This recipe is from the simply gorgeous Elise Bauer of Simply Recipes, and is a really terrific take on this New England favorite. Having some cranberries to use up after making last week’s cranberry tart, I was determined to find a new recipe for one of my favorite cranberry studded treats, cranberry nut bread. I cruised the web looking for the best recipe I could find, and while I came across tons of them, found Elise’s to be the most appealing for a number of reasons.
First, she used less sugar than most in her bread, and given that I often eat this treat for breakfast, I find a less sweet version more appealing. Second, her addition of orange juice and zest adds a depth of flavor that makes this bread truly memorable. There is hardly anything better (for breakfast, or at any other point in the day) than to toast up a thick slice of this goodness, slather it was some lovely salted butter, and luxuriate in its tender, tart-sweetness.
I doubled the recipe and made two loaves the other day, because a) I had plenty of cranberries left to use, and b) why the #$@& wouldn’t I want to have an extra one of these lovely loaves to tuck away in my freezer for another day when I just GOTTA have a slice?
The recipe calls for “chopped” cranberries, but I found that just slicing them in half worked nicely. This recipe is so straight forward that it is a great one to make with your kids. The only part of the prep you’ll really need to watch is the cutting of the berries, as they are prone to roll out from under your knife if you’re not careful. For that reason, unless you’re working with a teen with some decent knife skills, you might want to tackle that chore yourself, while your kiddo measures and mixes everything else.
Cheers – S
Ingredients
- 2 cups flour
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 3/4 cup coarsely chopped walnuts
- 1 cup chopped cranberries
- 3/4 cup orange juice
- 1/4 cup butter, melted
- 1 egg, beaten
- 1 Tbsp grated orange peel
Instructions
- Pre-heat oven to 350°F.
- Mix the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a large mixing bowl. Add the chopped cranberries and walnuts to coat with the flour mixture.
- Mix together orange juice, sugar, butter, egg, and orange peel. Add to flour, cranberry, nut mixture and stir with a wooden spoon until just blended.
- Pour into a greased 9x5 or 8x4 loaf pan. Bake at 350°F for 55 to 60 minutes or until done (a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean).
- Cool in pan for 10 minutes. Remove from pan and cool on a wire rack.