Cranberry Orange Bread
Cranberry Orange Bread – doesn’t that flavor combination just make you think of Christmas? I made this bread last weekend using the cranberries I had left after making the cranberry relish. (Side note: does anybody know how long cranberries will last in the fridge?) If there are any cranberries wasting away in your refrigerator, go get them right now and make this bread. If not…well, this bread is worth a quick trip to the grocery store.
The bread itself is sweet and dense and a little crumbly. The cranberries are tart, but when surrounded by the sweet bread, you barely notice the tartness. As I said above, the flavor pairing of orange and cranberry is perfect for Christmas and is absolutely delicious. The bread gets better as it sits, so I’d recommend making it a day in advance of when you want to serve it.
Mike liked this bread a lot more than I thought he would. I thought he’d be turned off by the cranberries, but considering how much he’s eaten, I don’t think that was a problem. As for me, I love this bread. I just may start stockpiling bags of cranberries in the freezer (like my mom!) so I can make it year round.
*Note: The recipe makes 1 normal size loaf of bread. I made two smaller loaves because I think they’re cute and because all of my normal size loaf pans were already in use.
Cranberry Orange Bread
Ingredients:
2 cups all purpose flour
1 1/2 cups fresh cranberries
zest of one orange
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
4 ounces butter, melted
1 egg
3/4 cup granulated sugar
Directions:
*Note: original recipe called for 1/2 cup roughly chopped walnuts. I left them out due to a nut allergy in the family, but I think they would be a great addition!
Preheat oven to 350 and grease a loaf pan. In a large bowl, mix together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, orange zest, cranberries and walnuts if using. In a separate bowl, whisk together the melted butter, granulated sugar and egg. Combine the wet and dry ingredients and stir to combine. The dough will be on the dry side and almost resemble sugar cookie dough.
Press the dough into the greased loaf pan and sprinkle sugar over the top. Bake for about an hour to an hour and fifteen minutes. The top of the loaf will be a rich golden brown. Let cool before slicing.
If the cranberries are too tart for your taste, serve with butter and honey on top. I like it with just butter, but Mike prefers the butter and honey.
adapted, slightly, from Eat Live Run