Sun-Dried Tomatoes In Oil Are The Bread-Baking Secret Weapon You Never Knew You Needed

When you're in the mood for something warm and homemade, nothing beats a slice of delicious, easy-to-prepare quick bread. Made without yeast and instead, leavening agents like baking soda and baking powder, quick breads can accompany a variety of flavors ranging from chocolate banana to olive, cheese, and sun-dried tomato. As a matter of fact, besides serving as the tomato twist your mashed potatoes need, sun-dried tomatoes easily enhance the taste and texture of many savory snack breads.

Unlike raw or canned tomatoes, sun-dried tomatoes packed in oil have a highly concentrated tomato flavor coupled with a slightly acidic yet salty aftertaste. Given the fact that they're dried, sun-dried tomatoes are also quite chewy and enjoyable to eat. To make a simple yet savory quick bread featuring these flavorful foods, start by combining the base ingredients of your quick bread recipe.

Once butter has been cut into your dry mix of flour, baking powder, and salt, stir some chopped, oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes into your batter before adding the remaining ingredients. Since sun-dried tomatoes have a pronounced flavor, do not exceed more than ⅓ cup for every loaf.

Luckily, you don't have to dry these jarred foods before using them in your go-to quick bread recipe. However, avoid adding excess oil from the jar itself; doing so can affect the final texture of your loaf. That being said, there are many ingredients you can pair with sun-dried tomatoes to make an ultra-flavorful quick bread.

One of the simplest ways to highlight the taste of oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes is to pair them with fresh basil. Incorporate this vibrant herb directly into your bread batter and, if desired, add a sprinkle of minced basil to the top of your loaf before baking.

To give your bread more Italian appeal, feel free to include fresh chopped garlic and a variety of dried spices like oregano, parsley, and onion powder. Parmesan cheese can also upgrade your bread's savory flavor. You can even enhance your tomato-based bread with different varieties of shredded cheese.

For a variety that has a similar flavor to Parmesan, use Asiago. For a softer, more malleable cheese, choose younger varieties of Asiago versus aged. Alternatively, use cheddar for a saltier taste or mozzarella when you want a variety that blends well with an assortment of extra ingredients. While oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes are both tasty on their own or when combined with herbs and cheese, feel free to pair them additional ingredients such as chopped olives, roasted red peppers, and artichoke hearts.

Whichever combination of ingredients you decide to use, savory sun-dried tomato bread can be enjoyed with a slew of different meals. Use fresh-cut slices of bread in lieu of English muffins for classic, buttery eggs Benedict. You can also serve this tasty bread alongside plates of spaghetti and green salad or bowls of vegetable soup.