This quick bread is great for guests or as a present
Whether I’m looking for a gift or a fantastic addition to a holiday brunch, I often turn to quick breads and muffins during this season.
I particularly like to bake this Cranberry-Walnut Quick Bread recipe, studded with tart cranberries and walnuts with a touch of orange zest. This recipe is built to be flexible, so feel free to swap in your favorite fruit and nuts — try pears and hazelnuts for an unusual twist or blueberries and almonds for a familiar combination. It’s a great way to use up any really ripe fruit — bananas in black-spotted jackets and too-soft pears make perfect quick breads.
Quick breads and muffins freeze well, too, so I like to make up a batch to keep on hand for grab-and-go breakfasts and emergency snacks. Indeed, writing this made me want a muffin — luckily, I had a bagful in my freezer to satisfy my craving.
If you’re giving your quick bread as a gift, bake them in a fun-shaped pan — like mini loaves or mini Bundt cakes — and wrap them up in pretty cellophane with a matching ribbon.
Cranberry-Walnut Quick Bread
Prep Time: 25 minutes
Total Time: 1 1/4 hours (muffins)/1 1/2 hours (mini loaves)/2 1/4 hours (large loaf)
- Nonstick baking spray
- Quick-Bread Dry Mix (see recipe)
- 2 large eggs
- 1 cup nonfat buttermilk
- 2/3 cup firmly packed brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
- 2 tablespoons canola oil
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon freshly grated orange zest
- 2 cups chopped cranberries (see tips), fresh or frozen, thawed
- 1/2 cup chopped toasted walnuts (see tips), plus more for topping if desired
Quick-Bread Dry Mix
Whole-wheat pastry flour, lower in protein than regular whole-wheat flour, has less gluten-forming potential, making it a better choice for tender baked goods. You can find it in the natural-foods section of large supermarkets and natural-foods stores. Store in the freezer.
This mix stores nicely in a freezer bag in the freezer for as long as 6 months.
1 1/2 cups whole-wheat pastry flour, (see note) or whole-wheat flour
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
To prepare the Quick-Bread Dry Mix: Whisk together the whole-wheat flour, all-purpose flour, baking powder, cinnamon, baking soda and salt.
To prepare the bread: Heat the oven to 400 degrees for muffins, mini loaves and mini Bundts or 375 degrees for a large loaf. Coat pan(s) with nonstick baking spray.
Whisk the eggs, buttermilk, brown sugar, butter, oil and vanilla in a large bowl until well combined.
Make a well in the center of the bread’s dry-mix ingredients, pour in the wet ingredients and stir until just combined. Add the orange zest, cranberries and walnuts. Stir just to combine; do not overmix. Transfer the batter to the prepared pan(s). Top with additional walnuts, if desired.
Bake until golden brown and a wooden skewer inserted into the center comes out clean, for 22 to 25 minutes for muffins or mini Bundts, 35 minutes for mini loaves, 1 hour and 10 minutes for a large loaf. Let cool in the pan(s) for 10 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack. Let the muffins and mini Bundts cool for 5 minutes more, mini loaves for 30 minutes, large loaves for 40 minutes.
Store, individually wrapped, at room temperature for as long as 2 days or in the freezer for as long as 1 month.
To make quick work of chopping cranberries: Place the whole berries in a food processor and pulse a few times until the berries are coarsely chopped.
To toast walnuts, pecans or hazelnuts: Spread the nuts onto a baking sheet and bake at 350 degrees, stirring once, until fragrant, for 7 to 9 minutes.
To toast sliced almonds: Cook in a small, dry skillet over medium-low heat, stirring constantly, until fragrant and lightly browned, for 2 to 4 minutes.
Each of these recipes will make:
• 1 large loaf (9-inch-by-5-inch pan)
• 3 mini loaves (6-inch-by-3-inch pan, 2-cup capacity)
• 6 mini Bundt cakes (6-cup mini Bundt pan, scant 1-cup capacity per cake)
• 12 muffins (standard 12-cup, 2 1/2-inch muffin pan)
This site is hosted by (click on the graphic for more information)
Return from bread to Home Page
If you want to increase your site popularity and gain thousands of visitors = check out these sites:
