Healthy cranberry walnut bread

What comes to mind when you think about baking: Sugar? Butter? Flavor? Yum! We know it. What if we told you there are some small and easy substitutions you can make when you're baking to keep things flavorful and a bit healthier? Here's a recipe from Terri Taylor, a registered dietitian at HonorHealth Cancer Care, that proves you can have it all, at least when it comes to baked goods.

Ingredients

  • 1 ½ cups fresh cranberries
  • 2/3 cup ground flaxseed
  • 1 cup whole wheat flour
  • 1 cup unbleached wheat flour
  • 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
  • ½ teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • ¼ teaspoon ground allspice
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • 1 large egg
  • ¼ cup sugar
  • ¼ cup expeller pressed canola oil
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • ¾ cup 100% orange juice
  • 2 tablespoons orange zest
  • ½ cup chopped walnuts

Preparation

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
  2. Coat three, 6-by-3-inch each, mini loaf pans with nonfat cooking spray.
  3. Pulse cranberries in a food processor until coarsely chopped.
  4. In large bowl, mix flaxseed, flours, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, allspice and salt.
  5. In medium bowl, whisk egg, sugar, oil, vanilla, orange juice and orange zest.
  6. Add to flour mixture.
  7. Mix with rubber spatula just until dry ingredients are moistened.
  8. Fold in cranberries and ¼ cup walnuts.
  9. Scrape batter into prepared pans, spreading evenly.
  10. Sprinkle loaves with remaining chopped walnuts.
  11. Place pans on baking sheet.
  12. Bake loaves about 35-45 minutes, until tops are golden and cake tester or toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
  13. Cool in the pans on a wire rack for 10 minutes.
  14. Loosen edges. Turn loaves out onto wire rack to cool completely before slicing or wrapping.

Yield: Three mini loaves, eight slices each.

Approximate nutritional breakdown per slice: 105 calories, 3 grams protein, 5 grams fat, 12 grams carbohydrate, 2 grams fiber, 84 milligrams sodium

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