Slightly Sweet Cranberry Walnut Quick Bread
I was so excited to find organic cranberries at Trader Joe’s over the weekend, I immediately scooped up a couple of bags and tossed them into my cart, having no idea what I would actually do with them. I considered making a homemade cranberry sauce, but reminded myself of how I always end up liking the canned cranberry sauces better.
I know, I know. I’m not supposed to say that, but it’s true! There’s something about the Ocean Spray brand that just reminds me of Thanksgivings when I was little. And similar to olives, I probably could have eaten a whole can on my own, alongside a giant bowl of mashed potatoes. And some pumpkin pie. And maybe some eggnog. But now I’m just getting greedy.
Aaron suggested using the raw cranberries as garnish on my pumpkin custards, to which I explained that you shouldn’t use something inedible as a garnish. This is one of the few things a vegetarian takes away from countless hours of watching Top Chef and Chopped over the years. How to properly butcher and cook a steak? Notsomuch.
Aaron argued that the cranberries were indeed edible, and as he kept pushing this point, I suddenly realized that he had never tried a raw cranberry. Nice as I am, I spared him the experience, and clarified that raw cranberries do NOT taste like grapes. He’s going to thank me later on that one.
| Cranberry Walnut Quick Bread |
- 1 C. All-Purpose Flour
- 1 C. Whole Wheat Flour
- 1 1/2 Tsp. Baking Powder
- 1/2 Tsp. Baking Soda
- 1 C. Non-dairy Milk (I used unsweetened vanilla almond milk)
- 1 Flax Egg (1 Tbs. ground flax, 3 Tbs. water)
- 1/2 C. Granulated Sugar
- 1/2 C. Chopped Walnuts
- 2 C. Fresh Cranberries
- 1/2 Tsp. Salt
- Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees F.
- Lightly grease a 9 x 4 inch loaf pan and set aside.
- Prepare your flax egg by combining 1 Tbs. ground flax with 3 Tbs. water. Stir and allow to sit for 3-5 minutes, until it has a gel-like consistency (similar to an egg).
- In a large bowl, mix together flours, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
- Add the flax egg, non-dairy milk, and sugar. Stir until just combined.
- Fold in chopped walnuts and cranberries.
- Transfer to greased loaf pan and bake for 50-55 minutes, until golden and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
I intentionally went easy on the sugar in this recipe to create a bread that’s only slightly sweet, as I figured I’d be eating my fair share of pie this week. If you’re looking to bake a sweeter bread, I recommend using 3/4 C. to 1 C. of sugar.
