Cherry Grape Tea Bread

I've been going through an old recipe notebook to see which recipes are worth keeping and which I should toss. I found a recipe from 2007 that the Welch's Grape Juice folks had apparently shared with our local newspaper, and they suggest this tea bread as a good way of incorporating a little more fruit into the diet. This bread doesn't contain quite as much sugar as some of the tea breads I usually make, so I liked that and decided to give this one a try.

I used to fret over the fact that my tea breads always had a crack down the middle, and I later learned this is completely normal. I liked how the directions for this recipe say to check it for doneness by seeing if "the center crack looks dry." That makes it pretty clear that there will be a center crack.

This was an easy recipe to make, and my husband I both enjoyed it. When he said it tasted lighter (not knowing what the ingredients were), I asked him whether he meant the texture or the taste. He thought for a minute then said, "Both!" I thought that was a good assessment. So if a tea bread made with cherries and grape juice appeals to you, too, I'm happy to recommend this one. And of course sipping a cup of cherry tea alongside it will make it taste even better!

Cherry Grape Tea Bread

2 cups all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

3/4 cup packed brown sugar

2 large eggs

3/4 cup 100% grape juice

1/3 cup canola oil *

1 5.5 -ounce package dried cherries, coarsely chopped **

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and prepare a 9 x 5 x 3-inch loaf pan with cooking spray. In a large bowl, combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt and set aside. In a medium bowl, combine sugar, eggs, grape  juice, and oil and blend. Pour liquid ingredients into dry ones and stir till moistened. Add the cherries and combine. Pour batter into pan and bake for 50 minutes or until top is brown and the center crack looks dry. Yields 12 servings.

* The original recipe calls for canola oil, but I didn't have any and used vegetable oil instead. 

** I found only a 5-ounce package of dried cherries at the grocery store, but that seemed close enough! And I didn't wish to bother chopping the cherries, so I didn't, although it probably would have been more colorful inside if I had.

Here's the nutrition info for a serving of this bread when made with canola oil: 240 calories, 6g fat, 0 saturated fat, 3g protein, 42g carbohydrate, 30 mg cholesterol, 260mg sodium, 1g fiber.