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Friday, March 15, 2013

Cranberry Chocolate Buttermilk Bread

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 My brother spent some time in Germany last summer with his basketball team and he arrived home with some chocolate for me. Can't go wrong with German chocolate, straight from Germany! I've enjoyed most of it plain, but when I set out to make this bread, I discovered I was out of chocolate chips. Instead, I pulled one of my German chocolate bars from the pantry and chopped it up.
The problem with German chocolate? I can't read the labels! I wasn't sure just what type of chocolate it was, although little nibbles led me to believe it had some sort of nuts (hazelnuts, maybe?) and some liqueur. It added a significant amount of flavor to the bread; Ryan thought it tasted like Bailey's, but to me it seemed more like rum. We weren't complaining either way!

Since I don't know what the chocolate was, I can't really tell you what chocolate to put in your bread. Mystery chocolate or not, you're bound to have success with the chocolate cranberry combination. If you're dying to add some boozy flavor, add a tablespoon of your favorite, and let me know how it turns out!

One Year Ago: Bailey's Dark Chocolate Pudding
Two Years Ago: Pumpkin Granola
Three Years Ago: Whole Wheat Pita Bread

Cranberry Chocolate Buttermilk Bread
adapted from Lemon Flaxseed Loaf

Ingredients:
-1/4 cup ground flaxseed
-3/4 cup granulated sugar
-2 large eggs
-1 cup all-purpose flour
-1 cup whole-wheat flour
-1 1/2 tsp baking powder
-1/2 tsp baking soda
-1/2 tsp salt
-3/4 cup low-fat buttermilk
-1/4 cup vegetable oil
-1 tsp vanilla extract
-1/2 cup coarsely chopped cranberries
-1/4 cup coarsely chopped chocolate

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350F. Coat an 8 x 4 inch loaf pan with cooking spray and set aside.
2. Beat sugar with eggs in a large bowl until mixture is thick and pale. In a separate bowl, combine flaxseed meal, flours, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Stir to combine. In a third bowl, combine the buttermilk, oil, and vanilla. 
3. Alternate adding the flour mixture and the buttermilk mixture to the egg mixture, beginning and ending with the flour mixture. Stir in the cranberries and chocolate.
4. Pour batter into prepared pan. Bake at 350F for 50-55 minutes or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean. Cool in pan, on a wire rack, for 5-10 minutes before removing loaf from pan and cooling completely on a wire rack .