I’m seriously addicted to this soft, buttery bread… I love the mingling of the sweet orange and tart fresh cranberry flavors, plus a little texture from the walnuts. I keep making more loaves. Big and small. I tell myself it’s for more gifts for people. Tis the season for sharing, right? But honestly, I wouldn’t need to make so many batches if I didn’t keep stealing loaves for myself! They’re too good! Especially when you add the easy citrus glaze. I’ll drizzle that all day long. Also, it’s WAY fun to chop cranberries. They have such a satisfying little burst when you run your knife through them. You’ll have them flying and rolling all over your kitchen, but it’s so worth it.
I did manage to take some mini loaves of this bread for the holiday bake sale at my kids’ preschool. They have a family dinner every December, with crafts and of course, a visit from Santa. All the parents drop off baked goods that morning and that’s the dessert, with the proceeds going back to the school. Both kids said they were excited about Santa. I knew M would love it (especially the candy cane she gets at the end) but I was curious to see what J would do. He’s just 2 and that’s a tricky age for these sorts of things. But he assured me every time I asked that he was excited to see Santa, to sit on his lap, to say “ho ho ho” with him, to tell Santa his Christmas wishes. Wanna guess what happened?
Yup, we waited in line till it was our turn and as soon as we got to the front and J saw Santa sitting there in his chair, he latched onto my leg and started crying. Poor little guy. I told him he didn’t have to do it but he wouldn’t stop crying. Big scared tears. I had to pick him up and walk away with him - a little distance calmed him down. So no pictures of J with Santa this year. Or, at least not yet! We’ve got other Santa visits coming up… but he did enjoy coloring some Christmas trees at the crafts table that night and both kids had bright eyes looking at all the lights on the way home. It’s pretty spectacular to experience the holidays through the eyes of a child. The magic, the wonder, the purity really comes back.
Wishing you all a little magic in your lives this month! And wishing you multiple batches of this orange cranberry bread to share and to savor. Enjoy! XO, Kathryn P.S. Anyone else think the batter is the best part of baking?!
You can use a 9x5 bread pan or these mini bread pans.
