Versatile breads fill the bill for family, company, gifts

Comforting with the breakfast coffee, apropos for drop-ins, versatile enough to serve as dessert — what would we do without a few loaves tucked in the fridge for anytime pleasure? 

We’re talking holiday breads and whether modestly cinnamon-topped, lavishly fruit-filled or shamelessly seductive chocolate, there’s one to fill the bill for the holidays. As proof, witness the following examples. Enjoy! 

Our first recipe gives fruitcake a run for its money. This makes three large loaves, each serving 8-10 people. 

Christmas Fruit Loaf 

4 cups cake flour

1 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. EACH ground cloves and cinnamon

1/4 tsp. each ground nutmeg and mace

2 cups butter

2 1/4 cups brown sugar, firm-packed

10 eggs, beaten

1 1/2 cups candied or maraschino cherries

1 1/2 cups candied pineapple

2 1/2 cups chopped dates

2 1/2 cups seedless or golden raisins

2 1/2 cups currants

2 cups candied orange and lemon peel

1 1/4 cup chopped walnuts

1 cup honey

1 cup light molasses

1/4 cup EACH cider and rum or brandy

Preheat oven to 250F. Butter 3 loaf pans (10x5x3-inches); line with greased waxed paper. 

In a large mixing bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder and spices three times. In another bowl, cream the butter and gradually add the sugar, beating till light and fluffy. Add eggs, fruit, candied peels, nuts, honey, molasses, cider and rum. Add flour and spice mixture gradually, beating after each addition. Place equally in loaf pans. Bake for 3 1/2 to 4 hours. Remove from oven, cool in pans, then remove to cool thoroughly. Store wrapped tightly in foil and refrigerate. You may freeze a loaf or two if you wish.

Note: Baking temperature is 250 degrees. 

This cranberry-nut bread provides an idea for cake-like dessert – but, rest assured, the bread alone is yummy! 

Cranberry Nut Bread

2 cups flour, sifted

1 cup cane sugar

1 1/2 tsps. baking powder

1/2 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. salt

14 cup butter

3/4 cup orange juice

1 Tbs. grated orange rind

1 large egg, well beaten

1/2 cup chopped walnuts

1 0r 2 cups chopped cranberries sprinkled and tossed with sugar

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Sift flour with all dry ingredients and cut in the butter. Combine orange juice and grated rind with the egg; pour mixture over the dry ingredients and mix enough to dampen evenly. 

Fold in chopped nuts and cranberries. Pour mixture into a greased 9-inch loaf pan. Bake for 1 hour, cool on rack for 5 minutes; remove from pan and cool on rack completely.

If you’re lucky enough to have huckleberries in the freezer, great! If not, use blueberries for this delight.

Huckleberry-Orange Bread

1/4 cup boiling water

2 Tbs. butter

1/2 cup orange juice

1 Tbs. grated orange rind

1 egg

1 cup brown sugar

2 cups flour

1 tsp. baking powder

1/4 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp. salt

1 cup huckleberries

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Melt butter in boiling water, stir in orange juice and rind. Beat egg and sugar until light and lemon-colored. Sift together dry ingredients and add to egg mixture alternately with orange juice mixture. Beat until smooth.  Gently fold in berries. Place in a greased 9x5-inch loaf pan or 2 smaller loaf pans. Bake until firm and golden —about 1 hour, 10 minutes. Remove from the oven and turn it out on a wire rack. 

This recipe comes with an optional glaze if you prefer a sweeter loaf. 

Glaze: 2 Tbs. lemon juice; 2 Tbs. honey; 1 Tbs. grated lemon rind. Combine ingredients and spoon over warm loaf when removed from oven. Cool before slicing. 

Spicy Pumpkin Bread 

3 cups plus 3 Tbs. cane sugar

1 cup cooking oil

4 large eggs

1 16-oz can plus 1/2 cup solid pack pumpkin

3 1/2 cups flour

2 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. salt

1 tsp. EACH ground allspice, cinnamon, nutmeg

2/3 cup warm water

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly butter two 9x5x2 1/2-inch loaf pans. Beat 3 cups sugar, oil, eggs and 16-oz. can of pumpkin in large bowl to blend. Sift flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt and spices into another large bowl. Stir into the pumpkin mixture. Slowly mix in 2/3 cup warm water. Divide batter evenly between prepared pans. Bake until tops are golden and a tester inserted in center comes out clean, about 1 hour.  Transfer the bread to a rack to cool for 10 minutes. Run table knife around inside edges of pans to remove bread; place on racks to cool completely.

Note: This recipe came with the tip that it is excellent served with a dollop of whipped cream. It sounds good to me.

    This cranberry-nut bread provides an idea for cake-like dessert – but, rest assured, the bread alone is yummy!  

    A dollop of whipped cream makes the ideal accompaniment to this delicious spicy pumpkin bread.  

    Valle Novak  

Editor's note: For many years, Valle Novak wrote gardening and cooking columns for the Daily Bee. "Weekend Gardener" and "Country Chef" became renowned for their humor, information, and common-sense advice on how to do everything from planting to cooking. She left behind many columns such as this one to delight her many fans.