Caprese Quick Bread
This Caprese Quick Bread features classic caprese flavors and comes together in just about an hour. No-yeast needed – just moist, soft bread made with fresh basil, fresh mozzarella cheese, and sun-dried tomatoes. This savory quick bread is great any other time you’re craving it!
If you enjoy making quick breads, make sure try my Bacon and Cheese Quick bread and Coconut Key Lime Bread.
Table of Contents
Easy Savory Quick Bread
I have a deep love for quick bread recipes. They’re so easy because there’s no yeast and no kneading! You just mix the ingredients together in the mixing bowl, transfer the mixture into the bread pan, and bake. No muss, no fuss, and no waiting around. Just a delicious, soft, moist, and flavorful bread!
This savory quick bread recipe features sun-dried tomatoes, mozzarella, and fresh basil – all of the key caprese ingredients we know and love. They’re speckled evenly throughout a soft, fluffy loaf of bread that’s baked to perfection in just under an hour. As this bread bakes, you’ll notice that your kitchen smells like absolute bliss. The aromatic basil is what my nose usually picks up on first, but the sun-dried tomatoes also like to mingle their way into the air!
Now that we’re officially headed to the sunny season, there’s no better time to make this bread. Caprese salad by itself is already so summery, so it only makes sense to bake this bread in the warmer months as well. It’s a wonderful breakfast bite when warmed with a little butter, and it also pairs fabulously with your favorite summertime dinner. You can even use it as sandwich bread for your lunchtime; there’s no bad way to enjoy it.
Ingredient Notes
Flours – you will use a combination of all purpose flour and bread flour. Different flours have different functions and give you different texture results. Using a combination of flours will help with the right desired texture without going too much into one direction (Read recipe FAQs for more info).
Baking Powder – make sure your baking powder is not too old or it may not work properly.
Baking Soda – yes, you do need both baking powder and baking soda because they are actually quite different and each have their own job to do.
Mozzarella Cheese – it’s best to use block of mozzarella cheese and cube it yourself. If using fresh, pat it dry first because it’s usually packaged with liquids. You don’t want to add too much access liquid to the batter.
Fresh Basil – make sure to use fresh Italian basil, not Thai or holy basil. If you have any left over, use it to make my other favorite summertime recipe, fresh basil pesto!
Sun-Dried Tomatoes – use dry sun-dried tomatoes, not one that is packed in oil.
Buttermilk – make sure to use low-fat buttermilk for the right texture. Substituting it will not give you the same texture!
PRO TIP: When it comes to baking, it’s always VERY important to measure each ingredient with great care. When measuring out the dry ingredients specifically, make sure you’re not packing any of the flours into your measuring cup or being too generous with the baking powder/soda. Every measurement matters for the best bread!
See recipe card for complete information on ingredients and quantities.
How To Make Quick Breads
Preheat your oven to 350°F and grease an 8×4 inch bread pan. Combine both of the flours, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a bowl. Mix well to combine (1).
Mix in the basil, mozzarella, and sun-dried tomatoes until they’re all evenly incorporated (2).
Whisk together the eggs, oil, and buttermilk in a separate bowl.
Pour the liquid mixture into the flour mixture and mix to combine (3). Note that the dough will be sticky (4).
Bake the bread. Spread the dough into your prepared dough pan (5), spread it out evenly, and bake for about 40-45 minutes (6).
Remember that suggested bake times are not always the indication that bread is cooked through. (Read below) Using an instant read digital meat thermometer is the best way to test if the bread is done. Measure at the center of the bread to see if it reached 200° internal temperature.
Take the bread out of the oven and let it cool before trying to take it out. Once cooled, run a butter knife along the sides to help separate the bread from the sides of the pan.
Recipe FAQs
This is a great savory bread that you can serve with your favorite Italian entrees like the best Italian meatballs.
You can also simply warm it up and serve it with butter for breakfast, either toasted or simply warmed. Add an egg over the top for another breakfast option.
I really like to use this bread as sandwich bread. It’s great with Italian sub filling!
Drizzle it with some balsamic glaze while it’s still warm, it’s heaven!
Use dry sun-dried tomatoes and not the ones in oil. You can either buy them julienned or slice and chop the halves yourself.
