Bread Machine (208 page)
R
aw cranberries have a definite astringent, yet refreshingly tart taste. Now that Ocean Spray offers dried, sweetened cranberries, commercially called Craisins, you can enjoy their delightfully tangy flavor as a great alternative to raisins. This is a recipe adapted from one of my favorite food writers, Jeanne Jones, known for her development of lowfat spa recipes. The combination of apple juice concentrate and almond extract permeates the entire loaf. It has a most intoxicating aroma while baking. Serve this fantastic bread thinly sliced, with sweet butter or whipped cream cheese.
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2
- OR 2-POUND-LOAF MACHINES
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cups dried cranberries Boiling water
2 large eggs
2 teaspoons almond extract
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
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4
cup canola or vegetable oil
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cup frozen unsweetened apple juice concentrate, thawed
1 cup sugar
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cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1 cup whole wheat pastry flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
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teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
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teaspoon fresh-ground nutmeg
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teaspoon salt
Cover the cranberries with boiling water in a small bowl, and let stand for 20 minutes to soften. Drain and pat dry with paper towels. Set aside.
Place the ingredients in the pan according to the order in the manufacturer’s instructions, adding the cranberries with the dry ingredients. Set the crust for dark, if your machine offers crust control for this setting, and program for the Quick Bread/Cake cycle; press Start. The batter will be thick. When the machine beeps at the end of the cycle, check the loaf for doneness. The bread is done when it shrinks slightly from the sides of the pan, the sides are dark brown, and the top is firm to a gentle pressure when touched with your finger. A toothpick or metal skewer will come out clean when inserted into the center of the bread.
When the bread is done, immediately remove the pan from the machine. Let the bread stand in the pan for 10 minutes before turning it out, right side up, to cool completely on a rack before slicing. Wrap tightly in plastic wrap and store in the refrigerator.
E
ach slice of this breakfast bread is flecked throughout with bits of cardamom, often an underused sweet spice. Native to the Malabar Coast of India, cardamom is the favorite spice of the chilly Scandinavian countries. The papery pod holds a few hard black seeds that can be crushed with a rolling pin or with a mortar and pestle, although cardamom is available already ground. This is another bread that is good toasted the day after baking and spread with raspberry jam.
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2
- OR 2-POUND-LOAF MACHINES
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cup vegetable oil
3 large eggs
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cup buttermilk
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 cup sour cream
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cup sugar
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cups unbleached all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
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teaspoons ground cardamom
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teaspoon salt
Place the ingredients in the pan according to the order in the manufacturer’s instructions. Set the crust for dark, if your machine offers crust control for this setting, and program for the Quick Bread/Cake cycle; press Start. The batter will be thick and smooth. When the machine beeps at the end of the cycle, check the loaf for doneness. The bread is done when it shrinks slightly from the sides of the pan, the sides are dark brown, and the top is firm to a gentle pressure when touched with your finger. A toothpick or metal skewer will come out clean when inserted into the center of the bread.
When the bread is done, immediately remove the pan from the machine. Let the bread stand in the pan for 10 minutes before turning it out, right side up, to cool completely on a rack before slicing. Wrap tightly in plastic wrap and store at room temperature.
T
his loaf may sound unusual, but it a favorite tea bread among quick bread lovers and very old-fashioned. While
bara brith
can also be made with yeast, the main requirement is that the cake be speckled with dried fruit steeped for a few hours in tea, rather like a simple fruitcake the Brits so love. From the land of the bard, a dense, rich loaf to serve sliced and buttered with tea. It is especially good during the holidays.
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- OR 2-POUND-LOAF MACHINES
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cups boiling water
2 Earl Grey tea bags (can be decaffeinated)
One 8-ounce bag mixed dried fruit, chopped (about 1 cup)
1 large egg
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cup milk
1 tablespoon unsalted butter, melted or room temperature
3 tablespoons orange marmalade, ginger marmalade, or apricot preserves (you can use a sugar-free fruit spread)
1 cup light brown sugar
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cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1 cup dark or golden raisins
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cup chopped
candied orange peel
or currants
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teaspoons baking powder
2 teaspoons apple pie spice
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teaspoon salt
Pour the boiling water into a 4-cup glass measuring cup. Add the tea bags and let steep for 10 minutes; remove and squeeze the tea bags dry. Add the dried fruit and stir well. Let stand at room temperature for 1 to 4 hours to plump the fruit and come to room temperature.