Cranberry Pumpkin Bread

I've been hunting for fresh cranberries in all the local grocery stores since September, and finally Whole Foods came through for me!  Fresh cranberries are my favorite addition to all kinds of baked goods because that tart, juicy bite goes so well with sweet and spicy fall flavors.  Today I used them to put a spin on the pumpkin bread recipe my mom makes every Thanksgiving, which comes from Braddock's Tavern.

In these pictures I'm making a double recipe, but here is the recipe for a single loaf.

3/4 stick of unsalted butter
1 cup sugar

1 1/4 cup flour
2 tsp baking soda
2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
pinch of allspice
1/8 tsp cloves (optional)
1/2 tsp salt

1 egg
1/3 cup water
1 cup of canned pumpkin

About 1 cup of cranberries, large ones chopped in half and small ones left whole
Optional: raw pumpkin seeds aka pepitas

 Cream butter and sugar together (it will look kind of chunky.)  In a separate bowl, mix all dry ingredients together.  Add dry ingredients to butter and sugar mixture and mix well.  Then add egg, water and pumpkin.  Mix until smooth, then stir in cranberries.

 Pour into greased and floured bread loaf pan.  If using pumpkin seeds, sprinkle them on top of the loaf.  Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour or until firm to the touch in the center of the loaf.

You'll see below, I had only one actual nonstick bread pan and used a glass baking dish for the other loaf.  I knew what was going to happen but I didn't feel like waiting to reuse the same pan.  So go with a nonstick pan!
 

The smell when this loaf really gets cooking is unbelievable.  To me it smells just like Thanksgiving morning.  It comes out super super soft and moist, so make sure you let it cool completely before slicing into it and use a sharp knife to avoid causing mush.
 

My favorite way to eat this bread is toasted and spread with cream cheese.  Because it's so moist you can get a nice little crunch on the edges in the toaster oven without drying it out at all.  It's also great with butter, and I may just be experimenting with its usefulness in bread pudding and French toast... if successful, you'll see it on the blog!