Bread flour had a much higher protein content that helps the dough rise and strengthen as it bakes. It also gives the bread a more elastic and springy consistency.
Since this is both a savory bread and a quick bread, I like to use two different flours for the best texture that more closely resembles bread loaves made with yeast. While it does give a better texture to the savory quick bread, it’s not a necessity if you don’t have access to bread flour. The texture will be slightly lighter and fluffier if used with only all-purpose flour.
How To Tell If Quick Bread Is Done?
This is a very common question! Since each oven is different, it affects the bake time differently. Also, location and altitude do affect bake time as well. So when you see bake times and cook times in recipes, remember that those are suggested times but you still have to watch the food to see if it’s done.
There are several tests you can perform to see if the food is done but the temperature is the best indication in most cases. Some easy tests include to touch and gently press the middle of the bread to see how firm it is.
You can use toothpick test to see if the middle of the bread is done. To do the toothpick test: insert the toothpick in the center of the bread, if the toothpick comes out clean, it is cooked through.
Using an instant read digital meat thermometer is the best way to test if the bread is done. Measure at the center of the bread to see if it reached 200° internal temperature.
Storing Suggestions and Shelf Life
I recommend storing this bread in the refrigerator because of the fresh ingredients that are baked throughout it. Store this bread covered airtight with plastic wrap or in a container and keep it in the refrigerator. Slice it and warm up those slices as needed. Stored properly, it should stay fresh for up to 5 days, but it will start to dry out more after 3 days.
You can always pop the cold slice into a microwave for a few seconds or reheat it in the pan over medium-low heat. For sandwiches, you can also toast it in the cooking pan on stove-top. Note: I do NOT recommend placing this bread into the toaster!
Freezing Instructions
This is a great bread to freeze actually, it freezes very well. Make sure to cool it first and then either freeze it whole or as individual slices. Make sure to wrap the loaf (or the each slice) airtight in a layer of plastic wrap, then a layer of foil. You can store individually wrapped slices in a freezer zip-top bag.
Store it for up to 3 months in the freezer. You can thaw each slice on the counter for about 30 minutes. If you want it faster than that, unwrap it and pop it into the microwave for 10-15 seconds or into the oven for a few minutes at 325°F until warmed through. You can also thaw the whole loaf in the oven at 325°F for about 20 minutes.
Tools For This Recipe
(Affiliate links)
Bottom Grip Stainless Steel Mixing Bowls
Plastic Cutting Board or Wooden Cutting Board
Digital Instant Read Thermometer
Ceramic Bread Pan (8×4)
Some More Easy Bread Recipes
Chocolate Stout Bread
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Caprese Quick Bread Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 1/4 cup all purpose flour
- 1 cup bread flour
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp salt
- 3 1/2 to 4 oz cubed fresh mozzarella cheese
- 2 tbsp chopped fresh basil
- 1/3 cup chopped sun-dried tomatoes not packed
- 2 eggs
- 2 1/2 tbsp grape-seed oil can use extra virgin olive oil
- 1 1/4 cups buttermilk
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 and grease an 8×4 inch bread pan.
- In a large mixing bowl, combine flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Mix well.
- Add the basil, mozzarella and sun-dried tomatoes to the four and mix until all incorporated.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together the eggs, oil and buttermilk.
- Pour the liquids into the flour mixture. Mix with a wooden spoon until all the ingredients are well combined. (The dough will be sticky.)
- Transfer the dough into the bread pan and spread it evenly.
- Bake for 40-45 minutes. (See notes to check the bread for doneness.)
Video
Notes
- There are several tests you can perform to see if the food is done but the temperature is the best indication in most cases. Some easy tests include to touch and gently press the middle of the bread to see how firm it is.
- You can use toothpick test to see if the middle of the bread is done. To do the toothpick test: insert the toothpick in the center of the bread, if the toothpick comes out clean, it is cooked through.
- Using an instant read digital meat thermometer is the best way to test if the bread is done. Measure at the center of the bread to see if it reached 200° internal temperature.
Nutrition
Originally published on Will Cook For Smiles on April 2013.
