Cranberry-Nut Bread

The holidays are approaching and with them, bags of bright, red cranberries merrily fill the grocer's shelves, beaming cheerily to any passer-by. Their crimson color catches the eye and tempts the imagination with possible sauces, salads and breads to further adorn the festive spread. It seems fitting then to give in to the appeal of the cheery fruit and make Cranberry-Nut Bread.

Now, my mom does not like cranberries. Those pretty little berries could never succeed in tempting her which resulted in a cranberry-deprived childhood for me.

Thankfully, my cran-fast was finally broken by the mom of my college friend, Anni. This good woman is always baking some sort of enticing creation for a poor sick lady or laid-up-in-bed grandpa and her daughter's friend was to be no exception.

Upon leaving her home, I was laden with a napkin-ful of deliciously sweet-tart cranberry bread. I was slightly dubious, I admit, being prejudiced against the fruit by my mother's distaste for them. But my dubiousness was turned into exclamations of delight upon opening my mouth to the scarlet-trimmed bread. Bursts of slightly tart fruit mingled with the sweetness of the bread and hints of toasted pecans pleased my tongue and satisfied my stomach. Gone were my apprehensions and in their place was a healthy admiration for that small, red fruit.

Cranberry-Nut Bread

Makes one loaf

1/2 cup pecans, chopped fine

1 T. grated orange zest (optional)

1/3 cup orange juice (without pulp)

2/3 cup buttermilk

6 T. butter, melted and cooled slightly

1 large egg, beaten lightly

2 cups flour
1 cup sugar

1 tsp. salt

1 tsp. baking powder

1/4 tsp. baking soda

1 1/2 cups cranberries, chopped coarse

Start by chopping the pecans. Do you have one of these neat tools? 

Makes chopping nuts so much easier! 

Then toast the pecans. You can do these either of two ways. I like to toast them on the stovetop over medium heat for 3 - 4 minutes, stirring almost constantly, until nuts are fragrant.

Or, you can spread the pecans on a baking sheet and bake in the oven at 375 degrees for 5 - 7 minutes, until nuts are fragrant. 

Set aside to cool while you work on the rest of the batter.

Whichever option you choose, make sure you watch them carefully. 

Burned pecans won't taste so great in your bread. 

You can also skip the toasting if you don't want to go to the trouble.

 It deepens the flavor, but isn't necessary. 

Take a moment to pick over the cranberries. 

Grocery store cranberries have many soft and half-rotting berries. 

Chop the berries coarsely. Set aside. 

In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, salt, baking powder and baking soda.

In a separate medium-sized bowl, whisk together the egg, buttermilk, orange juice, butter and orange zest.

If you don't have an orange handy or don't want to take the time to zest the orange, you can leave the orange zest out. The zest does great things for the flavor of the bread, but isn't necessary. 

Add the buttermilk mixture to the flour mixture. 

Stir until just combined. 

Add the toasted pecans and chopped cranberries and stir until just combined. Don't overmix!

Pour into a greased 9 x 5 inch loaf pan. Bake for 20 minutes at 375 degrees, then reduce heat to 350 degrees for another 40 - 45 minutes. 

Cool at least an hour before serving. 

Recipe from Baking Illustrated.