Cranberry-walnut bread

I hope everyone had a wonderful holiday. I did; despite my nagging cold and cough. I am truly blessed to have such a wonderful husband and family. I must make sure I remember to appreciate them every day of the year. I am a lucky girl and I received quite a few cooking/food related Christmas gifts. I'm sure I'll be posting about my new cookbooks and toys as I begin to use them.

I made this cranberry-walnut quick bread to take to my Grandmother's house for Christmas morning breakfast. Since I hadn't been feeling well, I wanted something quick and easy. This quick bread was a great choice. I love that it uses fresh cranberries instead of dried. The bread is tart and just slightly sweet, which I really enjoyed paired next to all the super sweet holiday treats. Serve it warmed or room temperature and you can eat it as is or top it with some butter or cream cheese to make it even extra special. The recipe is adapted from here and will make one loaf.

Cranberry-walnut bread
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
1-1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg
2 large eggs
1 cup buttermilk
3/4 cup light brown sugar
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
zest of one orange
2 cups chopped fresh cranberries
1/2 cup chopped walnuts

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees and spray a loaf pan with non-stick cooking spray.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the flours, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ginger, and nutmeg. In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, buttermilk, brown sugar, butter, oil, and vanilla until the sugar begins to dissolve.

Pour the dry ingredients into the wet and stir with a wooden spoon until just combined. Fold in the orange zest, cranberries, and walnuts until just combined. Pour the batter into the loaf pan.

Bake for approximately 55 to 65 minutes, until the top is golden and an inserted toothpick comes out clean. Let the bread cool for about 10 minutes in the loaf pan, and then remove it to fully cool on a wire rack (or serve warm). Store in an airtight container.

What was I cooking one year ago?: cranberry-clementine cornmeal thumbprints