I’m a ruminator. Some things I just can’t let go. For instance, calling a maple-flavored, cinnamon-sugar topped baked item “Maple Cinnamon Quick Bread” wouldn’t have brought a lot of attention to Trader Joe’s newest branded offering of somebody else’s invention, the Pancake Bread* which I reviewed here earlier this week. However, I’d already decided to have a go at a butter rum version using a couple recipes found online as my guide, and yesterday went to three different stores looking for a jar of the appropriate flavoring but did not find it. That experiment will have to wait.
Staying inside today rather than heading off to the Seattle Art Museum for a tail-end of the Peacock in the Desert exhibition since it’s going to get stormy and windy this afternoon, I decided to use the basic recipe and make a Cranberry Cinnamon Quick Bread. Now, maybe we could rename a few other quick breads as pancake breads, too. I could call it Cranberry Cinnamon Pancake Bread, but nah. Instead I will say that it’s super, super easy to make this type of bread, the flavors can be changed up, and the result can be eaten for breakfast, brunch, lunch, snack or even dessert with dinner.
Here’s the basic recipe and directions. 325 oven if using glass bread pan (highly recommended) or 350 for metal pan. Butter the parchment liner. Mix up a bit of cinnamon & sugar for the top; set aside. (If you’re not thinking of a recipe with cinnamon in the batter or on top, leave it out!)
Put all the dry ingredients in the bigger bowl. Put all the wet ingredients into a smaller bowl. Combine them separately, then barely mix, just ’til there are no dry bits. Quickly pour into the baking dish, sprinkle on the topping and then bake for 55-65 minutes, depending on your oven. This one took 62 minutes in glass at 325 degrees, skewer test.
The dry: 2 c. all-purpose flour/ 1/2 c. sugar (I use half white, half brown; some recipes only use 1/4 cup.) / 1/2 teaspoon salt/ 1 teaspoon baking powder / 1/2 – 1 teaspoon cinnamon
The wet: 2 eggs / 1 c. milk / 1/4 c. canola oil / 1 teaspoon vanilla
If you want to make the Maple Cinnamon version, just add 2 Tablespoons of maple syrup to the wet ingredients and use a full teaspoon of cinnamon in the dry ingredients.
(Today I used some orange juice substituting for part of the milk because of the addition of a cup of my Cranberry Lolly. A cup of chopped, dried cranberries will work, too. I’d also use o.j. if making a coconut or apricot quick bread with this recipe, but that’s just me.)
Ms Chef in Seattle 
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