Cranniversary

One of my oldest friends was kind enough to support my business and buy a cranberry walnut bread for her parents' anniversary. Of course, as a friend, she got the friends and family discount. I did this even though she requested cranberries (!) in the off off season. Lucky for her, I saved almost a whole bag in my freezer at Christmastime. I didn't taste it but they finished it off within a couple days. Goodness!

I think there are some changes I would make to this recipe, but I'll give to you as is, straight from the Ocean Spray Test Kitchen. I think a spot of vanilla and cinnamon would have been a nice touch, and this one didn't have either, but I stuck to my rule of making the recipe as written the first time. It calls for 3/4 cup of orange juice and I used fresh squeezed, not OJ from the carton. The recipe does not specify what type of nuts, but I used walnuts as requested. They add a nice flavor and a little crunch. Another nice thing about this recipe is that you really don't need to get out the mixer. It's simple enough that you can just mix it in a large bowl by hand if you want. A word of advice? It's much easier to chop the cranberries if they're frozen.

Cranberry Walnut Bread
Ocean Spray
Serves 8

2 cups flour
1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
2 tablespoons shortening
2 eggs
3/4 cups orange juice
1 tablespoon orange zest
1 1/2 cups cranberries, chopped
1/2 cup nuts

Preheat oven to 350ºF. Grease a 9 x 5-inch loaf pan.Mix together flour, sugar, baking powder, salt and baking soda in a medium mixing bowl. Stir in orange juice, orange peel, shortening and egg. Mix until well blended. Stir in cranberries and nuts. Spread evenly in loaf pan. Bake for 55 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool on a rack for 15 minutes. Remove from pan; cool completely. Wrap and store overnight.