Fresh Herb Ricotta Cheese Bread

A no yeast bread that is super quick to prepare! 

Ready in less than an hour, this Herbed Ricotta Cheese Bread is sure to become a favorite!

This quick bread is loaded with fresh herbs, ricotta cheese, and a dash of smoked paprika. 

Ricotta is a fresh, soft, Italian cheese with a small curd and a light, mild, slightly sweet flavor. In the United States, it is most commonly known as an ingredient in lasagna. I honestly love ricotta even just by itself. For this recipe, I decided to use ricotta instead of heavy cream or milk, the ricotta gives the bread a light texture that practically melts in your mouth!

Ingredients

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 2 1/4 teaspoons sugar
• 5 tablespoons chilled unsalted butter
• ½ cup green onions or scallions, chopped
• 1/4 cup fresh parsley, minced
• 1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves
• 1 teaspoon fresh rosemary, minced
• 1 cup ricotta cheese
• ⅔ cup milk
• 1 egg, beaten with 1 teaspoon water (for egg wash)
• sea salt
• black pepper
• smoked paprika

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.

Whisk together flour, baking powder, sugar, and salt in a large bowl. 

Grate butter into the flour mixture and stir with a fork until the consistency of coarse meal.

Stir in scallions and fresh herbs. 

Add ricotta cheese, then add milk and stir until just combined.

Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface. 

Knead 2 to 3 times, then pat dough into a 9-inch rectangle. 

Transfer bread to a parchment-lined baking sheet. Brush tops liberally with egg wash. Sprinkle top with sea salt, freshly ground black pepper, and smoked paprika.

Bake for 15-20 minutes or until bread is golden brown.

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Cheesy Popovers

I totally have a recipe bucket list, I mean, shouldn’t everyone? 🤣

I have always wanted to make popovers. So, I decided to try my hand at making them and I’m so mad I haven’t made them before. 

They are easy to make and delicious! 

You may be asking yourself, what is a popover?

They are like a muffin but light, airy, and crispy around the edges. In this recipe, they pull apart to a buttery cheesy magical pastry.

The name comes from literally “popping over” the sides of the pan and are baked in a hot oven until they “pop” up. They are a simple side item for a weeknight meal or holiday entertaining.

You may have heard that popovers are usually made in a special pan. Good news – you can use a regular muffin pan and they work just as well.

If you use a muffin pan, you may want to skip every other opening just in case they “pop” over onto each other.

Guess what? No mixer or blender is required. Just one bowl, a whisk and a rubber spatula is all you need.

You can get pretty creative with popovers! In the recipe below, I used Mozzarella and Parmesan cheese, but you can use any cheese combination you like and then add your favorite seasoning, instead of garlic powder and cayenne in the recipe below. Or, switch it up completely, and make them sweet for a dessert by using sugar and cinnamon. The possibilities are endless! Get creative! 

Ingredients 

• 12 cup muffin pan or popover pan 
• 4 eggs
• 2 cups whole milk
• 4 tablespoons butter, melted
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 2 teaspoons garlic powder 
• 1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
• 1/2 cup finely grated Parmesan 
• 4 tablespoons minced chives
• 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper or smoked paprika

Directions

1.    Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.

2.    In a medium bowl, whisk together the eggs, milk and melted butter until combined. Whisk in the flour and salt and then fold in the cheeses and chives until even. Cover the batter and refrigerate for 30 minutes.

3.    Put a muffin pan on the middle rack in the oven to warm for 10 minutes.

4.    Remove muffin pan from oven (careful, hot!) and pour the batter into the cups of the hot pan, filling almost to the top – make sure they are almost to the top.

5.    Lightly sprinkle with the cayenne or smoked paprika (a very small amount of cayenne). Bake the popovers until crisp and golden, about 18 to 20 minutes. Remove from the oven.

6.    Take each out of the pan, place on a wire rack, and pierce with a small paring knife to let steam escape. Serve hot.