Parsnip Bread with Cranberries, Walnuts and Orange Zest
Submitted by kwantam Wikified by Drimble Wedge
I've done a few quick breads in the last couple days.
First was Alton Brown's banana bread recipe. Turned out great as always. (From I'm Just Here For More Food).
Second was kind of an ad-lib banana molasses walnut cornbread. It turned out pretty tasty, but the crust has some issues. I think the cornmeal I used was too old and/or I needed to let it soak a bit longer, because the crust came out a bit dry and gritty. The crumb and flavor were both pretty decent.
Right now I have a parsnip bread with cranberries, walnuts, and orange zest in the oven. Again I based this on the Alton Brown carrot bread/cake/muffin recipe from the aforementioned book, replacing carrots with parsnips and vanilla yogurt with 3/4 plain yogurt, 1/4 sour cream. Both of these modifications are intended to cut the sweetness so that it doesn't get out of control with the cranberries and orange zest. Here's the recipe I ended up using:
- 227g grated parsnips
Bowl 1:
- 241g all purpose flour
- 3g baking powder
- 5g baking soda
- 5g cinnamon powder
- 2g salt
Bowl 2:
- 150g plain skim greek yogurt
- 50g full fat sour cream
- 57g canola oil
- 284g granulated sugar
- 3 large eggs
- zest of one medium (7cm diameter) orange
- 114g dried cranberry
- 30g chopped walnuts
Sift together bowl 1, then sift onto grated parsnips. Combine bowl 2 thoroughly and whip it a little bit. Combine with the rest of the ingredients and stir gently just enough to combine.
Fold in all but a few of the cranberries and all the walnuts. Pour into 9x5 loaf pan, and top with the remaining cranberries.
Bake at 350 for 45 minutes, drop to 325 for another 15 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean.
Success! I let it cool overnight and brought it to work. My co-workers are all quite pleased with the result, as am I. The orange zest and the slight spiciness/earthiness of the parsnips work really well together, and the cranberries and walnuts make a good texture. The crumb is basically perfect for a sweet bread, muffin-y and moist. I declare this experiment a success. The one thing I'd change is fewer cranberries on the top and more inside.
