Recipe for Cherry Nut Bread

by T.C. Savage

Cherry season is in full swing. July is National Ice Cream month, so try some cherry ice cream! Or, you can make this cherry nut bread I developed. I picked cherries with Salem Harvest last year and had some left over after making jam, so I decided to create this bread recipe. You can eat this bread toasted with butter, or you can wrap each loaf in tinfoil and place in a plastic bag to freeze.

Cherry Nut Bread -  makes 3 small loaves

1/4 cup oil or melted butter
1/2 to 3/4 cup sugar
Washed, pitted and chopped sweet cherries to make 1 cup (about 30 Queen Anne cherries)
1 egg
3/4 cup whole wheat flour, 1 cup white flour, ½ cup almond meal
1/2 t. baking powder
1/2 t. baking soda
1/2 t. salt
1/4 t. nutmeg, 1/4 t. cardamom, 1/4 t. cinnamon
1/4 cup vanilla yogurt (plain would probably work too)
1/2 cup chopped nuts

In a small bowl, mix together sugar and chopped cherries. Then add oil and egg. Combine dry ingredients in a large bowl. Add oil mixture alternately with yogurt to the dry ingredients. Fold in chopped nuts. Put in 3 small greased pans, filling half way and bake 350° for 35 to 40 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Let the pans rest for 10 minutes before turning the breads out on a rack to cool.

T.C. Savage has lived in Oregon for over two decades and enjoys cooking, baking, gardening and holidays.