Cranberry Orange Pecan Bread

What's better than starting your day with a big cup of tea and a delicious piece of Cranberry Orange Pecan Bread? Let me tell you....not much. Well..... maybe some things... but right now, all I can think of is this delicious bread. Cranberries, pecans, and orange.... three of my favorite ingredients. All three of them together? Heaven.

Around here we eat it for dessert as well. Personally, I would almost prefer a piece of quick bread to a big piece of chocolate cake. Unfortunately, others in this house would disagree.... to each his own, I suppose.

I recently purchased The Grand Central Bakery Book and was so excited when it arrived. It's a beautiful book and has recipes for everything from classic cakes and cookies, to cinnamon rolls, pizza dough, and quick breads like this one. I am a big lover of cookbooks with plenty of pictures, and this one has the most beautiful pictures as well as pointers and advice for making several different types of baked goods. It has been a wonderful addition to my cookbook collection.
Cranberry Orange Pecan Bread

Recipe adapted from The Grand Central Baking Book

(recipe makes 2 loaves, but they didn't last very long around here)

3 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
2 1/4 cups sugar
3/4 cup vegetable oil
3 eggs
1 1/4 cups buttermilk*
zest and juice from one large orange
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 3/4 cups craisins (you could use fresh or frozen as well)
1/2 cup pecans, lightly toasted and rough chopped

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

Mix flour, salt and baking soda together in a bowl. In a stand mixer beat sugar and oil together until combined (mixture will have a sandy look). Crack eggs into a separate bowl, break yolks and whisk together. Slowly pour eggs into sugar/oil mixture while mixer is running. After eggs have been added, continue mixing for 2 more minutes.

Whisk together buttermilk, orange zest and juice and vanilla. Add 1/3 of dry ingredients to mixer and mix until combined. Add half of the buttermilk mixture and mix until combined. Continue alternating 1/3 dry ingredients, rest of buttermilk, and final 1/3 of dry ingredients and mix after each addition until just combined.

Fold cranberries and pecans into batter by hand and then split batter between two 9x5 inch loaf pans (buttered and floured). Bake loaves for 60 to 75 minutes, rotating pans every 20 minutes.

Slice and eat.

* No need to buy buttermilk for this recipe. Using whole milk, measure the amount of buttermilk needed for the recipe and top off with a splash of white vinegar. Stir, and let the mixture sit for 5 to 10 minutes and voila! Buttermilk.