Cranberry bread – A bite of fresh and juicy cranberries and walnuts with a hint of orange zest and orange juice with a hot cup of tea – what else can you ask for?
I have a love and hate relationship with December. Trust me, I seriously do. I hate to be at work and love to be at home. (I hope my boss is not reading this post though) J
What’s so special about this month?
We spent two weeks in India last year, so I could not do much baking and cooking. Trust me every time I opened my Facebook and found my food blogger friends sharing cake and cookie recipes, I said to my husband –“Man, I miss Christmas baking”. So this year I am planning to do a bakeathon, only if my health permits.
What I love about winter and December is baking goodies while draping myself in a red cozy fleece robe from L.L.Bean. There are candles in every nook and cranny of my nest. Christmas tree and winter decors are blinking. Meanwhile, my husband is making delicious spicy Mexican hot chocolate or spicy apple cider and I am sipping them while biting a piece of my cake and cookies.
Now you tell me, who can leave such an environment and go to work at 7:30 am every day? Well, my dad says –’you enjoy what you don’t have much.’ I guess that’s true. I am a working professional, so maybe that’s why I love my home so much.
I got two bags of cranberries for home décor and thanksgiving. I love their red jewel shape and tanginess so much. My mom says it’s not easy to get cranberries, so I am planning to bring dried cranberries for her next year – so that she can bake this.
A couple of years back, we hosted a Christmas and holiday party at our home. Mom and I cooked and invited our friends and family. One kind-hearted aunt of mine brought us some good cranberry bread. Mom and I loved it the best out of all of the gifts.
This loaf is super simple to make. Trust me, I am not a very novice baker and I am saying this. You can bake this while singing your favorite tune. These are not only perfect for evening snacks with any hot beverage, but also an excellent choice for Christmas gifts.
Before you raise your eyebrows about an Indian origin person baking some cranberry bread – let me assure you, this is NOT my recipe. I have consulted a few recipes but, finally settled on a Times recipe. You can find that recipe here. I have altered it slightly according to my taste.
Recipe for Cranberry bread
You can use any choice nuts that you prefer.
- butter and flour to grease
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 8 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
- 1 large egg
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- ¾ cup orange juice
- 1 tablespoon fresh grated orange zest
- 1 ½ cups chopped fresh cranberries
- 1/2 cup chopped walnut
- 1 teaspoon powdered sugar(for garnish)
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh cranberries(for garnish)
- Preheat the oven to 350 F. Grease a 9 by 5 inch loaf pan.
- In a mixing bowl, add flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. With a fork, stir it to mix it well.
- In a stand-mixer bowl, add butter, egg and sugar. Run in on a medium/low speed for 2 to 3 minutes, or until they are incorporated.
- Add dry ingredients, orange juice and orange zest. Mix it for 3 to 4 minutes, or until it forms a thick batter (check the picture above).
- Add fresh cranberries, walnut and gently fold them with a rubber spatula. Pour the batter into the loaf pan and bake for 1 hour and 15 minutes or until an inserted toothpick is clean. {Note: if you’re using small loaf tins, you should bake for 45 minutes} Garnish with powdered sugar and fresh cranberries. Serve with tea.
Awesome Post !!! And you are truly the action Queen:)
Absolutely gorgeous clicks Dolphia.. The new website design is good. Simple and interactive.
Thank you so much 🙂
In love with the steam photo and the action shots.
Beautiful lighting and wonderful choice of props Dol.
BTW your new design is very good!