Olive and pancetta bread

Everyone who knows me knows that I'm not much of a baker. I don't like using yeast, mostly because I'm afraid that the dough won't rise. And I'm usually right. When I try to bake something that requires the dough to double in size and all those other things that doughs are supposed to do I almost always give up and pick a different recipe. What can I say? I'm a chicken when it comes to baking. I'm sure it's all about perfect measures and proportions which, as you might have guessed, are not my forte.

So the only type of bread I know I can bake is the kind that you cook in a plumcake tin, the kind that doesn't require kneading and resting and all that. I think people refer to those breads as "easy" or "quick" breads, which is what drew me to them in the first place. And they were right, they are easy and quick to make and, to top it off, they are also delicious and totally customizable. Once you have the base recipe down you can pretty much put whatever herb or vegetable or meat you like and make a different bread every time. So far olives and pancetta is my favorite combination, but who knows? I might change my mind soon...

OLIVE AND PANCETTA BREAD

2 cups all purpose flour
3 eggs
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1/3 cup skim milk
3.5 ounces pitted green olives
3.5 ounces pitted black olives
3.5 ounces chopped smoked pancetta
3.5 ounces chopped Swiss cheese
once packet of yeast
salt and pepper
 
Preheat oven at 350 F.

Spray stamp with cooking spray or cover with parchment paper.

In a large bowl, combine eggs with oil and milk. Then add flour, cheese, olives and pancetta. Season with salt and pepper. Stir well, then slowly add yeast. Pour into prepared stamp and put it in the oven immediately.

Bake for about 50 minutes. Let the bread cool before removing it from the stamp.