’t use refined or “light” olive oil, as it lacks flavor and depth.
Excerpted from Recipes from the Herbalist’s Kitchen © by Brittany Wood Nickerson, 2017. Photography © by Keller + Keller Photography and Alexandra Grablewski. Used with permission from Storey Publishing.
This original recipe article first appeared in the Winter 2018/19 issue of City
Style and Living Magazine.
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