Christmas Cranberry Orange Bread

This is an original Cooks Illustrated recipe that I have adapted oh so slightly. It is a two bowl wonder that feels like Christmas in a slice. I call it a bread–and it is, but it can also be a cake when instead of poured into two loaf pans, you pour it into a bundt pan (surprise–you can do that with most quick breads!).

These bread/cake is fantastic eaten on its own, but please know it makes an excellent cake for a Christmas trifle as well. And few things say Christmas dessert in this Anglophile’s heart more than a trifle.

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Cranberry Orange Bread

Servings 2 loaves

Ingredients

  • 1 1/3 cups buttermilk
  • 12 tablespoons butter melted and cooled
  • 2 tablespoon grated orange zest
  • 1 cup orange juice
  • 2 large eggs lightly beaten
  • 4 cups all-purpose flour
  • 2 cup sugar
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
  • 2 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  • 3 cups fresh or frozen cranberries, chopped coarse (the food processor can make short work of this)

Instructions

  1. Adjust oven racks to middle position and heat oven to 350*. Grease two loaf pans.
  2. Stir together buttermilk, meted butter, orange juice and zest, and eggs in a small bowl.
  3. Whisk together flour, sugar, salt, baking powder, and baking soda in a large bowl.
  4. Stir liquid ingredients into the dry ingredients with until just moistened, being careful to not overmix the batter. Gently stir in the chopped cranberries to evenly distribute, but not so roughly you turn the batter pink.
  5. Scrape batter into loaf pan and spread with rubber spatula into corners of pan.Bake until golden brown and toothpick inserted in center of loaf comes out clean, about 55 minutes to 70 minutes depending on your oven and the size of your pans.
  6. Let loaves cool in pan for 15 minutes, then turn out onto wire rack and let cool for at least 1 hour before slicing.