Breakfast / Brunch
Cranberry-Walnut Bread
Quick is an apt name for these breads. They’re quickly mixed, go quickly into the oven, and—like this CranberryWalnut Bread—can be quickly gussied-up for festive holiday gatherings or to give as gifts to friends and family.
Ingredients
TOSS:
WHISK:
For the best rise in quick breads using baking soda, the batter must go into the oven soon after the leavener is activated by liquid ingredients.
Instructions
Preheat oven to 350°; coat the inside of a 9×5-inch loaf pan with nonstick spray.
Whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, salt, and cloves in a bowl; make a well in the center. Set dry ingredients aside.
Toss 1 1/4 cups cranberries with 1/4 cup granulated sugar in a small bowl; set sugared cranberries aside.
Whisk together buttermilk, the remaining 3/4 cup granulated sugar, eggs, oil, zest, and vanilla in a separate bowl until fully combined. Pour buttermilk mixture into well of dry ingredients; stir only until dry ingredients are moistened.
Stir the sugared cranberries and walnuts into batter. Pour batter into the prepared loaf pan. Bake until a toothpick inserted in center of loaf comes out clean and bread is golden on top, about 1 hour. Cool loaf in pan on a rack for 15 minutes.
Pulse the remaining 1/4 cup cranberries in a mini food processor (or mince them by hand); toss with coarse sugar for the topping.
Turn bread out onto a cooling rack; sprinkle top of loaf with the cranberry-sugar topping. Let bread cool completely, about 2 hours, before serving.
Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients to hold the wet ingredients for easier mixing.
Prevent overmixing by folding wet ingredients into dry; stir only enough to moisten ingredients.
Pulsing berries for the topping in a food processor is fast, but you also can mince them by hand.