Asiago, Apple And Rosemary Bread - cooking recipe

Ingredients

3 1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
4 tablespoons cold hard butter (1/2 stick)
4 ounces shredded asiago cheese, divided (or cheddar)
1 lb apple, cored and shredded (about 4 or 5)
2 teaspoons finely chopped fresh rosemary leaves
2 large eggs, beaten
Topping (optional)
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 teaspoon fresh rosemary leaf (not chopped)
1/4 cup shredded asiago cheese (reserved from ingredients above)

Preparation

Heat oven to 350 degrees F.
Grease a 9x5-inch loaf pan.
In a large bowl, mix together the flour, baking powder and salt.
Using your fingers, mix the shredded butter into the flour until the mixture resembles coarse bread crumbs.
Reserve 1/4 cup shredded cheese for the topping and set aside.
Mix the remaining cheese, the shredded apple, and the rosemary into the flour mixture.
Stir in the eggs until the batter is evenly blended (The batter will be thick and dense).
Fill the pan with the batter.
Bake for 45 minutes
Mix together the topping ingredients.
Spread the topping ingredients over the loaf and bake until a skewer inserted in the loaf comes out clean, about 20 minutes.
Let the loaf rest in the pan 10 minutes, then unmold the load and let cool on a wire rack.