Cherry-Studded Seed Bread

This bread makes you feel good. It's not too sweet, kinda dense and moist. And I just love biting into one of those tart cherries. It was inspired by Angela's bread here.

Whisk the wet ingredients separately. The hot water helps to melt the cashew (or almond butter).

My bread was a little soft and under cooked in the middle, but I didn't mind. It's hard to get quick breads just right with the baking times! And this is vegan, so no worries about raw eggs.

The Recipe

makes one loaf

1 ripe banana
1/4 cup cashew butter (or almond butter)
1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
1/3 cup almond milk (other other milk of your choice)
1 heaping tablespoon coconut oil
1 tablespoon chia seeds
1/3 cup boiling, or very hot, water
3/4 cup sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
1 3/4 cups flour (I used oat and chickpea flour, and a little white)
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 cup unsalted sunflower seeds (or other seeds like pepitas or flax)
1 cup pitted tart cherries (fresh or frozen)

Preheat oven to 325F degrees. Line a loaf pan with parchment paper and lightly oil.

In a medium-sized bowl, mash banana with fork. Whisk in cashew butter, applesauce, milk, coconut oil and chia seeds. Pour in hot water and whisk again. Add sugar and vanilla. Stir well.

In a separate large bowl, combine dry ingredients. Add wet mixture and stir just until moistened. Fold in seeds and cherries. Reserve a few cherries for the topping, if desired. Pour in prepared pan and gently press in reserved cherries.

Bake for about 75 minutes, or longer if needed. My loaf was a little mushy in the middle, but I didn't mind!