cranberries Archives • A Sweet Pea Chef

The perfect combination of tart and sweet - without added sugar - this recipe is a must! Using clean-eating ingredients, this post will show you how to make the BEST Cranberry Orange Bread. There's not much better than a freshly baked quick bread, hot from the oven. The way it makes your home smell delicious. The warm, tender texture. It's just so good. Let's talk about the deliciousness here. We've got specs of orange zest, tiny bursts of dried cranberries, and that lovely depth of the whole wheat pastry flour. The bread itself is naturally sweetened with just the dried cranberries and then just the right amount of orange juice and almond milk. It's all I need right now. Let's bake it together, shall we? Is Cranberry Orange Bread Healthy? Oh yes, Cranberry Orange Bread can be healthy! In fact, there are some very easy ways to turn any bread into a healthy bread. Here are some tips on how to do so: Replace refined all-purpose flour with unrefined flour, such as whole wheat pastry flour, spelt, or buckwheat flour.Replace any added sugars with natural sweeteners. Try adding dried cranberries instead of granulated sugar.Replace any oils or fats in the recipe with a mashed fruit, like mashed banana or unsweetened applesauce.Add additional vanilla extract or ground cinnamon, both of which make the bread taste sweeter. This cranberry orange bread uses whole wheat pastry flour instead of all purpose flour and dried unsweetened cranberries instead of any added sweeteners. Making your own quick bread at home means that you know exactly what goes in it — no hidden sugars or additives here! Cranberry Orange Bread Ingredients This cranberry orange bread recipe has some extra healthy ingredients inside that further both the decadent flavor AND the nutritional value. Win-win! Whole wheat pastry flour: Whole wheat flour is less refined than white flour. It’s a great choice! (Read about other super healthy flours here.)Uncooked rolled oats: Oats are a cholesterol-friendly cereal grain and are extra versatile. I love them in overnight oats, too!Cranberries: Cranberries have antioxidants.Almond milk: Almond milk is a healthy plant-based alternative for those who have to avoid dairy (say, if you are lactose intolerant or vegan)Orange juice: The OJ in the recipe adds the perfect amount of tartness (and vitamin C!)Coconut oil: Read all about the goodness here. How to Make Cranberry Orange Bread 1. Oven: Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. 2. Ready the pan: Grease the loaf pan with coconut oil. You can also use parchment paper to line the pan, leaving some of the paper overhanging the sides. Or just cut a rectangle of parchment paper to line the bottom of the pan. 3. Mix the dry ingredients: Combine the dry ingredients, including the dried cranberries. 4. Mix the wet ingredients: Combine the wet ingredients as listed on the recipe. 5. Make the batter: Combine the two to make the batter, which will be lumpy and thick in its consistency. 6. Put in the oven: Spread into the loaf pan, and bake for 25-30 minutes until a knife in the center comes out clean. 7. Enjoy: Cool and serve warm or at room temperature. Can You Use Fresh Cranberries Instead Of Dried Cranberries? Yes! You can use fresh cranberries or dried, whatever you have on hand. They both work well in this recipe. You may want to slice fresh cranberries in half. It’s not necessary, though. Whole fresh cranberries suit the recipe just fine! I usually use dried cranberries because I always have them in my pantry. Should dried cranberries be soaked before baking? This is a question I often get, and the answer is no. There is no need to at all. Typically, in a recipe which calls for one cup of fresh cranberries, you'll use 3/4 cup of dried cranberries. Can I Freeze Cranberry Orange Bread? Yes, you can easily freeze this bread to enjoy for later. To freeze the cranberry orange bread, make sure you allow it to cool before freezing to avoid soggy bread. Then, just wrap the loaf using one layer of plastic wrap, and then place that into a large reusable freezer bag. Frozen bread should last up to 2-3 months in the freezer, if stored properly. To thaw the frozen bread, just take it out of the freezer and let it come to room temperature. This should take about 2-3 hours. To serve the bread hot, place it in an oven and bake for 4-6 minutes at 400 degrees Fahrenheit until heated through. For best results, I recommend freezing your bread when it's fresh. The fresher the bread when you freeze it, the better it will be when you thaw and reheat it. More Healthy Bread Recipes Now that you’ve tried this dee-licious cranberry orange bread, I just know you want to try other bread recipes! Here they are! Healthy Banana Nut BreadOne Bowl Healthy Pumpkin BreadChocolate Zucchini BreadApple Pumpkin BreadEasy Sweet Cornbread Cranberry Orange Bread Are you looking for delicious, yet healthy Cranberry Orange Bread? This recipe has the perfect combination of tart and sweet without added sugar. Clean-eating ingredients make this a go-to bread for any occasion! 2 cups whole wheat pastry flour1 cup uncooked rolled oats1 tbsp baking powder1/2 tsp ground cinnamon1/4 tsp sea salt1 cup dried cranberries1 cup unsweetened almond milk1/2 cup orange juice1 egg2 tsp. orange zest1 tbsp coconut oil, (melted, plus more for greasing loaf pan) Preheat oven to 375 degrees F and grease a loaf pan with coconut oil or line with parchment paper.In a large mixing bowl, combine the whole wheat pastry flour, oats, baking powder, cinnamon, sea salt, and cranberries. Stir to combine.In a separate mixing bowl, combine the milk, orange juice, one egg, orange zest, and coconut oil.Add the milk mixture into the flour mixture, and stir to combine. The mixture will be thick and lumpy. Spread the batter into the prepared loaf pan.Bake in the oven 25-30 minutes, until sides separate from pan and knife in the center comes out clean.Cool on a cooling rack. Serve warm or at room temperature. Slice into thick slices and enjoy. BreadEasycranberry orange bread with dried cranberries, dried cranberry orange bread, healthy cranberry orange bread This post contains affiliate links for products I use regularly and highly recommend.