Vincenzo’s Italian Savory Bread (Tomato Basil Mozzarella) (like in Venice)

2021-02-21

This Recipe
Cuisine: Italian Cuisine
Course: Savory Brunch, Savory Bread, Brunch, Main Dish, Vegetarian Dish
Difficulty: Easy
Category: Course
Servings: 8
Preparation Time: 30 Minutes
Cooking Time: 40 Minutes

This Post
Author : FX (François-xavier)
Category: Recipe
Posted on: Sunday February 21, 2021
Comments : No Comment
Languages : English | Français

Ingredients
Basil, Tomato paste, Dry yeast, Mozzarella, Onions, Tomatoes,

Staples
Italie, Venise

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La version Française se trouve ICI

A simple and delicious Italian savory bread, which will make you hear the mandolines on a gondola over an Italian stream...

Don't forget to share your photos once you tried this recipe! HERE

In Venice, Italy

Recently, I was reading the cuisine pages of the New York Times, and one article written by Dorie Greenspan was touting French Savory Loaf Breads called "Cakes Salés"

And I remember eating one those Savory Breads, when I was actually in Venice, Italy

I loved my trip to Venice, despite the crowded destination with its packed narrow streets. So much charm and history at every street corner

I believe I could stay here one month and still discover new things to admire, if it wasn't for the crowd that I dislike so much. I like to discover -and- breathe !

And during this trip, I called my old friend Vincenzo who grew up in France in an Italian family, and moved to Venice after he married a charming Italian lady

And after moving to Venice, Vincenzo started cooking French meals with Italian ingredients and flavors

Vincenzo made this Savory Loaf for lunch, and I really liked it instantly. I like to think it's a fusion food between Italy and France

And so, this is his recipe that I am showing you here

As I hear mandolines when I eat it, and no accordion, I think it's more Italian than French... one thing for sure is : it's super delicious !

About this recipe

Here's the recipe for this savory bread, easy to make, and perfect for a lunch or a brunch

Those Italian flavors make everybody happy, and that's the magic of Italian cuisine

Kids or grown-up like the delicious taste of tomatoes, Basil and Cheese

Ingredients

For a 3.14" (or 3 5/32" or 8 cm) x 9.84" (or 9 27/32" or 25 cm) loaf bread

1 ⅓ Cup Tomatoes (260 grams)

¼ Cup Olive Oil (50 grams)

⅔ Cup Onions (100 grams)

3 Eggs. ⅓ Cup or 150 grams

1 Cup Flour (160 grams)

2 teaspoons Baking Powder (11 grams)

1 pinch of Salt

1 pinch of Pepper

1 tablespoon of Tomato Paste

½ Cup Milk (120 grams)

1 oz Basil leaves (30 grams)

¼ lbs Mozzarella Cheese (120 grams)

For a 3.14" (or 3 5/32" or 8 cm) x 6.29" (or 6 19/64" or 16 cm) loaf bread

¾ Cup Tomatoes (166.4 grams)

3 Tablespoons Olive Oil (32 grams)

½ Cup Onions (64 grams)

1.9 Eggs. 4 Tablespoons or 95 grams

⅔ Cup Flour (102.4 grams)

1 teaspoon Baking Powder (7 grams)

1 pinch of Salt

1 pinch of Pepper

0.6 tablespoon of Tomato Paste

⅓ Cup Milk (76.8 grams)

0.67 oz Basil leaves (19.2 grams)

3 oz Mozzarella Cheese (76.8 grams)

For a 3.54" (or 3 35/64" or 9 cm) x 7.87" (or 7 7/8" or 20 cm) loaf bread

1 ¼ Cup Tomatoes (234 grams)

4 Tablespoons Olive Oil (45 grams)

½ Cup Onions (90 grams)

2.7 Eggs. ⅓ Cup or 135 grams

1 Cup Flour (144 grams)

2 teaspoons Baking Powder (9.9 grams)

1 pinch of Salt

1 pinch of Pepper

0.9 tablespoon of Tomato Paste

½ Cup Milk (108 grams)

1 oz Basil leaves (27 grams)

¼ lbs Mozzarella Cheese (108 grams)

For a 3.93" (or 3 15/16" or 10 cm) x 10.62" (or 10 5/8" or 27 cm) loaf bread

1 ¾ Cup Tomatoes (351 grams)

⅓ Cup Olive Oil (67.5 grams)

¾ Cup Onions (135 grams)

4 Eggs. ½ Cup or 200 grams

1 ½ Cup Flour (216 grams)

1 Tablespoon Baking Powder (14.8 grams)

1 pinch of Salt

1 pinch of Pepper

1.3 tablespoons of Tomato Paste

¾ Cup Milk (162 grams)

1 oz Basil leaves (40.5 grams)

6 oz Mozzarella Cheese (162 grams)

You will need...

