Cranberries! Big, bouncy, bright red cranberries!
Cranberries are harvested between mid-September and mid-November, when they are at their peak for color and flavor. Their ruby red color makes them a favorite for holiday decorating, cooking, and baking. They’re also known as bounceberries, and if you’ve ever dropped one on the floor, you know why.
Cranberry Orange Quick Bread, made with both fresh and dried cranberries, orange juice and zest, and pecans, is a favorite of ours this time of year. It’s just sweet enough to balance the tartness of the cranberries, and the buttermilk keeps it moist. The recipe makes 6 mini loaves or 2 regular loaves, which makes it a great recipe for sharing.
- 4 cups flour
- 2 cups sugar
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- 1-1/2 cups buttermilk
- ½ cup orange juice
- 1 tablespoon grated orange zest
- 12 tablespoons (1-1/2 sticks) butter, melted and cooled
- 2 eggs
- 3 cups fresh cranberries, coarsely chopped
- 1 cup pecan halves, coarsely chopped
- ⅔ cup dried cranberries, coarsely chopped
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray 6 mini loaf pans, or 2 regular loaf pans, or 1 bundt pan with cooking spray and set aside.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, and baking soda.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the buttermilk, orange juice, zest, and melted butter. Whisk in eggs until thoroughly combined.
- Pour the wet ingredients over the dry ingredients and stir just until combined. Gently fold in cranberries and nuts.
- Divide batter among prepared pans, filling each approximately ¾ full.
- Bake for approximately 45 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. The top of the bread will be golden, and the bread will have risen and the edges will be just pulling away from the sides of the pan.
- Allow to cool, then wrap in plastic and let sit at room temperature several hours (preferably overnight) before slicing and serving.
Hot out of the oven, and they smell so good!
Delicious giving
