School is back in session!! Who has the time to bake???? Cherry Almond Quick Bread makes you a baker even when you don’t have the time.
With school back in full swing, I’m busier than a one armed wallpaper hanger! For the last year I have been the Food Service Director for not one, but two school Districts …..I must be crazy!
This year I am training a new Director for one of the Districts….Hi Shari!! This has left me with little time to have a coherent thought, let alone concoct new recipes or bake!
At a local produce stand, I was buying a few things, and saw a lone basket of cherries. I couldn’t just leave them there could I? They came home with me.
Once I had them home, I really wasn’t sure what to do with them…enter Pinterest. Fact is I am not a fresh cherry fan, go figure. I love cherry flavored things, candy , popsicles, stuff like that, but an actual cherry…not so much.
Ever since I made the Honey Bread Bread which I have made a bazillion times…..ok, maybe not that many, but a lot! I have been trying different quick bread recipes, cherry quick bread was the fate of my lone basket of cherries.
After my Mother passed away, and we were cleaning out her home, I came across a gadget she bought that pits cherries for you. I remember I laughed at her about buying such a “useless” gadget, so of course, I took it home with me. It has sat in a drawer for almost 5 years. I remembered it when I bought the cherries.
Now I LOVE gadgets!…and this is one of those quirky things you may not use often, but you will be soooo glad you have it when you find your lone basket of cherries.
The bread is easy to make, it does require a few dishes, which makes me appreciate Tim, who is a self proclaimed “Dish Man”. Seriously he does 99% of the dishes at our house……jealous aren’t you??
A wet batter and a dry mixture come together in just a few minutes. A few tips…don’t overmix the batter, it will make the bread tough. Mix the cherries in the flour mixture so they don’t all clump together.
I topped the bread with cherry halves…..just for prettiness sake, and almonds for some crunch.
Fresh from the oven, room temperature, or my favorite…toasted…you have time for Cherry Almond Quick Bread.
Cherry Almond Quick Bread
- Prep Time: 15 mins
- Cook Time: 60 mins
- Total Time: 1 hour 15 mins
- Yield: 1 loaf 1x
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup fresh cherries , pitted and diced, plus extra halves to garnish the top of the loaf
- 1 3/4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
- 4 tablespoons butter, softened
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1 egg
- 3/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1/4 teaspoon almond extract
- 1/4 cup greek yogurt
- 3 tablespoons almond milk
- 1/2 cup chopped almonds
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375°F. Spray a loaf pan with nonstick cooking spray.
- Pit and dice the cherries. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and kosher salt until combined; set aside.
- In separate large bowl, cream together the softened butter and sugar using a hand or stand mixer.
- Beat in the egg
- Add vanilla, almond milk and greek yogurt and mix well.
- Toss diced cherries in the flour mixture.
- Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients, stir just until combined.
- Place batter into the prepared loaf pan. Top loaf with cherry halves and almond, place in oven and bake for 50-60 minutes, or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean.
- Let the bread cool for 15-30 minutes, remove from the loaf pan, and slice.
