Currants pack a lot of nutrition into those tiny red berries.
These red jewels are high in fiber, Vitamin C. Vitamin B, zinc, magnesium, iron and potassium.
Currants are eaten whole as fresh fruit or dried. Dried currants retain their nutritional value and sweetness. If you haven’t tried currants, you are in for a treat. I’d describe their taste as somewhere between a raisin and a cranberry.
This flavor profile allows currants to pair well with other fruit. I like to combine them with wild blueberries or golden raisins.
Currants are popular in jams, jellies, smoothies, and baked goods.
Blueberry Currant Oatmeal Bread
Ingredients
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup bread flour
3/4 cup old fashioned oats
3/4 cup brown sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 tsp. salt
2 eggs
1/4 cup unsalted butter, melted and cooled
1 1/4 cup 2 % milk plus 1/2 cup to reconstitute berries
1 tsp. almond extract
1/2 cup wild dried blueberries
1/2 cup dried currants
Instructions
Soak fruit in 1/2 cup milk for at least an hour. Drain and reserve milk for drinking.
Whisk together flours, oats, brown sugar, baking powder, salt.
In a separate bowl, whisk together 1 1/4 cups milk, almond extract and cooled melted butter.
Blend wet ingredients into dry mixture to form a batter.
Gently fold in berries.
Grease and flour a 9-inch loaf pan. Add batter and sprinkle with oats if desired.
Bake at 350 on center rack of oven for 50 to 60 minutes until inserted toothpick comes out clean.
Cool bread a few minutes in pan on a rack before removing bread finish cooling on rack. Cool completely before slicing.
