Tuesday, December 16, 2008

Cranberry Walnut Bread


I bought some fresh cranberries on sale the week of Thanksgiving and have been keeping them in my freezer until I figured out what to do with them. I have slowly been collecting recipes that call for fresh cranberries instead of dried and decided to make this one last Friday during my mid-exam baking frenzy. The tartness of the cranberries and orange flavor make this bread a great contrast in flavor to other heavier baked goods that might be around this time of year. It's a great morning pick-me-up or good for a snack on a gloomy day.
I liked that it's not as sweet or greasy as other quick breads and doesn't contain a lot of fat. Joe really liked this bread a lot, and I'm sure you will too!
Cranberry Walnut Bread
Ingredients
2 c. all purpose flour
1/2 c. granulated sugar
1 Tbsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp grated orange zest
2/3 c. juice from an orange
2 eggs, lightly beaten
3 Tbsp unsalted butter, melted
1/2 c. shelled walnuts, coarsely chopped
1 1/4 c. fresh cranberries
Directions
-Preheat oven to 350 degrees and prepare a standard loaf pan.
-In a small mixing bowl, combine orange juice, eggs, butter, and stir to combine thoroughly; set aside.
-In large mixing bowl, sift together flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt.
-Add orange zest and stir to combine.
-Add wet ingredients to well in dry ingredients and mix until just combined (don't over mix).
-Fold in walnuts and cranberries and transfer mixture to prepared loaf pan.
-Place into oven and bake until knife inserted into center comes out clean, about 50-55 minutes.
-Remove bread from oven and cool in pan for 15 minutes.
-Remove from pan and cool completely on wire rack.
-Wrap and put away for 1 to 2 days before serving.