It is always during the fall that I go to the grocery store and see all the bags of fresh cranberries, and I think to myself what can I do with them? I also then begin to get panicky because their season is short and I have to get my fill before they are all gone, so what is my solution, you ask? Buy crazy amounts of them (really more than I need or can use within a year’s time) and throw them into the freezer for later baking endeavors. Some will be used for things like this cranberry orange tea bread, but many will only be tossed into the garbage pail when fall comes around again and I buy another insane quantity of new, fresher cranberries. It is an endless cycle.
Ingredients:
- 2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
- ¾ cup sugar
- 1 ½ tsp baking powder
- ¾ tsp salt
- ½ tsp baking soda
- ½ cup milk
- ¼ cup orange juice
- ¼ cup (4 tablespoons, 2 oz) unsalted butter, melted
- 1 TB grated orange zest
- 2 eggs, lightly beaten
- 1 cup fresh or frozen cranberries, chopped
Orange Glaze:
- 1-2 TB orange juice
- 1 cup sifted powdered sugar
Preparation:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Grease a 9×5 or 8×4 inch loaf pan. Combine flour, sugar, baking powder, salt and baking soda in a medium bowl. In a large bowl, combine milk, orange juice, melted butter, zest and eggs. Stir to combine well. Add dry ingredients and stir just until combined. Gently stir in cranberries and mix just until they are evenly distributed. Pour batter into pan and bake until a toothpick comes out almost clean for the center, 50-60 minutes (depending on the size of the pan used). Let cool for ten minutes in the pan then carefully remove the loaf and let cool completely on a wire rack.
When the bread has cooled, prepare the glaze. In a small bowl, combine 1 tablespoon of orange juice with powdered sugar, adding a little more juice if necessary to obtain a smooth consistency. Drizzle over top of loaf.
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