Cranberry-Walnut Quick Bread

This Cranberry Walnut Quick Bread is the perfect blend of sweet, tart, and nutty flavors. Loaded with fresh cranberries and crunchy walnuts, this moist, tender loaf is easy to bake and ideal for breakfast, brunch, holiday gatherings, or a satisfying snack any time of day.

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!

Why You’ll Love This Quick Bread

    This bread combines the sweet-tart burst of fresh cranberries with wholesome walnut crunch. It’s simple to bake, made without yeast, and versatile enough for morning coffee, school lunches, or holiday gatherings.

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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