Heavenly Breads - for you, or to share!

Cranberry Orange Bread
Photo credit: Heidi @ Mt Hope on Flickr

In the midst of the holidays, when we're all swimming in fudge, Christmas cookies and divinity, it is often nice to be able to present a simpler, less sugary option. Below are two of my favorite VERY EASY bread recipes - and while they might be a bit less dazzling than colored sprinkles they are no less delicious!

Cranberry Orange Bread

This recipe is adapted from James Beard’s Beard on Bread. It’s a great way to use fresh cranberries. The use of melted butter saves the labor of beating fresh butter and makes for a more evenly tender loaf.

Ingredients

• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 tsp. baking soda
• 1 tsp. baking powder
• 1 tsp. salt
• 2 eggs
• ¼ cup melted butter or canola oil
• 1 ¼ cup milk OR ½ cup orange juice and ¾ cup Milk
• 1 ¼ cups raw cranberries, washed, dried and picked over, roughly chopped if preferred (frozen is fine)
• 3 Tb. Grated orange rind (optional)
• 3/4 cup walnuts or pecans, chopped

Directions

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease two loaf pans.
• In a large mixing bowl, blend together the flour, soda, baking powder, and salt. In a separate bowl, mix together the eggs and sugar.
• In a small saucepan, melt the butter (if using) and let cool before adding it to the egg-sugar mixture; otherwise, stir the canola oil into the egg-sugar mixture. Stir in the milk or milk-and-juice mixture.
• Stir in the dry ingredients until just moistened, then fold in the cranberries. The batter will be thick.
• Scrape the batter into the two loaf pans and spread out evenly.
  
• Bake for 50 minutes to an hour, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of a loaf comes out clean.
• Cool on a rack. Serve warm or at room temperature.

English Muffin Loaf (No Knead)

Ingredients

• 2 packages active dry yeast
• 6 cups unsifted flour
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 2 cups milk
• 1/2 cup water
• Cornmeal

Directions

• Combine 3 cups flour, yeast, sugar, salt and soda in mixing bowl.
  
• On the stove, heat liquids until very warm (120 to 130 degrees).
  
• Add liquids to dry mixture. Mix well. Stir in the rest of the flour to make a stiff batter.
• Spoon into two 8-1/2 by 4-1/2 inch loaf pans that have been greased and sprinkled with cornmeal.
  
• Sprinkle tops lightly with cornmeal; cover and let rise in a warm place for 45 minutes.
  
• Bake at 400 degrees for 25 minutes or until golden.
  
• Remove from pans immediately and let cool. (These loaves freeze very well).