All images and text ©Lyubov Brooke for ©Will Cook For Smiles. Please do not use my images without prior permission. If using my posts in collections and features, please link back to this post for the recipe.
Disclaimer: Nutrition information shown is not guaranteed to be 100% accurate as most ingredients and brands have variations.
I’ve made this quite a few times in a cake pan and I drizzle the top with pesto. I just tried it in a preheated cast iron skillet. It was delicious, light and fluffy. I cut it into chunks and set some extra pesto for dipping. A really wonderful and delicious bread! Thanks for sharing!
Pesto over the top does sound good! I am so glad you like the recipe!
Great recipe, thank you! I did some tweaks in order to use what I had on hand. Due to gluten sensitive people in my life I used GF flour. And I had neither fire roasted dried tomatoes nor did I have fresh basil, so what’s a girl to do? Well I did have fire roasted canned tomatoes, and also had homemade frozen pesto sauce in the freezer. So – I slightly reduced the liquid, and used a generous 1/3 cup of fire roasted canned tomatoes. Then I took a generous 2 T of my frozen pesto from the freezer, chopped it up into small bits and added that while still frozen. Oh yes, and I only had cheddar cheese on hand, so chopped that up and mixed it in. Because of what seemed like a bit of extra liquid, I baked it for the full 45 minutes, and it came out perfect! Highly recommend and will make it again. Thanks much.
I am glad you could make the recipe work for you and it turned out well 🙂
Lol- Pretty much a brand new bread recipe!! That is Awesome!!
Hope you enjoy it, Tammy
Or, you could go to the store and buy the ingredients you’re missing, and then review the recipe as it was originally written? That’s what this girl would do…
Hello,
I’m anxious to try this bread but was wondering why 2 flours are needed? Can this be made with just all purpose flour?
thanks for the recipe, im looking forward to trying it
You’re so welcome!
Can this be frozen?
Hi Janet,
Yes, you could definitely freeze this bread. I go over how to freeze bread in my banana bread post you can look it over if you’d like here is the link. https://www.willcookforsmiles.com/banana-bread/
How should the bread be stored? In fridge or not? For how long? Thanks!
Yes, it should be stored in the fridge and can last 3-4 days.
This looks delicious! I am going to try it with Sun Dried Tomatoes in Olive oil. I will pay the tomatoes dry, and use the Olive oil they are packed in for the oil called for in the recipe. What do you think?
Yes, you can if you really like the flavor of sun-dried tomatoes because it will give you a strong sun-dried tomatoes flavor. But that would work fine!
This has become my go-to bread! I’ve made it in a cake pan, mini muffin tins and a bread pan and all of them are delicious with only slight temp and time changes. I always put pesto on top and kind of swirl it in before it’s cooked.
I think our favorite is in the mini muffin tins, I serve it with a side of Sicilian seasoning from HEB and olive oil for dipping. It travels well and I love bringing a basket of these and a bottle of wine when I visit friends. It’s a truly delicious recipe no matter how you cut it!
Hi Kay,
Aw thank you! I love that you love it! I will have to try it as mini muffins as well!
I followed the recipe exactly as written and am really pleased with the result. It’s delicious and looks good too! I eat it as the centerpiece of an antipasto/mezze plate of prosciutto, fresh tomato, olives, etc. I’ll definitely make it again.
So glad you liked it! Thanks for stopping by to let me know and rate the recipe! 🙂
Not as flavorful as I had anticipated. Would double the basil, mozzarella and tomatoes next time . Easy to make and has potential with some tweaks.
Fantastic!! The bread is super easy and oh so delicious!! I wanted more of a tear and share type bread for NYE, so I put it in a round cake pan and drizzled the top with pesto. I pumped up the heat to 400 and it cooked in 30-35 min. I served it with a dipping sauce of dried Italian herbs, olive oil and granulated garlic. It was amazing. I’ll make this one a lot and plan to do a loaf next time for sandwiches and breakfast. It also received rave reviews from my friends. Yummo!!
Yay! So glad you liked it, Sophie!
Can I use raw cherry or grape tomatoes? I don’t care for the consistency of dried tomatoes.
Unfortunately, that won’t work because tomatoes are mostly water and will give out to much liquid into the bread.