Happy Easter Bread

I love freshly made breads, but I don't really the time or patience to wait for the yeast to grow or the dough to rise. I was flipping through the latest issue of a Williams Sonoma magazine and saw this recipe for cherry almond quick bread. It looked delicious and simple (you don't even need a mixer!)...a perfect way to celebrate Easter. The combination of cherry and almond has always been a favorite, but sadly I really don't see it that often. There was only one thing that I needed that I didn't have on hand - dried cherries. Make sure that you have a loaf pan as well. The recipe called for a mini loaf pan , 8" x 4", however I used an 8" x 8" pan.

I am not sure why I had almond extract already, but that's probably the only other ingredient you'll need. Flour, sugar, salt, baking powder, milk, butter and eggs are the other ingredients. Melt and cool 1 stick of unsalted butter. In a bowl, whisk 2 cups flour, 1 cup sugar, 2 tsp baking powder, and 1/2 tsp salt. Toss in the 1/2 cup chopped cherries. In another mixing bowl, whisk together 3/4 cup of milk, the cooled butter, 2 eggs, and 1 tsp almond extract. The almond extract smells delicious (much better than how raw almonds smell)! Pour the liquids into the flour mixture and stir until combined.

Pour into a lightly greased loaf pan and bake at 350 degrees for 55-60 minutes. I put mine in for 50 minutes, but next time I will put it in for 45 minutes as the crust got a little darker than I would have wanted it to. The bread is a bit on the dense side and the cherries added textural difference. The almond flavor added a hint of nutiness to the bread; Despite its crumbly texture, the bread was moist and not overly sweet. This smells so good when it is baking that you can't wait to pull it out of the oven. Make sure you cool for bread for 10 minutes in the pan and flip out of the pan onto a wire rack to completely. This is so good that I can't wait to make another loaf! Thank you Williams Sonoma for a super delicious recipe! Happy Easter everyone. I hope that you get to enjoy sweet treats and yummy eats with your friends and family!