CRANBERRY ALMOND BREAD

Even though it might not seem so at first glance, this endeavor was the result of a fairly monumental occasion.  This was the day I had to buck up, gather all my courage, and keep a stiff upper lip.  Yes, ladies and gentlemen, I had to (*sniff sniff*) leggo my eggo.  That last little egg....he was so lonely sitting there awaiting his adventure.  His expectations and need for purpose, I'm sure, were killing him -- and so was time.  That expiration date was looming and thus, a grand loaf of cranberry almond bread was born from his sacrifice.

INGREDIENTS:
2 cups wheat flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
3/4 cup slivered almonds
1 cup chopped cranberries (fresh or frozen)
3/4 cup sugar
3/4 cup orange juice
1/4 cup melted butter
1 egg, beaten

RIP, little buddy.  You were delicious.

DIRECTIONS:
1. Preheat oven to 350F.
2. Mix flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a large mixing bowl.
3. Add cranberries and almonds, mixing to coat.  No one likes naked nuts.

4. Mix sugar, orange juice, butter, and egg.  Add to flour mixture and stir until blended.
5. Pour into 9x5 or 8x4 loaf pan.  Bake at 350F for 55-60 minutes or until a toothpick poked into the center comes out clean.  (Make sure you're stick is clean!)
6. Cool in loaf pan for 10 minutes, then remove and finish cooling on a wire rack.

A note on chopped cranberries....
Make sure you use 1 cup chopped cranberries, not 1 cup cranberries that you then chop.  I ended up using about a half a bag of cranberries for one cup.

I really liked this bread served fresh and hot, but cold, it wasn't as good.  I think the fact that I used wheat flour instead of white flour made a difference and I would recommend using white as the original recipe called for.  (If you'd like to see the original recipe, check it out at simplyrecipes.com.)  I also substituted almonds for walnuts, which I didn't have on hand, and although walnuts probably would have been yummy too, it was a good call to use the almonds.  And in another twist, I left out the orange peel the recipe called for which turned out just fine.

The bottom line: This recipe was okay, but a little heavy and too buttery for my taste.  If I were to make it again, I'd substitute applesauce for some of the fat to keep it on the lighter side.

Official Grade: B-