Grandmother's Famous Cranberry Bread

This recipe comes from a beloved children's book, Cranberry Thanksgiving by Wende and Harry Devlin. When we were growing up, we had both Cranberry Thanksgiving and Cranberry Christmas, both books bright and artful. Lovely pictures, good stories, and...recipes in the back! I loved this cranberry bread so much. As soon as we figure out what's happened to our oven, I will be making some!

Maggie is a young girl living with her grandmother, and if memory serves, they make Grandmother's famous cranberry bread to share with their neighbor, Mr. Whiskers. Take it from me, this bread is delicious. And if you ever run across one or more of these books, please buy one to share with your children. Or send to me, until I can figure out what happened to our old copies!

Grandmother's Famous Cranberry Bread

2 cups sifted all-purpose flour

1 cup sugar

1 ½ teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon baking soda

¼ cup butter

1 egg, beaten

1 teaspoon grated orange peel

¾ cup orange juice

1 ½ cups light raisins

1 ½ cups fresh or frozen cranberries, chopped

Sift flour, sugar, baking powder, salt and baking soda into a large bowl. Cut in butter until mixture is crumbly. Add egg, orange peel, and orange juice all at once; stir just until mixture is evenly moist. Fold in raisins and cranberries.

Spoon into a greased 9 x 5 x 3-inch loaf pan. Bake at 350 degrees F for 1 hour and 10 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Remove from pan; cook on a wire rack.

If you choose, you may substitute cranberries for the raisins to have an all cranberry bread. (I believe I always made all cranberry bread)