Thursdays Are For Cooking
Again from the 1953-1960 Better Homes & Gardens cookbook, I’m trying to bring the past back to life just a tad. And since the weather outside is starting to get chilly, a warm kitchen with the scent of fresh-baked cranberry bread in the air is always welcoming. It’s a healthy snack, too, certainly better for kids than the candy now available on the shelves (unless you get Snickers or Mounds; they haven’t changed much).
Cranberry-Orange Bread
Sift together:
2 cups all-purpose sifted flour
¾ cup of sugar
1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon baking soda
Stir into the dry ingredients:
1 cup coarsely chopped cranberries
½ cup chopped walnuts
1 teaspoon grated orange peel
Combine the following:
1 beaten egg
¾ cup orange juice
2 tablespoons of salad oil (in 1953, salad oil was Mazola. Olive oil can be substituted here.)
- Add the dry ingredients, stirring until the batter is just moistened. (Don’t beat it to death!)
- Bake in a greased 9 ½ x 5 x 3 inch pan (a loaf pan) in a moderate oven (350F) for 50 minute or until done. Test for doneness with a toothpick or a wooden skewer if you have them.
- Remove from the pan and cool.
Since fresh cranberries are best for this, there probably won’t be any available until late in the year, but when you go to chop them, use either a real hand chopper or the food processor, but don’t cut them up too fine. I have not had cranberry orange bread made with frozen cranberries but that’s worth a try.
Not much of a baker, but I don’t have to be. My bread machine is, and I’ll be giving this a try.
Thanks, Ex!
You should be able to bake it in a bread machine. As long as the heat is even, that’s what counts.
I have an experiment to try this fall for those oddball times when the power goes out. It will involve pie crust, apples and other such things!
I have two different sizes of this type dutch oven. Can do a little more on a camp fire when the power is out v that red Lodge that we talked about the other day. Am I wooing, courting, and charming you with my winning ways yet? There is an old school tripod AND a set of skewers with rack out there too. If cast iron utensils are weapons, I have an arsenal.
A decent quality Bread Machine will usually have consistant heat, cook evenly, and give nearly perfect bread…Every.Damn.Time! Pro Tip. Good idea to plug them into a dedicated outlet. Prevents power spikes, surges, drops, or tripping a breaker.
DAMNIT!!!
Well, that kind of seals it for me. I have to find a way to accommodate a hungry person (moi) with good food when/if the power goes out this winter.
I’m thinking Dutch oven on a 4.5 inch high iron trivet set over a gas burner on a low flame will do the same job without power as an oven using an electric igniter will do, as long as I keep an eye on it. I’m having to think that way now, for no reason other than the four power outages over the last four years, and one of them was two days ago.
DAAAAAAYYYUUUUUMMM…’YUM…’YUM…’YUM!
Keep it up Girly, you gonna force me to pack up my cast iron, crockett pots, gas stove, freezerator (with contents), furbabies, and wet, quicksand encrusted rescued rifles on Big Red and head up North. Right here when the blizzards are on the way. Loves me some fresh baked breads. Smear that up with some butter, marmalade, or a hot cheese whiz dip…Honey Hush!
This flavor was a popular go to when I was working the Housewares Shows. Ol’ Fence Post (a Native Tar Heel) and I would have 8-12 machines working thruout the night and during the day when the attendees would be pouring in. Tie that into the cinnamin, apple, banana, and various cheeses; the smells would be permeating everywhere. Can’t tell you how many Ms/Mrs/Mz Thangs I convinced to buy those Bread Bakers and the FIRST Jet Stream Hot Air Ovens.
IIRC we used frozen and dried cranberies in our preps. The frozen ones we found out we needed to decrease the other liquids, the dried (actually dehydrated) we would have to add just a schoosh. I miss those machines and just hadn’t broke down and bought another one lately. Got spoiled by giving Ms Thang at the K Roger a wink wink nod nod and she’d hook the boy up.
Pro tip on Bread Baking. Mix enough to make two loaves. One is just gonna whet your appetite for more.
Tanks Matey!
I forgot to add that if you do make two loaves of this, one can be frozen for future needs, such as the munchies on Saturday night, watching movies.
that bread recipe looks worth looking into. Orange you glad I mentioned it.
I cranberry hold in the giggles!!!
I cranberry hold in the giggles!!!
I bake bread (loafs and yeast) for several older then me senior’s in our RV Park. The mixing and kneading kill my hands they surprised me with a AWESOME breadmaker.
I only use it to mix ingredients. Let it rise by my sun filled window and bake in both my propane and electric oven.
Limit is twelve loads a day…
Favorite is banana nut, grapefruit loaf with grapefruit frosting, cinnamon raisin bread, crusty french and apple cinnamon.
Trying the cranberry tomorrow.
Thanks Ex…
Loaves not loads.
Okay, I’m interested in the grapefruit loaf with grapefruit frosting.
If you want to post the recipe, I will give it a shot (and likely AW1Ed will do so, too) and then add it to my repertoire.
I will find it and post…
Can your friends on heart meds eat the grapefruit bread? Or maybe the cooking process destroys whatever it is in grapefruit that is contraindicated with heart meds? (Forget which one but remember that we had to quit buying grapefruit because of one of them.)