I am quickly coming up-to-speed in the baking department. However, I know that I’ve just scratched the surface. I’ve got a handle on cookies, breads and muffins. My cranberry and white chocolate chip cookie recipe is my favorite so far. My next hurdle is cakes and cupcakes.
I wouldn’t be able to share recipes without the work of other food bloggers who have baked and cooked their hearts out for years and share their recipes online for people like me to follow and learn.
One of my favorite bloggers is Sally from Sally’s Baking Addiction. Not only does she have excellent taste in baked goods, but her photos are beautiful and she shares helpful tips throughout her recipes. For example, in her post for this Cranberry Orange Bread, she shares how to make your own DIY buttermilk:
“Most people don’t typically keep buttermilk in the house. I know I wouldn’t if I didn’t bake for a living. Save yourself a trip to the store and make a DIY buttermilk at home. Measure 1 Tablespoon of white vinegar or lemon juice in a measuring cup. Then, add enough milk (1%, 2%, or whole) to the same measuring cup until it reaches 1 cup. Stir it around and let sit for 5 minutes. The homemade “buttermilk” will be somewhat curdled and ready to use in your recipe.”
I hope that one day I will be able to come up with my own recipes. For now, I simply make small changes to suit my own tastes. In this recipe, for example, I added a 1/2 cup of orange juice to kick the orange flavor up a notch. I also chopped half of the fresh cranberries and left half of them whole. The tart taste of cranberries isn’t for everyone, but I absolutely love it. It reminds me a lot of Starbuck’s Very Berry Coffee Cake (a favorite family treat on our old Chicago neighborhood walk).
The orange sugar glaze drizzle atop this bread is so simple and simply divine. It gives the bread a polished look. And, the touch of sweet glaze in each mouthful is soooo good.
In my house, this bread is a breakfast treat or post-nap snack. It would also be perfect around the holidays if you are hosting overnight guests or want to bake something for a neighbor or friend.
Thanks, Sally, for a delicious recipe!
- FOR THE BREAD:
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup fresh cranberries (chopped or whole)
- ½ cup chopped nuts (I used pecans)
- 1 large egg
- ½ cup brown sugar
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- 1 cup buttermilk (I made my own with 1TB lemon juice and milk to 1 cup)
- ½ cup orange juice
- ⅓ cup oil (I used a canola / coconut blend)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 Tablespoons orange zest
- FOR THE GLAZE
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 2 tablespoons orange juice
- 1 tablespoon orange zest
- Preheat an oven to 350F degrees. Spray a 9x5 loaf pan with nonstick spray.
- For the bread: In a large bowl, mix the flour, baking soda, salt, cranberries, and pecans together until combined. Set aside.
- In a medium bowl, whisk the egg, brown sugar, and granulated sugar together until well combined.
- Whisk in the buttermilk, oil, vanilla, orange juice and orange zest. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and gently whisk until there are no more lumps. Do not overmix.
- Pour the batter into a loaf pan and bake for 50 minutes to 1 hour. Sally suggests covering the bread loosely with foil about halfway through to ensure even browning. Allow bread to cool completely in the pan on a wire rack.
- For the glaze (to pour over cooled bread): In a small bowl, whisk the powdered sugar and orange juice together. Add more orange juice (or powdered sugar) until desired consistency. Drizzle over bread.
- From Sally: Unglazed bread stays fresh covered tightly at room temperature for 5 days or in the refrigerator for 6-7 days. Glazed bread must be stored in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.