For whatever reason, I think the seasonal quick bread in the winter is cranberry nut bread. Maybe it’s because cranberries are a fall/winter fruit. I also like to think of cranberry nut bread as a little fancier than the standard banana bread, so I send it to family and friends with Christmas cookies.

I’m actually not sure where I got this recipe, but I’ve had great success with it (if I do say so myself). The one hitch is that it includes orange juice and buttermilk which takes extra brain power when I’m at the grocery store (I forgot them, and I had to postpone the baking until after my next grocery trip).

Cranberry Nut Bread

Yields 1 9 x 5 loaf or 3 mini loaves

Ingredients

• 1/3 cup orange juice
• 2 tsp orange zest
• 2/3 cup buttermilk
• 6 Tbs unsalted butter, melted and cooled
• 1 large egg
• 2 cups flour
• 1 cup and 2 Tbs sugar
• 3/4 tsp salt
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp baking soda
• 1 cup cranberries, chopped
• 1/2 cup walnuts, chopped

Method

1. Preheat oven to 375. Prepare loaf pan(s) with non-stick spray.
2. Combine orange juice, zest, buttermilk, butter, and egg.
3. In a separate bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, salt, cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda.
4. Combine wet and dry. Fold in cranberries and walnuts.
5. For 9 x 5 loaf, bake for 20 minutes at 375 then reduce to 350 and bake for 45 minutes. Reduce time for smaller loaves. Use the toothpick test.