We’ve had two weeks of amazing weather here in Seattle – cool, sunny and crisp. And no rain for *14* days! (apparently, this is a Thing). This was all very wonderful, and I’m pleased to say that I made good use of the weather – I marveled at the color of the trees, went running outside, and wore short-sleeved shirts (underneath my jacket and scarf, of course – it’s was nice out, but we’re not in the tropics or anything).
But, as all such things come to an end, we’re now we’re back to foggy, chilly, and damp. This obviously makes me want to hunker down at home and bake (which, let’s be real, I’m fairly interested in doing even on sunny and warm days).
All of this nesting also gives me the opportunity to fill my freezer with baked gifts that I can ferret away until they are needed. Most commonly, it’s either for a hostess gift, or more realistically, a social bribe for a meeting a work. Either way, a treat that is quick, simple and homemade is the way to go!
I’ve made exactly 5 loves of this Cranberry Walnut Bread in the past two weeks. There were many reasons – it’s quick to bake, so super tasty, and also because I bought about 47 lbs. of cranberries at Costco last week and wanted to use them up (there are worse problems though!). The bread is packed with tart cranberries and crunchy walnuts, it’s fairly low in sugar but very high in deliciousness. It’s more of a delightful breakfast bread than “I’m pretending it’s healthy but I’m really eating cake for breakfast” sort of carb.
1–2 tablespoons demerara sugar (optional but encouraged)
Instructions
Preheat oven to 350.
Coat a 9×5 baking pan with cooking spray, and set aside
In a medium bowl, mix together the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt.
Add the egg, butter, orange juice and zest to the flour mixture, and stir until just combined. Fold in cranberries and nuts.
Pour batter in to prepared pan and sprinkle the top with the demerara sugar. Bake for 50-60 minutes, until the bread is golden brown and a toothpick inserted in to the center comes out clean.
Strudel and Streusel are two friends living in different cities, sharing a love of baking (and butter) through this blog. With Streusel in Denver, and Strudel in Seattle, we've found our little site to be a great way to stay in touch, share recipes we love, and talk about experiences in our respective cities.
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