Gluten-Free Pineapple Cheese Bread

If you have ever been to a potluck dinner in the south, you have probably had Pineapple Cheese Casserole. It has that wonderful sweet-salty-cheesy-ooey-gooey-something that just makes you crave it. Fruit, cheese, and buttery crackers all hot from the oven is just the perfect side-dish-almost-desert to take to a potluck dinner.

This bread is reminiscent of that wonderful casserole and not nearly as fattening and much more portable.

Here’s the recipe, an adaptation from Paula Deen’s original recipe:

Pineapple Cheese Bread

2 cups gluten-free baking mix (or gluten-free flour mix plus 1 1/2 tsp of baking powder and 1/2 tsp salt and 1/2 tsp xantham gum)      

3/4 cup sugar

2 eggs

2 tbsp canola oil

1 cup crushed pineapple with juice

1 tsp vanilla

3/4 cup grated sharp cheddar cheese

 Preheat oven to 350. Grease sides and bottom of 9 x 5 loaf pan (I spray with canola oil spray).

In a large bowl mix together baking mix (or flour mix plus baking powder, salt, and xantham gum).

In a separate bowl mix together pineapple, eggs, oil, and vanilla. Pour pineapple mixture over flour and sugar. Mix until just combined. Fold in grated cheese.

Scrape mixture into loaf pan and bake for 1 hour or until knife inserted into center comes out clean. Cool in pan 5 minutes then transfer loaf to a wire rack to continue cooling.  Slice, serve, and enjoy.