French Olive, Ham and Cheese Bread

Description

So often, you think of French food as being rich, and elegant, and sweet, and just a little over-the-top, and likely out of reach for a regular cook/baker. I stumbled across this recipe, and thought it sounded interesting. I decided to try adapting it to gluten-free, and was delighted at how easy it is to make, as well as how satisfying and wholesome it is as a single-item meal, whether as a quick high-protein savory bite on the run in the morning, or as a simple-yet-different centerpiece of a brunch or casual evening meal. The flavors of the slightly sweet swiss cheese, smoky ham, and salty olives blend perfectly into a delicious mouthful.

Ingredients

2 c

Cooqi Pizza+Pita Mix

1 pk

yeast (included with mix)

eggs

1⁄2 c

olive oil

8 oz

smoked ham (or smoked turkey or turkey bacon, cut into small cubes)

1 1⁄2 c

Swiss cheese (grated or gruyere cheese,grated)

3⁄4 c

green pitted olives (sliced; optional)

black pepper (to taste)

salt (to taste)

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350. In a medium bowl, combine mix and yeast. Add eggs, olive oil, salt, and pepper, and mix until blended. This works best with your own clean hands: add cheese, ham/turkey, and olives, and continue mixing with hands until ingredients are well distributed. Prepare baguette pans, an 8” square pan, or a 9” round pan, with spray oil. Spread dough evenly into pans. Allow to rise for 10 minutes. Bake for approximately 40-45 minutes, until top is lightly crusty, and a toothpick inserted in middle comes out clean.