Cran/Apple Nut Bread, Revised Recipe

After yesterday's re-post of some of my favorite cookie recipes, i thought i'd re-post the recipe for my cranberry nut bread, with this year's variations. This bread is healthy, not too sweet, and goes great with a big slab of salty butter: yum! I was lucky to get some locally grown cranberries this year and used up some of the last of this Autumn's apples. The walnuts were local too, but i can't use this recipe for our Dark Days Challenge because of the glut of flour sourced from who knows where. All the other ingredients (save the sugar) were local though!

Cran/Apple Nut Bread

• 3 1/2 cups flour (i subbed 1 cup whole wheat)
• 3/4 Cup Sugar (increase by 1/4 cup if you want a sweeter bread)
• 4 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp salt
• 2 cups milk (or orange juice)
• 2 eggs
• 1 cup chopped nuts (local walnuts)
• 1/2 to 3/4 cups chopped cranberries and apples
• Drop almond or vanilla extract
• Pinch cinnamon and cloves

** I doubled this recipe to make 2 pans of bread
Preheat oven to 350. Mix all dry ingredients in large bowl. Mix remaining ingredients in a separate bowl, add to dry ingredients and stir well until mixed. Pour into pans (this recipe fills 1 9x7 pan unless doubled) and let stand 20 minutes. Bake for 50 minutes ** I had to bake my doubled recipe for about 90 minutes- always check with a chopstick or long toothpick.

Remove and let cool a bit, then remove from pan onto a nice towel to finish cooling. You may wish to grease the bottom of the pan before you pour in the batter. My walnuts were so fresh that they didn't release as much grease as this recipe usually does.

As you can see, there isn't much left. I cooked 2 loaves, brought one to a potluck and stuck the other in the freezer for later. We're already eying that frozen loaf! This bread makes a great gift and can be baked in mini loaves to share with many friends.


Do you bake for friends during the holidays?