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One of my favorite things to make is quick breads. I just love how easily they come together. The other thing that is really nice about quick bread recipes is the number of variations you can make for yourself. They are fun to experiment with and pretty simple to make. One quick bread that I love is this Dried Cranberry Orange Loaf from Jeanne Lemlin’s Vegetarian Classics. The zest from two oranges gives this bread a wonderful flavor and aroma. The dried cranberries are an excellent balance to the slight sweetness of the bread. All and all, this has to be one of my favorite quick breads.
Here is Jeanne Lemlin’s Dried Cranberry Orange Loaf
- 2 cups unbleached flour
- 2 tsp. baking powder
- 1/2 tsp. salt
- 1/2 cup dried cranberries (I like lots of cranberries, so I use 1 cup)
- 6 Tbls. very soft butter
- 3/4 cup sugar
- Zest of 2 oranges (I use two extra large navels)
- 2 large eggs
- 1/2 cup orange juice (From the two extra large navels we zested)
- 1/2 cup low-fat milk
Preheat the oven to 350°. Butter and flour a 9 x 5 inch loaf pan.
Place the flour, baking powder, and salt in a medium-size bowl and mix well. Put the cranberries in a small bowl and toss with 1 Tbls. of the flour mixture.
In large bowl, using an electric mixer; beat the butter, sugar, and orange zest together until creamy, at least 2 minutes. Add the eggs and beat until very fluffy, at least 3 minutes more. Alternately add half the flour and half the orange juice and milk mixture. Beat just until mixed, then repeat, mixing only until combined. Fold in the cranberries by hand. Scrape the batter into a loaf pan.
Bake 50 - 55 minute, or until a tester inserted in the center of the bread comes out dry. Cool on a wire rack for 5 minutes before unmolding. Let the bread cool completely before slicing, at least 2 hours.