Quick Breads: White Chocolate Cranberry Bread

Services 10

6 ounces white chocolate, finely chopped

2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon salt

 1/4 teaspoon baking soda

3/4 cup sugar

8 tablespoons {1 stick} salted butter, at room temperature

3 large eggs, at room temperature

1/2 cup buttermilk

Grated zest of 1 orange

1/4 cup fresh orange juice

2 teaspoons pure vanilla

1 cup fresh or frozen whole cranberries, not thawed

1 cup toasted, skinned, coarsely chopped hazelnuts

1 cup white chocolate chips

Position rack in center of oven and preheat to 350 degrees. Lightly butter and flour a 9x9x3-inch loaf pan and tap excess flour.

Melt and cool the chopped white chocolate.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, salt and baking soda. In a large bowl beat the sugar and butter with an electric mixer set on high speed until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. One at a time, beat in the eggs, beating well after each addition, and scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed.

Beat in the buttermilk, followed by the tepid white chocolate, orange zest and juice, and vanilla. The mixture will look curdled. With the mixer on low speed, add the flour mixture, and beat just until smooth, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed. Stir in cranberries, hazelnuts and white chocolate chips. Spread batter in prepared pan. Bake until a bamboo skewer inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean, about 1 1/2 hours. Let cool on a wire rack for 10 minutes before inverting and unmolding bread.