Cranberry Hazelnut Bread
Submitted by april73
Spiced cranberry hazelnut bread with cinnamon, cloves, and orange juice baked into mini loaves. Wrapped in brandy-soaked cheesecloth, this holiday quick bread deepens in flavor for weeks.
YIELD
4 loavesPREP
20 minCOOK
40 minREADY
60 minThink of this as the little black dress of holiday baking: simple, elegant, and it only gets better with time.
Four petite loaves packed with dried cranberries, blueberries, and toasted hazelnuts come together in one bowl. Cinnamon and cloves give them a warm, spiced backbone, while a splash of orange juice keeps everything moist.
But here’s the real magic: wrap each loaf in brandy-soaked cheesecloth, tuck them into the fridge, and let them mellow for up to eight weeks. Every week, a little more brandy. Every week, deeper flavor.
These make knockout gifts for anyone who appreciates a homemade touch with a boozy wink.
Chef Tips
- Grease pans only partway up the sides so the batter grips and rises into a nicely rounded top instead of forming flat rims.
- Stir the batter between pans since the fruit and nuts tend to settle.
- Start your loaves at least two weeks before gifting so the brandy has time to work its way through.
Ingredients
Directions
Grease bottom and sides of four 4½ x 4½ x 4½-inch loaf pans. (Greasing the sides only partway up will result in nicely rounded tops and prevent unwanted rims along the edges.) Set aside.
In a large mixing bowl, stir together flour, cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda, and cloves.
Add cranberries or cherries, blueberries or raisins, and hazelnuts or pecans.
In a medium mixing bowl, beat eggs; stir in brown sugar, orange juice, and cooking oil.
Stir into fruit mixture.
Spoon about ¾ cup of the batter into each pan, stirring batter often.
Bake loaves in a 300℉ (150℃) oven about 40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center of each loaf comes out clean.
Cool the loaves in the pans on wire racks for 10 minutes.
Remove loaves from pans.
Cool thoroughly on wire racks.
Wrap loaves in brandy-moistened cheesecloth.
Over-wrap with foil.
To mellow flavors, store in the refrigerator for up to 8 weeks.
Remoisten cheesecloth with about 1 Tablespoon of brandy once a week or as needed.
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