Rosy Swirl Bread

By

This yeast-risen, homey-looking bread is grainy with a delectable jam-like swirl in the middle, featuring fresh cranberries.

"Cranberries work overtime in sauces, breads and desserts. What with plane delays, snow storms and roasting the turkey, the Thanksgiving holidays can be unpredictable. So, it's a good thing there are cranberries. Unlike other seasonal fruit that can the oranges have seeds? are the pomegranates ripe?), cranberries are impressively reliable. There's no need to pick through piles of berries to determine which are the ripest, sweetest or juiciest. Just pluck a few bags from the pile in the produce section and toss them in the freezer or fridge.

Cranberries are also impressively versatile, flavoring not just Thanksgiving's traditional cranberry sauce but also breads, salads, ice creams, and crumbles and adding a bright snap to anything they're used in. Just remember they're one of the tartest fruits there is, usually requiring a hefty dose of sugar.

On the nutrition front, they're high in antioxidants, low in calories and virtually fat-free, making them a nutritious boon in just about anything you cook up this holiday.

If you're ready to think outside the box - or more usually, the bag - here are some excellent ways to use the best berry of the season."

Crescent Dragonwagon, a food writer living in Saxton's River, VT

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  • 2

Ingredients

  • Bread:
  • 1 cup 2% reduced-fat milk
  • 1/2 cup butter, divided
  • 1 cup old-fashioned oats
  • 2 (.25-ounce) packages dry yeast
  • 1 cup warm water
  • 2 eggs
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 3 tablespoons sugar
  • 1 tablespoon salt
  • 3 cups whole-wheat flour
  • 3 cups all-purpose flour, divided
  • 1 tablespoon cinnamon mixed
  • with 3 tablespoons sugar
  • Cranberry filling:
  • 1 2/3 cups fresh cranberries
  • ½ cup sugar

Preparation

Step 1

Combine milk and 1⁄4 cup butter in a small saucepan and heat until butter melts. Pour into a large bowl and stir in oats. Let stand about 10 minutes.

Sprinkle yeast over warm water, and let stand 10 minutes or until bubbly.

Add eggs, vanilla, sugar, salt and yeast mixture to oat mixture. Stir well.

Stir in whole-wheat flour and 2 cups all-purpose flour, 1 cup at a time. Turn dough out onto a clean, floured surface; knead in remaining all-purpose flour, 1⁄4-cup at a time, until smooth and pliable. Knead about 6 minutes. Spray a large bowl with cooking spray and place dough in it. Cover and let rise 1 to 1 1⁄2 hours, until doubled in bulk.

To prepare the filling, combine cranberries and sugar in a small saucepan. Cook, stirring constantly, until sugar melts and cranberries start to pop. Remove from heat and set aside.

Coat two 9-by-5-by-3-inch loaf pans with cooking spray. When the dough has risen, punch it down; divide into two equal parts.

Melt remaining 1⁄4 cup butter. Roll out one portion of dough into a 12-by-16-inch rectangle on a floured surface. Brush with 2 tablespoons melted butter. Sprinkle on 2 tablespoons cinnamon-sugar, stopping 3⁄4 inch from edges. Spread with half the cranberry filling, stopping 3⁄4 inch from edges.

Roll dough up, starting on one of the short sides. Pinch seams together at both ends; tuck ends under slightly. Place loaf, seam side down, into prepared pan. Repeat for second loaf.

Cover loaves and let rise until doubled in bulk, 45 to 60 minutes.

Preheat oven to 375 F. Bake 35 minutes or until bread is browned on bottom and sounds hollow when tapped. Remove from oven, let stand in pans 5 minutes, then remove from pans and cool on racks 30 minutes.

Nutrition Information:
Per slice
180 calories
5 g fat
5 g protein
31 g carbohydrates
3 g fiber
320 mg sodium

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