Bread Machine Cherry Bread with Chocolate Chips

You can easily bake a delicious chocolate cherry loaf using a bread machine by adding the wet and dry ingredients first, then folding in the chocolate chips and dried cherries during the machine's mix-in beep. This recipe makes a 2-pound loaf with a rich chocolate flavour and sweet pockets of fruit.

Wet Ingredients:
1 cup milk, warmed
2 Tbsp. butter, softened

Dry Ingredients:
3 cups bread flour
¼ cup cocoa powder
4 Tbsp. sugar
1 tsp. sea salt
2 tsp. bread machine yeast

Add-Ins:
½ cup dried cherries, soaked in warm water and drained
½ cup dark or semi-sweet chocolate chips

Add the wet ingredients to the bread pan. 

Add all dry ingredients, except yeast, to the bread pan. 

Tap the bread pan to settle the dry ingredients and then level, pushing some of them into the corners. Lock pan into the bread maker. Make an indentation in the center of the dry ingredients and fill with yeast. 

MENU: Cake/Quick Bread

Scrape the sides with a rubber spatula during the first beep/mixing cycle to blend any stray flour or cocoa clumps.

Add the Mix-Ins: When the machine beeps for add-ins (usually near the end of the second knead), add the drained dried cherries and chocolate chips. Or, place them in an add-in tray at the start of the cycle.

Once the cycle completes, remove the loaf and let it cool completely on a wire rack before slicing.