COOKING WITH KIDS: WHOLE WHEAT CHERRY VANILLA BREAD

Next up on our Cooking With Kids series is a super easy cherry vanilla bread. Making quick breads is an easy way to introduce kids to baking. There are lots of measured steps which you pretty much dump in one bowl so it’s easy for kids to do without a lot of complicated steps.

I recently took advantage of fresh seasonal cherries and made this whole wheat cherry vanilla bread with my kids. It was fun for them to pit the cherries and easy to add the ingredients. Not only is this a yummy recipe that’s great for breakfast or snack, it can all be made in one bowl!

One Bowl Whole Wheat Cherry Vanilla Bread – Ingredients:

– 1 3/4 cups whole wheat flour

– 3/4 cups brown sugar

– 3/4 tsp baking soda

– 1/4 tsp kosher salt

– 1 egg

– 1 stick (8 tbsp) melted, unsalted butter

– 1 tbsp vanilla extract

– 1/2 cup milk (we used 2%)

– 2 cups pitted fresh cherries

*You will also need a 9 x 5″ loaf pan and a round pastry tip to pit the cherries.

Steps:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees and grease your baking pan.

1. Have your child pit the cherries. A good trick is to use a round pastry tip and press down the center of a cherry on the smaller hole, then extract the pit. If you don’t have a pastry tip, you can cut each cherry in half with a small knife and then your child can take the pit out. The pastry tip trick works and is so much easier (and more fun!). So I highly recommend getting one – they can easily be found anywhere and are pretty inexpensive – plus they have other uses in baking.

2. Ask you child to add the following to a large bowl: flour, brown sugar, salt, baking soda, egg, melted butter, vanilla and milk. Mix until all ingredients are incorporated, but make sure to not over mix the batter so the crumb doesn’t get too tough during baking.

3. Add the cherries and combine just to mix, gently so the cherries don’t break apart too much.

4. Have your child add the batter to the pre-greased baking pan. Tip: it helps to do this using a measuring cup which is easier for little hands vs. spoon by spoon.

5. Bake for about 45-50 minutues in a 375 pre-heated oven until you get a nice golden loaf like this.

This easy cherry vanilla bread isn’t too sweet and has the fresh flavors of cherries which combines well with the vanilla. We had it as a snack, dessert and breakfast the next day. Next time, I would double the recipe because it goes quickly!

I bet it would also taste good with other seasonal fruits like peaches, nectarines or berries.

What are some of your favorite quick bread recipes?