Cranberry Pecan Bread

I love a good loaf of bread, and when I was left with a bag full of cranberries after Thanksgiving I knew just what I wanted to do with it. But boy, was this bread a labor of love. It took me more times than I care to admit to getting this just right. I learned a lot about yeast bread along the way, and should you try this bake I hope you enjoy it! With its combo of cranberries, pecans, molasses, cinnamon, and ginger it is sure to fill your tummy with a taste of warm holiday cheer. If nothing else, while it's baking the aroma will fill your house with all the traditional scents of Christmas.

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Ingredients

2 cups fresh cranberries

1/4 cup packed brown sugar

1/4 cup molasses

1 1/4 cup warm oat milk (shoot for 110 degrees)

1 tbsp active dry yeast

2 tbsp vegan butter, melted

1/2 tsp salt

2 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp ginger

1/4 tsp cloves

1/4 tsp nutmeg

4 cups bread flout

Directions

1. In a small bowl combine the warm oat milk and yeast. Give it a little stir and let stand about 5-10 minutes. Once it’s nice and bubbly, it’s ready to be incorporated into your mixture.

2. While the yeast is proofing, combine flour, spices, butter, molasses, and sugar in the bowl of your stand mixer. (This can also be done by hand with no mixer. I just like the kneading hook to do the hard work for me.)

3. Pulse cranberries in a food processor or blender so you have some various sized chunks. Don't completely blend or you won't have those nice pops of cranberry in the bake. If you don't have a food processor you can also cut them in half by hand. Once chopped up add to the flour mixture.

4. Once the yeast is done proofing incorporate the yeast and oat milk into the other ingredients. Once mixed, begin kneading the dough (about 6-8 minutes by hand) until it is smooth and elastic. I once read a great description that said the dough should just "kiss" the sides of your mixing bowl, appearing slightly sticky, but not so sticky it gets stuck to the edges.

5. Place the dough in a large bowl with the edges coated in oil. Cover the dough and let rise until doubled in size. Mine took about an hour.

6. Punch the dough down, shape it into your desired loaf shape, and place it on a parchment-lined pan. (I did try to cook it in a traditional loaf pan once, but there was too much dough). Cover and let rise again until it doubles in size. This took about 20- 30 minutes or mine.

7. Bake at 350 degrees for about 45-50 minutes or until golden brown and cooked through.