Cranberry Walnut Bread

When my hubby lived in Portland, OR, he would drive an hour and a half one-way to Bandon by the Sea, on the Oregon coast just to buy the cranberry bread that he loved. If I had known that story before, I would have made this bread long ago!

This is a Mark Bittman recipe, with an interesting technique of incorporating butter with flour. Most bread recipes will use either melted butter or oil, stirred into flour. This recipe calls for cold butter to be cut into the flour, with a pastry cutter or food processor, like in a pie dough or scones. I think the technique makes the bread or cake more tender.

I was mainly inspired to make this recipe to use up cranberries in our freezer before fresh ones start becoming available again in the stores for Thanksgiving.  I've never had one of my baked goods go so quickly! (except maybe the chocolate chip cookies...) Two days after I made it, the loaf is almost all gone! Will have to make another one soon and use up the rest of the cranberries.

Cranberry-Orange Nut Bread
4 Tbsp (1/2 stick) cold butter
2 cups (9 oz) all-purpose flour
1 cup sugar
1.5 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
3/4 cup orange juice
(1 Tbsp grated orange zest -- I did not use this)
1 egg
1 cup fresh cranberries, coarsely chopped (I cut each berry in 2)
1/2 cup toasted walnuts

1. Preheat oven to 350. Grease a 9x5" pan.
2. Stir together dry ingredients (flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt).
3. In food processor, combine cold butter and flour mixture, until butter is in tiny pieces ("smaller than a pea" per Mark Bittman).
4. Beat together orange juice and egg. Pour into dry ingredients, mixing until just combined (do not overmix).
5. Fold in the cranberries and nuts.
6. Bake for ~60 minutes, until bread is golden brown. Cool for 15 minutes before removing from pan.

Chopped cranberries and walnuts

Beautiful chopped fresh cranberries

Pretty batter - reminds me of Christmas

Golden brown from the oven

Tender crumb of the bread