This Christmas bread smells so amazing when it's baking! Talk about the aromas of the holidays wafting throughout your home..... this is it. A delicious, tender loaf full of cranberries, orange, and pecans, then topped with a crunchy sugar coating. It makes one big loaf, or three mini loaves so you can share. Perfect for serving at parties and gatherings with family and friends, or to give as gifts!
Christmas Cranberry Bread
Makes 1 loaf or 3 mini loaves
1 cup sugar
1 egg
2 tablespoons hot water
2 tablespoons shortening, melted
1/2 cup fresh orange juice
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
2 cups gluten free flour (Bob's Red Mill 1:1 works great)
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup fresh cranberries, chopped
1/2 cup chopped pecans
Grated rind of 1 orange
Coarse sugar for topping
Preheat oven to 325°F. In a large mixing bowl, beat together sugar, egg, hot water, shortening, orange juice, and almond extract. Add the flour, salt, baking powder, and baking soda. Beat until smooth. Stir in the chopped cranberries, chopped pecans, and orange rind. Pour into a well greased 9x5x3" loaf pan, or three mini loaf pans. Sprinkle generously with coarse sugar. For one loaf, bake for 1 hour or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. For mini loaves, bake for 35 minutes or until done. Allow to cool a few minutes in the pan, then carefully remove from the pan and cool completely on a wire rack. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate before slicing.
Step-by-step tutorial:
Gather your ingredients. You will need sugar, an egg, shortening, orange juice (juice of 1 orange is about right), almond extract, gluten free flour, salt, baking powder, baking soda, cranberries, pecans, an orange, and coarse sugar.
Preheat the oven to 325°F. In a large mixing bowl, combine the sugar, egg, hot water, melted shortening, orange juice, and almond extract. Add the flour, salt, baking powder, and baking soda. Beat to combine. Stir in the chopped cranberries, chopped pecans, and orange rind.
Pour the batter into a greased loaf pan, or 3 mini loaf pans.
Generously sprinkle with coarse sugar.
Bake one large loaf for about an hour. The mini loaves bake for 35 minutes, or until done.
After cooling in the pan for about 5 minutes, carefully dump out onto a wire rack to cool completely.
You can slice it while it's still slightly warm, or do as the original recipe asks and wrap and refrigerate for at least 2 hours before slicing. I love it it both warm and cold.
The flavors from the cranberries, orange, pecans, and almond extract make it just the most perfect bread for Christmas time.
Mini loaves are great because you can enjoy one and gift the other two. Or you could also wrap them up and freeze them for a later day..... like in the summer when you need a little Christmas in your life.
It smells and tastes just like Christmas. So tender and full of flavor, this is sure to become a favorite of yours too!
Recipe Source: Recipe adapted from my Preece Family Cookbook