This is one of my older posts for a recipe I still love -- Texas Cranberry Jalapeno Bread. It's a fun quick bread and a conversation starter given the ingredient list. Jalapeno jelly gives it a little heat, while cumin and a picante sauce (I use Pace) give it some Tex Mex flare. And then of course you've got your cranberries and pecans which tie it all together. I personally wouldn't leave either of those things out. The ingredients sound a little odd, but this bread is just so good. And since butter is expensive, you'll be glad to know it only calls for 4 tablespoons of two loaves! It always surprises me how moist this bread is with so little butter.
Jump to Recipe
Sweet But Peppery Cranberry Pecan Bread
When I first posted this recipe I had lost my sense of smell from a cold and was hoping the pepper from the bread would help clear things up. The flavor is sweet, but it does leave a little trail of heat. I got the recipe years ago from my stepmother, who got it from Texas Co-op Power magazine. I didn’t think I’d like it at first, but it was surprisingly delightful. Since then I've made it many times for family and friends. At some point, I got a little burned out (no pun intended) on it and stopped making it,so I actually forgot how fun it was to serve.
A Few Baking Tips
This bread is as easy as making muffins, if not easier. Here are a few tips.
- 8 ½ by 4 ½ inch loaf pans are the perfect size. You can make two loaves or make half of the recipe for one loaf.
- Grease the loaf pans with extra butter and dust lightly with flour. You can use parchment or skip it, but cranberries can be sticky so if you have some I recommend putting a strip across the bottom.
- Mix the dry ingredients for at least a minute or until you are sure they are very evenly blended. When it's time to add the wet to the dry, you want to do as little stirring as possible.
Recipe
Texas Cranberry Jalapeno Bread
Ingredients
- 4 cups all-purpose flour (each cup weighs 4 ½ oz) 18 oz total or (504 grams)
- 2 cups granulated sugar (400 grams)
- ½ cup light brown sugar (100 grams)
- 1 teaspoon salt (increase to 1 ½ if using unsalted butter)
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- ½ teaspoon ground cumin (don't worry, it's good here)
- 1 cup pecans, chopped (toasting optional)
Wet Ingredients
- 3 large eggs beaten
- ¾ cup orange juice (fresh or packaged is fine)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 2 tablespoons mild salsa (or Pace picante)
- 2 tablespoons jalapeno jelly (the secret ingredient!) increase for more "heat"
- 4 oz regular salted butter, melted and cooled (114 grams)
- 12 oz cranberries, coarsely chopped
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease 2 (8 ½ by 4 ½ inch) loaf pans or 6 small loaf pans. For extra insurance you can line with a strip of parchment before greasing, but it's not absolutely essential.
- Mix dry ingredients, including nuts, in a large bowl. Using a whisk or a big spoon, mix for about 1 minute just to make sure everything is evenly blended.
- In another bowl, whisk together the eggs, orange juice, vanilla, salsa and jalapeno jelly until evenly blended. Whisk in the melted butter.
- Make a well in the dry ingredients and pour in the wet ingredients and chopped cranberries. Using a rubber scraper, stir just until batter is blended and you don't see any flour bits.
- Spread into pans and bake 60-70 minutes. For smaller loaf pans, bake time might be as short as 30 minutes, but it depends on the size. This should give you about six little 3x5 loaves (minis).
- Let cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then carefully loosen from pans and remove.
Sadie says
My husband loves this bread! It is now a requirement each Thanksgiving & Christmas. Don't be afraid to give it more heat with the jelly. Enjoy!!!
C L says
I wish I could send you a jar of the green pepper sauce my husband and I canned from our garden this summer. It contains only Anaheim, Fresno and jalepeno peppers (oh, and a few habeneros). Let me put it this way: the fumes alone cleared my sinuses. This sauce might explain why my husband never gets sick! LOL 😉
Tanis says
Anna,
Sounds so delicious!!!!! And, I just picked a 5 gallon bucket of jalapenos and don't know how many 1/2 pintsof pepper jelly (probably 35 of them) that I have canned. So, I will definitely be making this! Thank you for sharing.
Glad you're on the mend. That Chinese mustard would open you up, whew. Wasabi reminds me of that. Good stuff.
KAnn says
I always turn to chillies and spicy food to feel better, Anna. A couple of days ago I had my sister bring me Mexican rice and a pint of red chili from a New Mexican restaurant nearby-it was exactly what I needed!
I made the Cranberry Jalapeno bread about 4 years ago when it first made the rounds on the internet and everyone loved it-I haven't made it since then, either. I hope you are feeling better!
sherri says
Sounds like a wonderful mix. I've never run across this recipe.
Chris Mower says
Reading through the ingredients, this is sounding way tasty. I've always thought that Jalapeño adds a delicious taste to almost anything...and cranberries? Holy delicious! I've been on a bread kick lately, so I'll have to give this one a try.