{Cranberry Orange Bread}

It is fall!!!! I'm excited to start experimenting with new recipes, cooking up some wonderful fall time classics. Especially now that I'm HALF-WAY done with college applications! Whoohoo!!!! Can you tell I'm excited? :)

Anyway, with that accomplished, I got a little relaxing time to bake. Not for me, because this recipe is not egg-free or nut-free (at least not yet. I will be attempting egg and nut free bread soon), but for my family. As I've said before, my family cannot get enough of the apple-cinnamon bread I make, so I though I'd experiment. Since we had a HUGE bag of dried cranberries, that my brother uses for making his own trail mix, I thought an orange-cranberry twist would be fun. 

Needless to say, it was a hit. Half a loaf was gone in probably ten minutes. The rest soon followed. My brother said it tasted like a bagel in that it was chewy and soft. I took that as a high compliment, coming from the world's pickiest eater ever!

Here's a picture of my brother in pure heaven. 

And another. I think I just became the best sister in the entire world right there. 

You'll notice this is basically the same recipe as the apple cinnamon bread, with a few slight variations. That said, feel free to use the framework and get creative with your own variations! I know I'll be trying a pumpkin bread and cinnamon swirl soon! :)

{CRANBERRY ORANGE BREAD}

Ingredients:

2 cups almond flour 
1/2 cup potato starch
1/2 cup tapioca starch
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 Tablespoon xanthan gum
3/4 teaspoon salt


2 teaspoons sugar
2 1/4 teaspoons active dry yeast
1/2 cup hot water (110 F) 

1/2 cup warm almond milk (110 F)
3 eggs
3 Tablespoons olive oil

1/4 dried cranberries
1/2 teaspoon orange zest



Instructions:

Here's how I've found the most success: 

1. Preheat the oven to 325 F.  Place the almond flour in the food processor and grind about 15 seconds in order to break up clumps. Mix all the dry ingredients in a large food processor and pulse for a few seconds. Next add the orange zest and mix thoroughly.

2. Mix the yeast, sugar, and hot water in a small bowl. Mix it up gently, place a towel over the bowl, then place it in a warm and disclosed place and set a timer for 10 minutes. 

3. While waiting for the yeast, heat up the milk, bring eggs to room temperature (put them in a bowl with hot water). 

4. When there is about 30 seconds left for the yeast, mix in the warm milk, eggs, and oil. Then pour the yeast into the food processor and  mix for one minute, until a dough forms. 

5. Gently pour the bread into the loaf pan, then carefully fold in the cranberries. 

6.   Bake for 45 minutes, or until done (to test with a toothpick, poke it in the center of the bread. If the tooth pick is clean, it its done. If it has dough on it, set the timer for another 5 minutes and check again). 

7. Let cool for 20 minutes, then slice and serve. 

~I hope you enjoy this fall treat as much as my family does!