Cast Iron Shallow Casserole Le Creuset

Saute Pan Scanpan

Stainless Steel Mixing Bowl

Large Mixing Bowls, Stainless Steel

Polyglass Spatula

DeBuyer Whisk

KitchenAid Whisk

Ninja Food Chopper Express

KitchenAid Silicone Spatula Set

Le Creuset Silicone Spatula

Nonstick Loaf Pan 10-inch

Norpro Nonstick Bread Pan, 10″ x 4.5″

Loaf Cake Pan, Adjustable Range

Round Cooling Rack

Nonstick Cooling Rack

Steps

The veggies

1. For the

Tomatoes

(1 ⅓ Cup or 260 g), I chose

cherry tomatoes

, but you may take regular tomatoes

2. Dice them into cubes, not too small

3. For the

Onions

(⅔ Cup or 100 g) : Peel, remove the first outer layer, and dice. After dicing, you will need ⅔ Cup or 100 g

4.

Pour the

Olive Oil

(¼ Cup or 50 g) in a skillet and cook

on high heat

5. Lightly brown the

Onions

(⅔ Cup or 100 g)

6. After

a few minutes

, add in the

Tomatoes

(1 ⅓ Cup or 260 g) and cook

on medium heat

Cast Iron Shallow Casserole Le Creuset

Saute Pan Scanpan

7. Transfer to a clean bowl and let cool down at room temperature

Stainless Steel Mixing Bowl

Large Mixing Bowls, Stainless Steel

The batter

8. In a different bowl, mix the

Flour

(1 Cup or 160 g) and the

Baking Powder

(2 teaspoons or 11 g), add in the

Salt

(1 pinch) and the

Pepper

(1 pinch)

9. In a separate bowl, beat the

Eggs

(3)

10. Stir in the powders on the eggs, and mix well with a spatula

Polyglass Spatula

11. Stir in the

Tomato Paste

(1 tablespoon)

12. Warm the

Milk

(½ Cup or 120 g) in the microwave

13. Stream the milk into the bowl, while stirring

14. Whisk altogether

DeBuyer Whisk

KitchenAid Whisk

15. Slice the

Basil leaves

( 1 oz or 30 g), with a knife or using a Cup Food Chopper

Ninja Food Chopper Express

16. The veggies that have been waiting in the bowl should be cooled down (this is important as when too hot, they could activate the baking powder instantly before baking !)

17. You may want to peel the tomatoes (it's easy to do as they are cooked)

18. Combine all bowls into one

19. Make sure to carefully mix (avoid destroying the tomatoes)

KitchenAid Silicone Spatula Set

Le Creuset Silicone Spatula

20. For the

Mozzarella Cheese

(¼ lbs or 120 g), make sure to buy a cheese that is sold in its juice, and avoid those ridiculous dried mozzarella sold in a plastic

21. Cut the

Mozzarella Cheese

(¼ lbs or 120 g) into chunks

22. Gently fold/mix

The mold

23. I am using this mold (brand: Matfer) that is a non-stick load mold, found on the internet

24. Butter and flour the mold

Nonstick Loaf Pan 10-inch

Norpro Nonstick Bread Pan, 10″ x 4.5″

Loaf Cake Pan, Adjustable Range

25. Poor the batter, and make sure the mold is not more than 3/4 full

26. The baking time depends on your oven :

30/40 minutes

27.

After baking

10 minutes

, I slice the bread lengthwise (this trick will give the final bread a nice shape)

28.

WOnder if the loaf is finished baking? Take a knife or toothpick to the centre of the bread. If your toothpick or knife comes out wet, it’s not finished baking. If it comes out clean, it is finished!

29. Cool on a rack

30. Unmold quite quickly, otherwise the loaf will soggy up