Betsy's Lemon-Cranberry Bread

HokiesMom's Note:

Found in a TOH magazine and clipped out to try! Boy was I ever glad I did. A lemony loaf of bread with the extra zip of dried cranberries. I've made this as a regular sized loaf and also in mini loaf sizes for gifts. I have also used walnuts and almonds in this bread and actually prefer the almonds - but use whatever nut you love. The addition of the lemon glaze just takes this bread over the top. *** Edited 11/19/09 - This recipe makes TWO 9x5x3" pans instead of one. Sorry for my error! If you want just one loaf just halve the recipe and it will work perfectly! ***

• Total Time: 1 hrs 10 mins
• Prep Time: 10 mins
• Cook Time: 1 hrs

Ingredients:

Serves: 24

Yield: 2 loaves

BREAD

• 158.51 ml butter, softened
• 354.88 ml sugar
• 44.37 ml lemon juice
• 29.58 ml lemon peel, grated
• 4 eggs (or can use 2 cups egg-substitute)
• 709.77 ml all-purpose flour
• 9.85 ml baking powder
• 7.39 ml salt
• 236.59 ml low-fat milk
• 473.18 ml dried cranberries
• 236.59 ml walnuts, chopped (or almonds)

GLAZE

• 59.14 ml sugar
• 59.14 ml lemon juice

Directions:

1. In a mixing bowl, cream the butter, sugar, lemon juice & peel.
2. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.
3. Combine the flour, baking powder and salt in a separate bowl; then add to creamed mixture alternately with milk.
4. Stir in cranberries and nuts.
5. Divide batter between TWO greased 9x5x3" bread pans or six greased 5.75x3x2" mini loaf pans.
6. Bake at 350F for 1 hour (9x5x3") or 40-45 minutes (5.75x3x2") or until pick inserted in center comes out clean.
7. Cool for 10 minutes before removing from pans to wire rack.
8. With a toothpick or skewer, poke 12 holes into each loaf.
9. Cool bread completely.
10. Combine sugar and lemon juice for the glaze and combine until the sugar is dissolved completely. Spoon glaze over loaf. Cool completely before serving.

Reviews

[Chef #570804 Halifax Liz]

Finally got around to making this bread (1/2 quantity). Always follow a recipe exactly as written before rating. Love lemon and cranberries but felt that it needed 1/2 cup butter rather than 1/3. Maybe we like a richer taste. Next time (and there definitely will be a next time) I will make this change. A suggestion re using lemon rind. You get a more potent lemon taste if the rind is grated into the sugar and rubber together with your fingers. Thanks for posting.P.S. with the changes mentioned above they are now better than our Tim Hortons (so agree with other reviewer!!!!)

[Buzymomof3]

Wonderful!! Great lemony taste. Doesn't really need the nuts, I liked them, but I liked the lemon and cranberry tastes best, and the glaze is great too - make with fresh squeezed lemon! I made these to take to a get together tonight, and I'm glad I made mini muffins for them and loaves for me, because when I get home I have a mini loaf for now and a mini loaf for the freezer. Thanks for a great recipe!

[ladydae]

This was excellent -- and got lots of totally unsolicited compliments at the two Christmas parties I took them to! As suggested by several people, I let the grated lemon rind macerate (that's prolly the wrong word, ah well) in the sugar for a while before incorporating into the mix. Also, I used fresh cranberries, and dredged them in flour before folding into the batter. Turned out lovely, and the glaze was nice!