Bacon, Cheddar & Sage Quick Bread

A savory quick bread is one of the most rewarding things you can pull from your oven. Unlike traditional yeast breads that demand hours of rising, this dense batter relies on a generous amount of baking powder to give it a tall, impressive rise the moment it enters the oven — no waiting required.

The secret to a tender, moist interior lies in an unexpected choice: extra virgin olive oil instead of butter. The olive oil coats the flour more thoroughly, preventing the heavy add-ins from drying out the loaf. The result is an incredibly soft crumb that stays perfectly moist slice after slice.

Keeping Everything in Its Place

When you are loading a batter with sharp cheddar cheese, thick-cut maple bacon, and fresh sage, you need a thick dough to keep everything suspended. Gently folding these hearty ingredients into the flour mixture — and stopping the moment they are just combined — prevents them from sinking straight to the bottom of the pan.

The finishing touch happens the instant the bread leaves the oven. While the deeply golden, shattered crust is still piping hot, brush it generously with a simple whisk of melted butter and pure honey. This savory-sweet glaze seeps into the warm crust, sealing the moisture inside and creating a gorgeous, sticky finish.

Jorj Morgan

Bacon, Cheddar & Sage Quick Bread

A in chemical leavening and savory crumb architecture. By bypassing traditional yeast in favor of a rapid baking powder lift, this heavily fortified, olive oil-enriched batter flawlessly suspends crisp bacon, sharp cheddar, and fresh sage, finished with a deeply savory-sweet honey butter glaze.

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Prep Time 15 minutes mins

Cook Time 55 minutes mins

Total Time 1 hour hr 10 minutes mins

Servings: 8 servings

Course: Side Dish

Ingredients Equipment Method

Ingredients

  

The Structural Inclusions

• 6 slices high-quality bacon maple-smoked preferred, diced into ⅛-inch pieces
• 4 ounces sharp cheddar cheese freshly grated (about 1 cup)
• 1 tablespoon fresh sage finely chopped

The Dry Architecture

• 1 ¾ cups unbleached all-purpose flour
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• ½ teaspoon kosher salt
• ¼ teaspoon coarse black pepper

The Wet Emulsion

• 3 large eggs
• ⅓ cup whole milk
• ⅓ cup extra virgin olive oil

The Honey-Butter Glaze

• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter melted
• 2 tablespoons high-quality honey

Equipment

• 1 Standard 9x5-inch metal loaf pan
• 1 Heavy-duty wire cooling rack
• 1 Professional silicone spatula
• 1 Heavy glass mixing bowl

Method

 

Cook the Bacon

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Generously coat an 8½ x 4½-inch metal loaf pan (or 3 mini loaf pans) with vegetable oil spray or butter.
2. In a heavy cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat, cook the diced bacon pieces until the fat renders completely and the pork is deeply crisped and golden.
3. Transfer the crispy bacon bits to a paper towel-lined plate to drain and cool. Discard the rendered fat.

Mix Dry & Wet

1. In a large ceramic mixing bowl, vigorously whisk together the all-purpose flour, baking powder, kosher salt, and coarse black pepper. (The massive ratio of 1 full tablespoon of baking powder forces a rapid, aggressive chemical lift in the dense batter).
2. In a separate medium bowl, whisk the eggs, whole milk, and extra virgin olive oil until unified and frothy.

Fold in the Fillings

1. Pour the wet olive oil mixture directly into the dry flour mixture. Use a wooden spoon to stir gently.
2. Before the flour is fully integrated, fold in the freshly grated sharp cheddar cheese, chopped fresh sage, and cooled bacon bits.
3. Stir strictly until the ingredients are just combined. The dough will be exceptionally thick and heavy; do not overmix, or the gluten will overdevelop and yield a tough, rubbery loaf.

Bake & Glaze

1. Scrape the thick batter into the prepared loaf pan, smoothing the top evenly with a spatula.
2. Bake in the preheated 350°F oven until the crust is deeply golden brown and a wooden tester inserted into the absolute center of the loaf comes out perfectly clean, about 50 to 55 minutes. (If baking mini loaves, check for doneness at 35 minutes).
3. While the bread bakes, vigorously whisk the melted butter and honey together in a small ceramic bowl to create a glossy glaze.
4. Remove the bread from the oven. While it is still screaming hot in the pan, use a pastry brush to heavily slather the top and exposed sides of the crust with the honey-butter glaze. Allow to cool slightly before removing from the pan and slicing.