Cranberry Bread with Orange and Oats

My parents receive their local newspaper.  Every week or so they get a free insert tucked in the center fold of the newspaper.  I have forgotten the name, but it has articles and recipes.  My mother clipped this recipe out of the insert.

I tried the recipe out when I was home.  I didn't make the recipe as directed.  It calls for whole wheat flour.  My parents have a bucket of wheat and a wheat grinder.  My father has taken on the responsibility of official wheat grinder.

I made this bread while he was at work.  I found the bucket of wheat without any problem, but I couldn't find the grinder though I searched wide and low.

My mother had made the recipe before with wheat and said the texture was different between the two attempts.  My loaf was denser and less hearty.  The flavor was bright and delicious regardless of the dense texture.

The ingredients are 2 eggs, 1 cup packed brown sugar, 3 tablespoons vegetable oil, 1 medium orange, 3/4 cup orange juice, 1 cup quick-cooking oats, 2 cups all purpose flour, 1 tablespoon baking powder, 1/2 teaspoon baking soda, 3/4 teaspoon salt, 1 1/2 cups sweetened cranberries, and 2 cups hot water.  The original recipe called for one cup of all purpose flour and one cup of whole wheat flour.  

I added the brown sugar, eggs, vegetable oil, and orange into a strong food processor.  I added the entire orange, including the rind.  I blended these ingredients completely.

I slowly added the orange juice as the blender worked its magic.

In a bowl, I added the flour, oats, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.  I stirred these ingredients together.

I poured the liquid mixture into the flour.  I also added the dried cranberries.  The dried cranberries had been soaking in hot water for several minutes.  I poured this into a greased nine by five inch pan. The recipe said to let the batter sit for 15 minutes.  I'm pretty sure I didn't do that.

I baked the bread for 50 to 55 minutes at 350 degrees.  I let it cool a ten minutes or so in the pan before removing the bread and letting it cool on a rack.

We sliced the bread and ate it without any other adornment.  It was scrumptious.  It has a bright and pronounced orange flavor. 

It didn't taste pithy or bitter from the rind in the least.  The cranberries were tart, sweet, and chewy.

 Cranberries and orange are a wonderful combination, and this bread wasn't the exception.  The flavor was spot on.

 The texture was a little funky.  It was dense.  I may have been because I baked this in high altitude or because I didn't use whole wheat flour.  Regardless of the texture, the it was delicious.