Cranberry Swirl Loaf

1 loaf (16 slices)

Taste of Home's Holiday & Celebrations Cookbook Annual 2005
Husband-Tested in Alice’s Kitchen

Since we're closing in on the holidays, I thought I'd try baking something with cranberries. The fellas were coming over for band rehearsal and they like having a little something sweet before we make music, so I decided to give this a try. I had fun making it. As if was baking, Jim came in and exclaimed, "Boy, something smells good!" The bread itself is slightly sweet, but the filling is a bit tart. At rehearsal, we had this sliced served along side some hot coffee. (Lost River Market & Deli has the best coffee!) Today, Jim and I plan to toast a slice to go with some hot tea for an autumn snack.

Ingredients
3 to 3-1/2 cups all-purpose flour (I used 3 cups)
1/3 cup sugar
1 package (1/4 ounce) quick-rise yeast
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup milk (I used skim milk.)
1/3 cup unsalted butter, cubed (If using stick butter which has Tablespoon marks on the wrapping paper, this equals 5 1/3 Tablespoons or 5 Tablespoons + 1 teaspoon)

FILLING:
1 cup chopped fresh or frozen cranberries
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 cup water
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

TOPPING:
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, divided

Directions:
Grease a 9" x 5" loaf pan. In a large bowl, combine 1 cup flour, sugar, yeast and salt. In a saucepan, heat the water, milk and butter to 120°-130°. Add to dry ingredients; beat just until moistened. Stir in enough remaining flour to form a soft dough.
Turn onto a floured surface; knead until smooth and elastic, about 5-7 minutes. Place in a greased bowl, turning once to grease top. Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 1 hour.
For filling, in a small saucepan, combine the cranberries, brown sugar and water. Cook over medium heat until berries pop, about 15 minutes. Remove from the heat; stir in the butter, walnuts and lemon juice. Cool.
Punch dough down. Turn onto a lightly floured surface; roll into a 20-in. x 10-in. rectangle. Spread filling to within 1/2 in. of edges. Roll up jelly-roll style, starting with a long side; pinch seam to seal. Place in a zigzag pattern (so it fits in the pan) in a greased 9-in. x 5-in. loaf pan.
For topping, in a small bowl, combine flour and sugar; cut in 1 tablespoon butter until crumbly. Melt remaining butter; brush over dough. Sprinkle with topping. Cover and let rise until doubled, about 40 minutes.
Bake at 350° for 40-45 minutes or until bread sounds hollow when tapped. Carefully remove from pan to a wire rack to cool.

Nutrition Facts: 1 piece equals 210 calories, 9 g fat (4 g saturated fat), 17 mg cholesterol, 140 mg sodium, 30 g carbohydrate, 1 g fiber, 4 g protein.