Cranberry Pecan Bread

by Millie Bentley

Greetings. This week we have a recipe using either fresh or frozen cranberries that I found among some of my mom’s old recipe files. I really love my mom and am so grateful for everything she taught me and did for me and the rest of us kids. For this recipe you can use those wonderful tundra red berries if you saved any in the freezer. The bread can be frozen and will stay nice and moist if wrapped in a plastic wrap while still warm before freezing.

Cranberry Pecan Bread

1 cup sugar

2 cups flour

1 ½ teaspoons baking powder

½ teaspoon baking soda

½ teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon mace (optional)

¾ cup orange juice

1 tablespoon orange peel, grated

2 tablespoons oil

1 egg, well beaten

1 ½ cups fresh or frozen cranberries, coarsely chopped

¾ cup pecans, chopped coarsely

Preheat oven to 350˚F. Grease a 9×5-inch loaf pan. In a mixing bowl, mix sugar, flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and mace. Stir in orange juice, orange peel, oil and egg. Mix until well blended; stir in cranberries and pecans (or walnuts if preferred). Turn into prepared loaf pan and spread evenly.

Bake for 55 to 60 minutes or until done (when a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean). Cool on rack for about 15 minutes and remove from pan. If freezing wrap in plastic wrap and put directly into freezer. If serving within one day, cool completely then wrap and store in refrigerator overnight.

Until next week, dear reader, vaya con Dios.