Ever Ready: Cranberry Orange Nut Bread

Tuesday, October 24, 2017

Cranberry Orange Nut Bread

Cranberry orange nut bread is a great loaf for late fall, early winter as cranberries, oranges, and walnuts are all in season. Buy an orange and squeeze it fresh to get the best juice for this recipe (grate the peel first). You can easily prep the cranberries by pulsing them a few times in the food processor, or manually cut them in half first, then do a rough chop.

I loved the cinnamony taste, with bursts of tart tangy cranberries and the added crunch of walnuts. Since I used lot of Saigon cinnamon (1 tablespoon) the loaf pictured is darker than the standard looking cranberry bread, it's all a matter of preference.

The bread was so delicious. I was weak and unable to stop at only one piece.

Recipe inspired by onceuponachef.com and makes one 9 x 5-inch loaf (about 10 slices)

Ingredients

1/3 cup orange juice

2 tsp. grated orange zest, from one orange

2/3 cup buttermilk

6 TB. butter, melted

1 large egg

2 cups all-purpose flour, spooned into measuring cup and leveled-off

1 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar

3/4 tsp. salt

2 tsp. Saigon cinnamon

1 tsp. baking powder

1/4 tsp. baking soda

1 cup fresh or frozen cranberries, chopped coarse (see note)

1/2 cup walnuts or pecans

Directions:

Adjust oven rack to middle position and preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray bottom of 9 x 5-inch loaf pan with non-stick cooking spray.

In a small bowl, whisk together orange juice, orange zest, buttermilk, butter and egg. Set aside.

In a large bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, salt, cinnamon, baking powder and baking soda. Stir liquid ingredients into dry with rubber spatula until just moistened. Gently stir in cranberries and nuts. Do not overmix.

Scrape batter into prepared loaf pan and spread evenly with a rubber spatula. Bake for 45 minutes or until toothpick inserted into center of loaf comes out clean.

Cool loaf in pan for about 10 minutes, then turn out onto wire rack and cool at least one hour before serving.

Note: Cranberries are a bit tricky to chop because they roll all over the place. You can use a food processor if you like but I think it's easier to just cut each one in thirds with a sharp knife; it's only one cup so it doesn't take long. If you're using frozen cranberries, be sure to chop them while they're still frozen.

Still craving more cranberry recipes? Try some of these links to some previously posted recipes from Ever Ready.

Baked Camembert with Orange Cranberry Orange Relish