APRICOT ORANGE CRANBERRY BREADS

Apricot Orange Cranberry Breads image

Yield Makes 5 small loaves

Number Of Ingredients 13

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3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons double-acting baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 stick (1/2 cup) unsalted butter, softened
1 cup sugar
1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon freshly grated orange zest
2 large eggs
2/3 cup fresh orange juice
2/3 cup milk
2/3 cup finely chopped dried apricots
2/3 cup chopped walnuts or pecans
3 cups cranberries, picked over and chopped

Steps:

Into a bowl sift together the flour, the baking powder, the baking soda, and the salt. In a large bowl with an electric mixer cream the butter with the sugar and beat in the zest and the eggs, 1 at a time. Beat in the orange juice and the milk and beat the mixture until it is combined well (it will appear curdled). Add the flour mixture and beat the batter until it is just combined. Stir in the apricots, the walnuts, and the cranberries, divide the batter among 5 buttered and floured loaf pans, each 5 3/4 by 3 1/4 by 2 inches, and bake the breads in the middle of a preheated 350°F. oven for 40 to 45 minutes, or until a tester comes out clean. Remove the breads from the pans and let them cool, right sides up, on a rack. The breads keep, wrapped well in plastic wrap and foil, chilled for 1 week or frozen for 1 month.