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Oatmeal Cherry Quick Bread

Oatmeal Cherry Quick Bread: I wanted the quick bread to have healthy ingredients like organic whole oats (iron and fiber), ground flaxseed (fiber, Omega-3s), coconut oil (kills hunger, multiple health benefits) and the fresh cherries (fiber, wards off cancer, inflammation reduction, low glycemic index) that I keep bumping into at the grocery store lately.

Oatmeal Cherry Bread

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I was hankering for some kind of healthy, energy-giving, quick bread that I could visit and revisit throughout the day while chasing my 14 1/2 month old toddler who is into everything these days.  I wanted the quick bread to have healthy ingredients like organic whole oats (iron and fiber), ground flaxseed (fiber, Omega-3s), coconut oil (kills hunger, multiple health benefits) and the fresh cherries (fiber, wards off cancer, inflammation reduction, low glycemic index) that I keep bumping into at the grocery store lately.

This recipe is lactating-mom friendly, meaning it has ingredients like oatmeal and flaxseed which supports the nutritional needs of a lactating mother.  But really, anyone can eat and enjoy it.  My husband, Eric (the lactose-intolerant member of the family), liked it and my toddler, Margo (the bread lover), enjoyed it as well.  She normally doesn’t eat raw cherries but she went for them when they are baked into bread!

For the ground flaxseed, I used Hodgson Mill Ground Flaxseed.  For the coconut milk, I used So Delicious Unsweetened Coconut Milk.  For the coconut sugar, I used Madhava Coconut Sugar.

Though Oatmeal Cherry Quick Bread has 1/2 a cup coconut sugar (the original recipe calls for 1 cup regular refined sugar), it’s not a super sweet bread and doesn’t leave an overly sugary taste in your mouth.  There are large chunks of cherries which add a lightly sweet and tart flavor.  This bread is moist almost like how banana bread can be but not mushy in any way.  The color is golden and it’s so pretty with those bright red cherries peeking through.  Eating this bread is like eating cake without any guilt and made better by biting into juicy and delicious cherries.

Oatmeal Cherry Bread Sliced

•  View my tutorial on how to prepare a Flaxseed “Egg” here.

Oatmeal Cherry Quick Bread

Oatmeal Cherry Quick Bread

Yield: 14 slices
Prep Time: 25 minutes
Cook Time: 50 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour 15 minutes

Oatmeal Cherry Quick Bread is dairy-free, lactating mom-friendly, loaded with healthy ingredients and great for breakfast & snacking. No electric mixer required!

Ingredients

  • 2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1/2 cup coconut sugar
  • 1/2 cup organic whole oats
  • 1 tablespoon baking powder
  • 2 tablespoons of ground flaxseed
  • 1/4 teaspoon sea salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1 egg
  • 1 cup unsweetened coconut milk
  • 1/4 cup room temperature coconut oil
  • 1-1/2 cups hand pitted, , ripped in half fresh cherries, washed and dry of excess water *see notes below for tips on pitting the cherries

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 9x5x3 inch loaf pan with coconut oil and set aside.
  2. Using a large bowl, mix flour, coconut sugar, baking powder, ground flaxseed, sea salt and cinnamon until combined. Using your hands mix in coconut oil until mixture is crumbly.
  3. In a small-medium bowl, mix egg, coconut milk and then add the pitted ripped in half cherries. Add egg mixture to the flour mixture and mix until just combined.
  4. Using a baking spatula, scrape the batter into the loaf pan and spread evenly. Bake for 50 to 55 minutes. To test for doneness, use a wooden toothpick, insert into center and if it comes out clean then it's done. Cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then take loaf out of pan (be careful, bread may still be hot) and cool on a wire rack completely before slicing. Store in an airtight container for up to 3 days.
© Sara Maniez, LifesLittleSweets.com
Cuisine: Dairy-Free / Category: Quick Breads

Oatmeal Cherry Quick Bread Wrapped

Notes:

