The Infamous Eggnog Bread Recipe

“Christmas Creep”, the phenomenon of getting Christmas-themed products into stores earlier and earlier each year, is getting out of hand. We saw eggnog in a neighborhood grocery store before Halloween this year. This example has its upside, however. You can start making eggnog bread now and freeze it for gifts in December.

Eggnog bread is the anti-fruitcake. I don’t use artificially-colored candied fruit or peel, although the original recipe (from Southern Living magazine, published in December 1983) called for it. You don’t have to make the recipe months in advance, soak it with booze, and store it wrapped in cheesecloth until you foist it on unsuspecting relatives, friends, and coworkers. The lack of alcohol makes it an appropriate gift for folks who don’t imbibe. Finally, it’s edible! Your aforementioned relatives, friends, and coworkers will love it. So here’s the recipe:

Infamous Eggnog Bread

2 ¼ cups all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

2 eggs

¾ cup sugar

¼ cup vegetable oil

1 cup commercial eggnog (low-fat is fine)

1 cup of a mixture of dried fruit: raisins, dried cranberries, figs, dates, snipped dried apricots, or dried cherries

½ cup chopped pecans (walnuts or almonds can also be used)

Combine flour, baking powder, and salt; set aside.

Combine eggs, sugar, and butter in a large mixing bowl; beat well. Add flour mixture alternately with eggnog, beginning and ending with flour mixture. Stir in fruit and nuts.

Pour batter into a greased and floured 8 ½” x 4 ½” x 3” loaf pan or a Bundt pan. Bake at 350° 1 hour and 10 minutes (shorter for a Bundt pan) or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pan 10 minutes; remove from pan and cool completely on wire rack. Yield: 1 loaf.

Notes:

1.  If you have relatives, friends, and coworkers who don’t do nuts, just increase the amount of fruit accordingly.
2. The recipe can be doubled easily, but tripling is a bit much. If I’m in baking frenzy mode, I’ll make two separate batches.