Pumpkin Orange Cranberry Bread

I decided I needed to do another version of pumpkin bread, because I had a partially-used can of pumpkin in my fridge. And also because I also had some Orange Shandy in my beer fridge that I really didn’t want to drink. I’m more of a dark, hoppy beer drinker. Fruity beers belong in food.  The Leinenkugel Orange Shandy has a nice orange taste and a bit of spice that hit me as just perfect for a sweet autumn beer bread.

There is a rumor going around my yoga friends that I put alcohol in all my desserts … which isn’t ALWAYS true! But there is something about alcohol that makes certain things taste better, like, for example, cakes, breads, truffles, mousse, bread pudding … so yeah, maybe Jan has a point.  I went for double alcohol in this recipe: Jack Daniels to “plump” the raisins and orange shandy beer to flavor the batter. The alcohol does cook out. But if you object to using alcohol in your bread, feel free to substitute orange juice for the JD and beer. I bet it would taste ALMOST as good.

I thought it was funny when I pulled it out of the oven … it looked so boring brown on the outside. And then I sliced it and there inside was this pretty orange color, flecked with bits of red from the cranberries and tiny dots of brown spice. This quickbread has all the colors and flavors of Autumn in it. I couldn’t wait to take a bite!

Pumpkin Orange Cranberry Bread

• Prep Time: 15 minutes
• Cook Time: 1 hour 10 minutes
• Total Time: 1 hour 25 minutes
• Yield: 2 loaves 1x

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Ingredients

Scale 1x2x3x

• 1 1/2 cups dried cranberries (Craisins)
• 1/4 cup Jack Daniel’s Whisky (optional)

Wet ingredients:

• 3/4 cup pumpkin puree
• 3/4 cup pumpkin butter (recipe here)
• 3/4 cup Leinenkugel Orange Shandy (or other orange shandy … or orange juice, if you don’t want to use beer)
• Zest and juice of 1 large orange
• 4 eggs
• 1/2 Tablespoon vanilla
• 1/3 cup oil
• 1/3 cup plain nonfat yogurt
• 1/4 cup real maple syrup

Dry ingredients:

• 1 cup sugar
• 2 cups whole wheat flour
• 1 1/4 cups all purpose flour
• 1/3 cup flaxmeal
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 1 1/2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice

For the top: about 2 Tablespoons raw turbinado sugar & 1/2 cup toasted pecans

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Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 350 F. Put the dried cranberries in a small bowl and pour the whiskey over them. Set them near your work area so you can stir them several times while you’re mixing up the batter to make sure all the craisins get a chance to take a nice whiskey “bath”.
2. Now take a large mixing bowl and stir together all the wet ingredients.
3. Add the dry ingredients and stir until fully mixed. Don’t over-stir. Fold the craisins (whiskey and all) into the batter.
4. Divide the batter into the two bread pans and sprinkle the tops of the loaves with raw sugar and pecans. Bake at 350 for about 1 hour 10 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in the center comes out clean.

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Notes

RECIPE SOURCE: http://www.sumptuousspoonfuls.com/

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This recipe was shared at Sweet & Savory Sunday, Weekend Potluck, Munching Monday, Inspiration Monday, Tuesday’s Table, Talking Tuesday, It’s the Weekend! and The Hearth & Soul Bloghop.