A gluten free cranberry orange bread perfect for celebrating the holiday season on any morning, from school days to Christmas morning!
The December count down!
With bated breath we have entered December after a whirlwind fall of a fresh school year and the completion of a new book project. I am determined to make the next few weeks flow as slowly as possible, savoring every second of the holiday season…and my girls, who seem to be growing up before my eyes! We started with new Christmas jammies, hot cocoa, slippers, and a movie; and I set to the kitchen for a new breakfast idea that could be used throughout this month without the sugar crash!
Those darn December school days…
It’s hard enough to get up early when the cold December air hits Michigan, and it can be even harder to head off to a day of learning when all you are thinking about is Christmas break coming up after a focused fall of school learning! I have found that having a few fun breakfasts just for this season make school mornings that much easier. The nostalgia you’ll be gifting to your kids is priceless – they will remember these little things, dear momma.
Fun Christmas breakfast without the sugar overload!
Because they still have to focus for school all morning, right? I’ve packed out this special quick-bread with ingredients that count, so let’s break it down!
- Cassava flour is a great pre-biotic fiber rich grain free flour. It will provide kids energy without the blood sugar spike, and nourish the gut while you’re at it!
- Buckwheat flour made from the buckwheat seed, and is a good source of protein. It is filling, yet light and bakes very well. Despite its name, buckwheat does not contain wheat. While some in the paleo community consider buckwheat a pseudo-grain, it is a seed, and if you tolerate digesting it, it is a great tool to have in your pantry to rotate flours and ensure you aren’t just using the same ones over and over again on your gut.
- Almond flour is a good source of fat and protein as well. If you are allergic to almonds, I would suggest using some tapioca flour in this place to ensure the softness remains. Sometimes if you use too much cassava flour, the taste can be off, but you could certainly try that as well. Remember that cassava flour is more absorbent than almond flour so you may way to use less amount.
- Healthy fats from the coconut milk, palm shortening, and eggs are also a great addition!
The method
This cranberry orange quick-bread lives up to it’s name! The prep is easy and fast. You’ll cream the wet ingredients, blend in the dry, and then fold in the cranberries. The orange infused coconut milk helps keep the quick bread nice and soft, as well as reacts with the baking powder to make it rise. The ingredients can be prepped the night before to bake off in the morning if you prefer to do things that way. I baked and served mine the next day, and the bread was still very soft and delicious!
How should I serve the cranberry orange bread on a school morning to make it balanced?
This quick-bread is actually quite balanced! You might find your little guys content with a slice of bread with a smear of butter and a cup of full fat raw milk if they do dairy, or full fat coconut milk if they are dairy free. Here are some ideas for your older children to round out the meal:
- You can serve your bread with a smear of butter if you tolerate dairy to add a bit more nourishing fat – some dairy free children might like coconut butter!
- A side of fried eggs
- Sausage or bacon
- A cup of full fat coconut yogurt or regular yogurt would be great as well.
- If you have smoothie kids, you could do a smoothie with the slice of bread as well.
Gluten Free Cranberry Orange Bread
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
- 2 tbsp juice from an orange
- ¾ cup full fat coconut milk or whole raw milk if you tolerate dairy
- Zest from 1 orange
- 1/3 cup palm shortening or softened butter if you can tolerate dairy
- 1/3 cup coconut sugar
- 1/3 cup maple syrup
- 2 eggs
- 1 cup cassava flour
- ½ cup buckwheat flour
- ½ cup almond flour
- 1 tsp aluminum free baking powder
- ½ tsp baking soda
- ½ tsp sea salt
- 1 tsp almond extract
- 2 – 2 ½ cups whole fresh cranberries per your preference
Instructions
- Pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees and grease a 9×5 inch loaf pan with palm shortening (or butter if you tolerate dairy).
- Pour the ACV and orange juice into a 2-cup liquid measuring cup, and then pour coconut milk into the liquid measuring cup until you hit the 1 cup line. Whisk in the zest, and set aside for later. This is your orange infused buttermilk.
- In a medium mixing bowl, cream the palm shortening, coconut sugar, and maple syrup using hand beaters. Add the eggs and blend until creamy and smooth.
- Add the rest of the ingredients EXCEPT the cranberries, blend to combine until smooth, and then fold in the cranberries with a spatula.
- Pour the batter into the greased 9×5 inch loaf pan (it will come almost to the top – this is ok!), smooth out the top, and bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour until the bread springs back to tough and is deeply golden brown. Let the bread cool for at least 20 minutes in the pan before turning it out onto a cooling rack to cool further.
Have you tried a substitute for the buckwheat flour?
Hi Kathy – I haven’t subbed for anything in this recipe yet 🙂
Do you think flax eggs will work in this recipe? Thanks!
Hi Jessie! I think flax eggs would work for the bind, but the bread wouldn’t puff up as much since eggs help with the rise. It would be a little denser if that makes sense. It would probably still taste great though!
I love this recipe! I freeze fresh cranberries so I can even make this recipe in the summer! I have doubled it and also made muffins and mini loaves with it. They have all turned out great! Muffins and slices of bread freeze beautifully. I have also found that I can cut the sugar and maple syrup in half and it is so sweet enough for us!
I love this recipe! I freeze fresh cranberries so I can even make this recipe in the summer! I have doubled it and also made muffins and mini loaves with it. They have all turned out great! Muffins and slices of bread freeze beautifully. I have also found that I can cut the sugar and maple syrup in half and it is so sweet enough for us!
Thank you so much for sharing Beth! I’m glad you have enjoyed them – the muffins are a great idea!