  • If you have a different size quick bread pan other than the one noted in the recipe, make sure to adjust for baking times.
  • If you don’t have coconut oil, you can substitute canola oil instead.
  • If you want the bread to be more sweet, perhaps more of a dessert bread, you can do up to 1 cup of sugar vs. the 1/2 cup that I specify.
  • Kosher or regular salt can be substituted for sea salt.  I like the more complex taste of sea salt, so that’s why I use it but it’s really a background flavor in this particular recipe.
  • Make sure to get all the pits out when you pit the cherries.  Pitting them by hand keeps more of the flesh than cutting them (I’ve tried both methods).  Use your thumbs at the top of the cherry, split them in half, take the pit out and shred the flesh slightly with your fingers.  Messy but worth it.
  • Brewer’s yeast would also help make this bread even more of a lactating mom-friendly recipe;  I haven’t tried using it with this recipe but I do have some on order that I will test out.
  • Random fact: National Cherry Day is July 16th in the United Kingdom.

Recipe Attribution:

Adapted from “Nut Bread,” p.131 in “Better Homes and Gardens New Cook Book, Celebrating the Promise, Limited Edition”

Oatmeal Cherry Quick Bread Pin

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Sara Maniez

Owner at Life's Little Sweets
Sara is an architectural designer turned work-at-home Mom.She lives in NJ with her husband, two kids under 5 and dog. She loves design, being creative and spending time with family and friends.She enjoys and shares baking, vegan, traditional & family recipes as well as DIY, lifestyle, organization and design ideas.
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Comments

  1. Sarah says

    August 28, 2015 at 9:20 am

    5 stars
    I love fruity quick breads – it’s like healthier cake that I can have for breakfast! I bet this smells fantastic fresh out of the oven

    Reply

    • Sara says

      August 28, 2015 at 2:46 pm

      Thanks for stopping by! Yes, I all about being able to customize depending on what’s available and what food lifestyle people have, I try to be as inclusive as possible! I just checked out your blog as well and I love your collection of recipes! You have a nice range of delicious recipes, I will be stopping back there again for sure! I’m now following you on FB 🙂

      Reply

    • Sara says

      August 29, 2015 at 2:47 pm

      Hi Hillary! Thank you for stopping by, it’s nice to see you outside of your Chicory e-mail updates! I stopped by your blog yesterday and had a look around, I LOVE your food BTW.

      Reply

  19. Diane says

    August 29, 2015 at 4:02 am

    This is my kind of recipe! I love that you cook with coconut oil. Also the coconut milk looks great in this with those yummy fresh cherries. I want to eat this bread!

    Reply

  24. LydiaF says

    August 29, 2015 at 11:30 am

    5 stars
    I use a paperclip to pit my cherries, but if you’re going to cut them in half anyway, using your bare hands is fun! This loaf would be awesome with so many different fruits. Thanks for sharing a vegan version.

    Reply

    • Sara says

      August 29, 2015 at 2:33 pm

      Hey J, I just stopped by your blog after I saw this comment, I love your blogs design, recipes and your photos! Thank you for stopping by!

      Reply

  32. Tina Marie says

    August 30, 2015 at 2:25 pm

    5 stars
    This sounds amazing! I’m a big coconut oil fan and I love the idea of the flax as an egg replacement. I’ve printed this recipe out for future reference. Thanks.

    Reply

    • Sara says

      August 30, 2015 at 11:08 pm

      Hi Tina! Isn’t coconut oil the best? I love cooking/baking with it and I only started a under 2 years ago. It’s just so versatile. Thank you for visiting!

      Reply

  35. Michelle@healthiersteps says

    August 31, 2015 at 2:24 am

    I love quick breads especially when they are healthy as yours. Love flax seeds and use them as egg replacer.

    Reply

  39. Lauren @ Create Bake Make says

    September 26, 2015 at 7:02 am

    5 stars
    This sounds really yummy, my sister is expecting a baby in the next couple of months and this would make the perfect snck for her and her 2 year old. Thanks for linking up with us for Fabulous Foodie Fridays, I hope you have a great weekend 🙂

    Reply

    • Sara says

      September 26, 2015 at 1:06 pm

      Hi Lauren, I plan to be sharing more lactation-friendly recipes like this which would be good for new moms & busy moms that need healthy snacks. I feel like recipes like this are becoming more my “niche.” Filling that sort of need is definitely close to my heart as a mom! Thank you for your kind comment and visiting my blog!

      Reply

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