Anything Fruit Bread

Ingredients

1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup whole wheat flour
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
½ tsp salt
½ cup 1 stick unsalted butter, softened
½ cup granulated sugar
½ cup brown sugar packed (save calories and substitute 1/4 cup of brown sugar Splenda)
½ tsp vanilla extract
½ tsp cinnamon and ginger
Pinch of cloves
2 eggs
2 tbs sour cream
Zest of one lemon

Flavor Variations:

1 cup fresh or frozen black cherries pitted and quartered
or
1 cup about 2 mashed ripe bananas
or
1 cup fresh or frozen hulled and chopped strawberries
or
1 cup fresh or frozen cranberries chopped change lemon zest for orange zest
Add any or all of the below max 1 cup of extras
½ cup diced pecans
and/or
½ cup raisins
and/or
½ cup chocolate chips
and/or
½ cup dried Cranberries

Instructions

Preheat oven to 325°F. Spray or grease a 9x5-inch loaf pan.
In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside. In a large bowl, using an electric mixer, cream the butter, sugar, and vanilla extract until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Beat in the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Mix in the flour, sour cream, spices, and lemon zest.
By hand mix in the fruit and extras, be gentle!! Pour into the loaf pan and bake in the center of the oven for 1 hour to 1 hour 10 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.

Recipe Notes

You can use a thick plastic straw to pit the cherries, just pull off stem and use the straw to pop the pit out the other side. The ones from Panara or Starbucks will work great.

Freeze over-ripe fruit until you have enough to make a batch of bread, but if you freeze bananas be sure to peel them first.