If there is one food that speaks of Christmas traditions to me, it would be Candy Cane Cookies.  And they’re not even peppermint, right?  It’s almond.  I love it.  I’ve been known to bake out those cookies all year long. . .  just roll them into a ball and flatten them.  No fancy shapes and no food coloring.  I just love the flavor.

So it’s no surprise that when my kids found a Cranberry Almond Loaf recipe in their Focus on the Family Club House Magazine several years ago, I fell in love with that too.  Same delicious, sweet almond flavor, only with cranberries for a bonus.

But then, that Gluten-Free thing happened; and I prefer to prepare foods as healthful as possible.  Therefore, with that criteria in mind, here is a new recipe for Cranberry, Almond Bread.  🙂  This is made with honey and stevia, rather than refined sugar.  The texture of the original bread was rather dry and crumbly, so this gluten-free loaf is more moist (on purpose), and just in time for the holidays!

I’m not exactly a food photographer.  If you want jewelry photographed, that’s my thing! 

I set my table cloth and delicious loaf of “Christmas Bread” in front of the bay window to catch the early morning light, and the little ones gathered all around me!  The boys were bouncing up and down on both sides, hitting my elbows with their hard little heads while asking, “When can I have a piece?” over and over.  And the almost two year old was standing on a chair, hanging over the table, yelling, “I want some!  I want some!” rather persistently.  So short story?  The photo shoot didn’t last very long, and they made short work of the Cranberry Almond Bread!

Don’t forget to download the Gluten-Free Sourdough, Cranberry Almond Bread PDF.    I hope you enjoy it as much as our family has.

Directions:

Combine wet ingredients:

• 1/2 cup butter, softened
• 1/2 cup brown rice sourdough starter, fed in the past 12 hours
• 1/2 cup water or milk

In a separate bowl, blend dry ingredients:

• 1/2 cup sorghum (milo) flour
• 1/2 cup teff flour
• 1/2 cup tapioca starch
• 1.5 teaspoons fine psyllium husk powder (I use Viva brand)

Add to the wet ingredients, mix well, and cover to allow to ferment for 7-12 hours.

After fermenting:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Place your pan in the oven to heat.  To your batter, add:

• 1/4 cup honey and 1/4 tsp. Sweet Leaf Stevia Powder
• 2 tsp. almond extract
• 2 eggs
• 3/4 tsp. salt
• 1 teaspooon cream of tartar
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 cup dried cranberries

Mix well.  Remove pan from oven and melt butter along sides and bottom.  Pour batter and smooth top.  {If your kids distract you and your loaf sits awhile before going into the oven, the cranberries may sink to the bottom like mine. 😉 } However, bake it immediately and your cranberries will be well distributed throughout the loaf!

Loaf pan: Bake 45-50 minutes  (I use glass.)

In a hurry and want to bake this out more like a cake?  Use a 8×8″ or 11×7″ glass pan, and bake for 25-30 minutes.

Azure Standard has a dried cranberry that is sweetened with apple juice, and I’ve been itching to get my hands on it.  So far, it has been out of stock, but they’re expecting a shipment this month, so I’ll get to try them in January!

If you’re like me and you are doing a low carb thing while your family continues to eat a more traditional fare, All Day I Dream About Food has a yummy Cranberry Cobbler recipe.  Just omit the cinnamon and vanilla, add a teaspoon of almond extract instead, and you can enjoy some low carb Cranberry Almond “Bread” right alongside everyone else.  😉