Not my Blueberry-Nut Bread

This really delicious recipe is from Jane Brody’s Good Food Gourmet. I’m not sure if you’re supposed to post recipes from cookbooks so if I’m committing a blogosphere crime, somebody please let me know.

Before I type up the recipe as it appears in the book, I’ll mention a couple of changes that I made (out of necessity). Firstly, I used frozen blueberries (from Whole Foods which has the best frozen products I’ve ever tasted). Secondly, I violated the cardinal rule of cooking/baking – always make sure that you have all the ingredients before you start putting the dish together. We usually have orange juice, but on that particular day we didn’t so I substituted grapefruit juice. I could have squeezed an orange, but I’d rather eat the orange and eat the cake.

If I made this recipe again, I would probably reduce the sugar by 1/4 cup. I would also like to try baking this bread with dried cranberries instead of blueberries.

BLUEBERRY-NUT BREAD

1 cup whole-wheat flour
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 t baking soda
1/4 t salt (optional)
2 tablespoons butter, melted
1 egg, beaten
1 tablespoon grated orange rind
1/4 cup orange juice
3/4 cup boiling water
1 cup blueberries (preferably fresh)
3/4 cup chopped pecans

1. Preheat the over to 350º F.
2. In a large bowl, combine the whole-wheat flour, all-purpose flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt (if desired).
3. Add the butter and the beaten egg to the flour mixture, stirring the ingredients to combine them.
4. In a small bowl or measuring cup, combine the orange rind, orange juice, and water. Add the juice mixture to the flour mixture, stirring until just combined. Stir in the blueberries and pecans, and transfer the batter to a greased 9X5-inch loaf pan.
5. Place the pan in the hot oven, and bake for 50 to 60 minutes or until a tester inserted into the center of the bread comes out clean.

Kat’s Note: this bread is great warm out of the pan or toasted the next day.