Cranberry Fruit Nut Bread

(a Klock-family favorite since Sue became a Klock in '67 and made this for Peter)

Cranberry Fruit Nut Bread

2 cups all-purpose sifted flour
1 cup sugar
1 ½ teaspoons double-acting baking powder*
½ teaspoon soda**
1 teaspoon salt
¼ cup shortening
¼ cup orange juice
1 tablespoon freshly grated orange rind
1 egg, well beaten
½ cup chopped nuts
1 or 2 cups fresh or quick-frozen “fresh” cranberries, coarsely chopped

Preheat oven to 350°F.
Grease and flour a 9”-by-5”-by-3” loaf pan.
Sift together flour, sugar, baking powder, soda and salt. Cut in shortening until mixture resembles coarse cornmeal.
Combine orange juice and grated rind with well-beaten egg. Pour all at once into dry ingredients, mixing just enough to dampen. Carefully fold in chopped nuts and cranberries.
Spoon into greased loaf pan. Spread corners and sides slightly higher than center.
Bake in a moderate oven (350° F. ) for about one hour until crust is golden brown and toothpick inserted comes out clean. Remove from pan. Cool.
Store overnight for easy slicing.

*May substitute 1 ½ teaspoon phosphate or tartrate for 1 teaspoon double-acting baking powder in any recipe.

**A note on baking powder (one of its ingredients is bicarbonate of soda) versus baking soda (bicarbonate of soda):
Whether you use single-acting or double-acting, the leavening effect is based on simple chemical reaction: alkaline and acidic components mixed with a liquid produce a gas which forms bubbles in the batter; bubbles expand when heated during the cooking process.
    You can use a single-acting baking powder in recipes which call for double-acting, but it has the disadvantage of needing lightening speed by the cook to ensure its effectiveness as a leavening agent. Failure to act quickly results in gas being lost to the air; the bread will not rise.
    In the unlikely event you happen to be out of baking powder but do have cream of tartar and baking soda on hand, it is possible to make a single-acting baking powder by combining 2 teaspoons cream of tartar with 1 teaspoon baking soda. When using this, just be sure to mix dry and moist ingredients together only at the last minute and only just before it is time to put the batter in the oven.
    Though the leavening effect of baking soda is based on a chemical reaction that takes place when the alkaline baking soda is combined with an acid and a liquid, and, though baking soda may be an additive to some baking powders, it is a very different animal. Baking powder causes food to rise vertically; good for heavy batters, e.g. muffins and quick breads and for batters containing chocolate. Baking soda causes food to expand horizontally; good for cakes. Having said that, note that in the above recipe for Cranberry Fruit Nut Bread, both baking powder and baking soda are called for, and this is true of many recipes. The baking soda neutralizes the acidic ingredient, while the baking powder acts as the leavening agent.

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