Orange Cranberry Almond Bread

This Orange Cranberry Almond Bread includes almond flour for a moist, tender crumb in a quick bread that is bursting with orange and cranberries! Cranberry and orange are two ingredients that are a match made in heaven. Sweet-but-tart cranberries are always well balanced by zesty-yet-sweet orange juice. This recipe adds almonds to the mix for a loaf that is a delicious addition to any breakfast or brunch menu.

Almond flour – also known as almond meal – is a great ingredient to work with in all kinds of baked goods. It can yield a denser and more tender cake than regular flour, as well as adding a mildly nutty flavor and a bit of additional protein. Of course, when it comes to baked goods, you probably shouldn’t count on them as a major protein source most days, but it’s still nice to boost that nutritional profile when you can. You can make your own almond flour by grinding almonds in the food processor, but these days there are many good commercial brands to choose from.

The recipe is flavored with fresh orange juice and zest, and it is studded with plenty of cranberries. You can use fresh or frozen cranberries, as both will work just fine in this recipe. To draw a little more attention to the ground almonds, I also added some sliced almonds to the bread for a little bit of crunch. The bread is moist and tender, with a slightly denser crumb than the recipe would have it I made it with all purpose flour alone. It holds the up cranberries perfectly, so the finished loaf is beautiful to look at. You get a nice orange and cranberry flavor in every bite, with a subtle almond flavor. It’s delicious and a great twist on a more traditional cranberry orange bread.

The loaf will be a touch flatter than all-flour quick breads, so don’t be surprised if it doesn’t rise quite as much as some other loaves do. It will still develop a nice top crust, particularly if you sprinkle it with a bit of coarse sugar before baking.

Orange Cranberry Almond Bread
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
3/4 cup almond flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1 cup sugar
1/4 cup butter, melted and cooled
1 large egg
1 tbsp orange zest
3/4 cup orange juice, freshly squeezed
1 cup fresh cranberries
1/2 cup sliced or slivered almonds
coarse sugar (optional)

Preheat oven to 375F. Lightly grease a 9×5-inch loaf pan. If desired, line the bottom of the loaf pan with parchment paper.
In a medium bowl, whisk together flours, baking soda, baking powder and salt.
In a large bowl, whisk together sugar, melted butter, egg and orange zest. Stir in half of the flour mixture, followed by the orange juice. Stir in the remaining flour mixture and, when it has been almost completely combined, fold in cranberries and slivered almonds. Mix until cranberries are well-distributed and no streaks of flour remain visible.
Pour batter into prepared pan. If desired, sprinkle loaf with 1 tbsp coarse sugar.
Bake for 40-45 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the loaf comes out clean and the cake springs back when lightly pressed
Allow loaf to cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then run a knife around the edge to loosen it and turn it out onto a wire rack to cool completely before slicing.

Makes 1 loaf; serves 10.