Cranberry Oat Bread

I think I'm finally off my apple kick. Now, on to cranberries!!

I made this bread last year, but didn't try any myself. I sent mini loaves to family around Christmas time, and saved a muffin for my husband to try. He really loved it, and wanted me to make more, but we had so many leftovers from all the holidays, I thought it would be excessive. So he was left to dream of my cranberry oat bread. Until now!

My grandma sent me this recipe, along with some great information about substituting honey, an all-natural sweetener, for sugar. When baking, you can substitute honey for up to half of the granulated sugar called for. For every cup of honey added, reduce other liquids in the recipe 1/4 cup, add 1/2 teaspoon baking soda and lower the oven temperature by 25 degrees to prevent burning.

Cranberry Oat Bread

• 1/3 cup vegetable oil (I used half unsweetened apple sauce, half oil)
• 3/4 cup honey
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 cup milk
• 2 1/2 cups flour (I used whole wheat flour)
• 1 cup quick-cooking oats
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 2 cups cranberries
• 1 cup chopped nuts (walnuts)

Preheat oven to 350. Grease and flour 2 8- by 4- by 2-inch bread loaf pans, or 3 mini loaf pans. Yes, I used a cheap foil bread loaf pan. I should probably buy a real bread loaf pan one of these days. 

Combine oil (and apple sauce), honey, eggs and milk; mix well. 

Combine flour, oats, baking soda and powder, salt and cinnamon; mix well. Stir into honey mixture. Fold in cranberries and nuts. 

Bake 40-45 minutes, or until knife inserted in center comes out clean. I ended up baking my loaves for about 50 minutes, covering the loaves with foil after 40 minutes to prevent browning. 

Cool in pans on wire racks for at least 15 minutes.