CRANBERRY ORANGE BREAD - QUICK BREAD VARIETY

Each year when fall arrives and the weather cools, my hubby starts looking to see if I will be making some cranberry orange bread.  My barometer is a little less weather related and more have the stores starting having fresh cranberries related. This is his favorite quick bread and I have tried many recipes and this is his favorite as it has both fresh and dried cranberries, has a great texture so the slices don't fall apart when cut - plus he just likes this bread best.

Just wanted to add this photograph taken by my dear DIL a couple of weeks ago in her neighborhood (five minutes from me) fall was in full glory. My granddaughter (in orange) and her BFF enjoying the beauty of the season.

What you would expect for ingredients for cranberry orange bread with maybe the exception of buttermilk and both fresh (may use frozen) and dried cranberries with the walnuts toasted.

One of the things that I do that really helps to keep the dried cranberries from sticking to the knife, is I dust them with some Wondra flour prior to the chopping.  Also, please remember to toast the walnuts as it is so worth the effort.

The recipe does not call for this but just before I pop the bread into the oven I dust the top with some sugar.
I doubled the recipe and this loaf, turned over and ready to be wrapped in plastic wrap and then foil and into the freezer and marked "Cod Fish" so it does not disappear! LOL!

Recipe Cranberry Orange Bread

Ingredients

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ¼ teaspoon baking soda
• ¾ cup buttermilk
• ¼ cup orange juice
• 2 teaspoons finely grated orange zest
• 6 tablespoons butter, melted and cooled
• 1 large egg, at room temperature
• 1½ cups cranberries, fresh or frozen, roughly chopped
• ½ cup toasted walnut halves, chopped
• ⅓ cup dried cranberries, roughly chopped

Instructions

1. Position rack in the center of your oven. Preheat to 350° F. Coat a 9-inch by 5-inch loaf pan with nonstick spray and lightly coat with flour; set aside.
2. Whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, salt and baking soda in a large bowl.
3. Whisk together the buttermilk, orange juice, zest and melted butter in a small bowl. Whisk in egg until incorporated.
4. Pour wet ingredients over dry ingredients and whisk gently just until combined, finishing off with a rubber spatula. Gently fold in cranberries and nuts.
5. Scrape batter into loaf pan and bake for about 55 minutes. A toothpick should test clean when inserted in center of bread, the top will be golden and risen and the edges will just be pulling away from the sides of the pan.
6. Cool pan on rack for 10 minutes, then turn bread out and cool completely on rack. Wrap in plastic wrap and let sit at room temperature at least overnight before slicing. This bread freezes well and I often will double the recipe so I have a loaf for the freezer.

  Thank you for stopping by, Happy Thanksgiving!