Cranberry Pecan Bread

I had half a bag of cranberries left over from the cranberry stew and needed something to do with them ... this seemed like the perfect solution.  I had decided that I should make it for a breakfast meeting I'd scheduled at work.  Unfortunately, I'd scheduled the meeting a week in advance and the week of the meeting, I had a family emergency and ended up spending my evening out talking to people.  I got home at 11:30pm, but still needed to bake something!  I couldn't just buy food to bring into work!  Yes, I know I need help.  Thankfully, this recipe is simple enough to make at 11:30 pm. 

No substitutions or changes were made, except for making my own buttermilk (1 cup milk + 1 tbsp vinegar/lemon juice).  To save time, I tossed the pecans and cranberries in the food processor and gave it a few whirls until things looked chopped.

Cranberry Pecan Bread (from Lottie + Doof) (adapted from Cooks Illustrated)

Ingredients

2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour, plus more for pan
1/2 cup pecans, toasted and chopped coarse
1 tablespoon grated orange zest
1/3 cup fresh orange juice
2/3 cup buttermilk
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled
1 large egg, beaten lightly
1 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1 1/2 cups cranberries, coarse chopped

1. Preheat oven to 375° F. Grease the bottom and sides of a 9 by 5-inch loaf pan; dust with flour, tapping out extra (or if it's midnight when you're filling the pan, grab disposable bake wear and just toss it in.)

2. Stir together the orange zest, orange juice, buttermilk, butter, and egg in a small bowl.
3. Whisk together the flour, sugar, salt, baking powder, and baking soda in a large bowl.
4. Stir the liquid ingredients into the dry ingredients with a spatula until just moistened. Gently stir in the cranberries and pecans. Do not overmix. (But you should probably not have giant sections of dry ingredients like I did!)  Scrape the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top with a spatula.

5. Bake 20 minutes (or until you get done getting ready for bed and notice that the timer went off at some point while you were elsewhere), then reduce heat to 350F; continue to bake until the loaf is golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 45 minutes longer. 6. Cool in the pan 10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack and cool at least 1 hour before serving (or let cool in the pan until you wake up at 3am and decide to cover it with foil wrap). The bread can then be wrapped in plastic and stored at room temperature for several days.