Cranberry-Walnut Quick Bread
Cranberry-Walnut Quick Bread

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 Cranberry-Walnut Quick Bread 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 breads 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. Happy holidays!

Cranberry-Walnut Quick Bread Recipe

    Prep Time: 25 minutes

    Cook time: 65 minutes

    Yield: Serves 12

Cranberry-Walnut Quick Bread Recipe Ingredients

    2 large eggs

    1 cup nonfat buttermilk (see Tips)

    2/3 cup 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:

    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

Cranberry-Walnut Quick Bread Recipe Instructions

    Preheat oven to 400°F for muffins, mini loaves and mini Bundts or 375 F for a large loaf. Coat pan(s) (see "Pan Options") with cooking spray.

    Prepare Quick-Bread Dry Mix.

    Whisk eggs, buttermilk, brown sugar, butter, oil and vanilla in a large bowl until well combined.

    Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients, pour in the wet ingredients and stir until just combined. Add orange zest, cranberries and walnuts. Stir just to combine; do not overmix. Transfer 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, 22 to 25 minutes for muffins or mini Bundts, 35 minutes for mini loaves, 1 hour 10 minutes for a large loaf. Let cool in the pan(s) for 10 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack. Let 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 up to 2 days or in the freezer for up to 1 month.

    Tips: No buttermilk? Mix 1 tablespoon lemon juice into 1 cup milk.

    To make quick work of chopping cranberries, place whole berries in a food processor and pulse a few times until the berries are coarsely chopped.

    To toast walnuts, pecans or hazelnuts, spread nuts onto a baking sheet and bake at 350 F, stirring once, until fragrant, 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, 2 to 4 minutes.

    Pan Options:

    Each of these recipes will make:

    1 large loaf (9-by-5-inch pan)

    3 mini loaves (6-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)

    Quick-Bread Dry Mix:

    Whisk whole-wheat flour, all-purpose flour, baking powder, cinnamon, baking soda and salt.

    Make Ahead Tip: Stores nicely in a freezer bag in the freezer for up to 6 months.

Cranberry-Walnut Quick Bread Nutrition Facts:

Per serving: 225 calories; 9 g fat (2 g sat, 3 g mono); 41 mg cholesterol; 32 g carbohydrate; 6 g protein; 3 g fiber; 184 mg sodium; 83 mg potassium

2 Carbohydrate Servings

Exchanges: 1 starch, 1 other carbohydrate, 1 1/2 fat

Ingredient Note:

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.

 

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Cranberry-Walnut Quick Bread Recipe

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