Cranberries and orange are one of my favorite flavor duos. They really are a wholesome holiday combination. And I don’t know about you, but I always forget just how tasty citrus is in cake. Like for real, it is so good! This AIP Cranberry Orange bread is rich, sweet, and tangy, and its paired with a delicious orange glaze. This bread is so delicious, the holiday season won’t know what hit it.
The Conception of the AIP Cranberry Orange Bread
This recipe for cranberry orange bread came about by divine providence. And what in the world do I mean by that? Well the stars aligned and I found myself in possession of 3 pounds of oranges and fresh cranberries.
I was actually photographing the grain free cornbread recipe, when I heard a “Buenas” outside my front door. I peeped my head outside the door, and I saw a little Honduran boy with a basketful of oranges, and the most angelic little face. He asked me if I wanted to buy some oranges. Well I couldn’t say no to that. A few minutes and $1 later the boy was gone and I had a sack full of oranges.
As for the cranberries, I didn’t think fresh cranberries would be something I would find in Honduras. Before Thanksgiving, Micah went on a trip to the big city, San Pedro. I told him to look for fresh cranberries (but I wasn’t too hopeful). When He came back, he had two bags of ocean spray cranberries, straight up from the USA. I thought I would cry holding the little piece of home in my hands.
Anyway, all that to say, AIP Cranberry Orange Bread was on the hit list for the holidays. And this, my friends, is a stinkin’ hit!
Tips on making AIP Cranberry Orange Bread
Can I use dried cranberries?
You can use dried cranberries in this recipe but fresh cranberries add more of a tangy punch. If you use dried cranberries, you will want to reduce the amount from ½ cup to about ⅓ cup, or maybe less. The other thing to consider when using dried cranberries is to find some that are naturally sweetened and not loaded with cane sugar.
Can I use bottled orange juice?
Absolutely! I recommend using orange juice with pulp, but pulp free would work fine as well. Just make sure that if you are using store bought orange juice it is 100% fruit juice to remain AIP compliant.
Do I have to use orange zest?
If you don’t use orange zest, it won’t change the texture of the bread, but it will change the flavor. Orange zest acts as an easy “extract” to add flavor to the bread. The bread will still be pretty good without it, but the zest definitely takes your AIP Cranberry Orange Bread up to the next level.
How to make AIP Cranberry Orange Bread
Start by measuring out the dry ingredients in a large bowl. Add the Coconut flour, cassava flour, Arrowroot flour, baking soda, and salt. Mix together and set aside.
Take your orange and start zesting it. Pro tip, make sure your orange is nice and firm. If your orange is older and squishy, the zest will be impossible to get off. Also be careful not to zest your knuckle skin too (I did that when I was photographing this recipe. Let me tell ya, it don’t feel nice). You should have about 1 ½ tablespoons of zest. Set aside about ¼ teaspoon for the orange glaze
After you have zested the orange, cut the orange in half and juice the orange. You should get about ½ cup orange juice. Set aside 2 teaspoons for orange glaze. Measure the orange juice to make sure you have enough. Its ok if your juice is not exact, but you want to be close.
Before you poor the orange juice into the dry ingredients, measure the rest of the wet ingredients. You will want to act fast once you add the orange juice because the acid in the juice reacts with the soda in the dry ingredient mixture.
In a 1 cup glass measuring cup measure honey, vanilla, coconut milk, and coconut oil. Mix together and set aside.
Pour the orange juice in and mix until incorporated, then add the rest of the wet ingredients and mix again.
Add in about 1 ½ tablespoons orange zest and the fresh cranberries to the batter. Mix again until everything is well incorporated.
The batter will be thick, but don’t worry. Do not add more liquid or it may mess with the texture! Pour batter in a pan and bake in the oven for 22-28 minutes.
Mixing the Orange Glaze
Mix the coconut butter, honey, orange juice, and coconut milk together. Next add the orange zest and a pinch of salt. Mix until everything is well incorporated.
When the bread has cooled you can drizzle the glaze over the bread.
If your looking for more holiday inspired recipes, check out these!
Cranberry Orange Bread
Ingredients
Cranberry Orange Bread
- ⅓ Cup Cassava flour
- ⅓ Cup Coconut flour
- ¼ Cup Arrowroot flour
- ½ Teaspoon Baking soda
- ¼ Teaspoon Salt
- ½ Cup Orange juice Juice from one orange
- ¼ Cup Honey
- 2 Tablespoons Coconut milk
- 2 Tablespoons Coconut oil
- 1 Teaspoon Vanilla
- ½ Cup Fresh cranberries
- 1 ½ Tablespoons Orange zest Zest from 1 orange
Orange Glaze
- 1 Tablespoon Coconut butter
- 2 Teaspoons Orange juice
- 1 Teaspoon Honey
- 1 Teaspoon Coconut milk
- ¼ Teaspoon Orange zest
- Pinch of salt
Instructions
Cranberry Orange Bread
- Heat the oven to 350 degrees fahrenheit
- Start by measuring out the dry ingredients in a large bowl. Add the Coconut flour, cassava flour, Arrowroot flour, baking soda, and salt. Mix together and set aside.
- Take your orange and start zesting it. Pro tip, make sure your orange is nice and firm. If your orange is older and squishy, the zest will be impossible to get off. You should have about 1 ½-2 tablespoons of zest. Set aside about ¼ teaspoon for the orange glaze
- After you have gotten the zest of the orange, cut the orange in half and juice the orange. You should get about ½ cup orange juice. Set aside 2 teaspoons for orange glaze. Its ok if your juice is not exact, but you want to be close.
- Before you pour the orange juice into the dry ingredients, measure the rest of the wet ingredients. You will want to act fast once you add the orange juice because the acid in the juice reacts with the soda in the dry ingredient mixture.
- In a 1 cup glass measuring cup, measure Honey, vanilla, coconut milk, and coconut oil. Mix together and set aside.
- Pour the orange juice in and mix until incorporated, then add the rest of the wet ingredients and mix again. Add in about 1 ½ tablespoons orange zest and the fresh cranberries to the batter.
- The batter will be thick, but don’t worry. Do not add more liquid or it may mess with the texture! Pour batter in a pan and bake in the oven for 22-28 minutes.
Orange Glaze
- Mix the coconut butter, honey, orange juice, and coconut milk together. Next add the orange zest and a pinch of salt.
- When the bread has cooled you can drizzle the glaze over the bread.
