Ingredients For Cranberry Orange Bread
- Flour use all-purpose to give the bread structure
- Baking powder leavening to make the loaf rise
- Salt balances the sweetness
- Milk best at room temperature
- Orange zest and juice be sure to zest the orange before juicing it. Reserve a teaspoon of zest for the glaze.
- Butter Adds moisture to the loaf. Use unsalted butter softened at room temperature.
- Sugar to balance the tanginess of the cranberries
- Eggs give the bread a moist, tender crumb
- Cranberries rinsed and dried then tossed in 1/2 Tbsp of flour to keep them from sinking in the batter
What Size Of Pan To Use
One of the biggest problems readers have when it comes to making quick breads is having their bread overflow. And I think that the size of the loaf pan has a lot to do with this.
I have multiple loaf pans, and when I got them out and actually measured them, I found that they were all very different. One was much wider on top and tapered down to a skinnier base. One said that it was a 9×5-inch pan, but was a good half inch smaller on each side. So I decided that the most accurate way to measure would be by the volume of the pan.
The pan that I used for this recipe was printed as a 9×5-inch pan, and help 8 cups of liquid. My loaf was not even close to overflowing, so you may even be able to use a slightly smaller pan.
You could also make mini loaves, but the amount of loaves you would need to make will be determined by the size of the pans. Muffins would also work, as well.
Tools Used To Make This Cranberry Orange Bread
You will need a 9×5-inch loaf pan for this recipe. Lining the pan with parchment paper helps a lot to be able to get the bread out of the pan easily. I use a fine mesh strainer for sifting the dry ingredients. You can also use a sifter, or if you dont have either of these, you can whisk the dry ingredients with a wire whisk.
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The Best Glaze For Cranberry Bread
Orange and cranberry are complimentarily flavored just like peanut butter and jelly. Topping the cranberry bread with orange juice and the orange zest-infused glaze makes this bread irresistible. Im not sure if its breakfast or dessert but Ive served it both ways. All you need for this easy 3-ingredient glaze is:
- Powdered sugar I spoon it into the cup and level the top for a consistent measure.
- Orange juice Freshly squeezed is best and dont worry about straining. A little pulp wont hurt the bread.
- Orange zest do not skip the zest. It adds deep orange floral notes to the glaze.
Orange Cranberry Bread Tips:
- Food Processor I highly suggest you use a nice if you dont have one. You could use this mini food processor but it wont get the ingredients quite as fine.
- Chopping Cranberries Now, if you do not have one you can chop the cranberries with a knife. The food processor is just easier.
- Cooking Spray Make sure to spray the bread pan thoroughly with the cooking bread. This makes it easy to remove the bread after it is done cooling.
- Mixing Ingredients Just mix ingredients until combined. Do not overmix.
- Baking Pans You can make this quick bread in a standard loaf pan or mini bread pans. Cooking in mini bread pans makes for perfect gifts for the holidays.
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How To Make Cranberry Bread
Want another twist? The options are endless for this easy, adaptable Cranberry Bread recipe.
Fresh Vs Frozen Cranberries:
In this recipe we used fresh cranberries. I typically use fresh around the holidays when they are on sale and dried during the other times of the year.
Using dried cranberries you might notice that they dried cranberries are a bit chewy. Also are a little sweeter than fresh cranberries. Frozen cranberries is also good in this recipe.
There is no need to thaw them, just mix them right in the quick bread batter and bake.
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Healthy Cranberry Orange Cake Loaf
The cranberry loaf can absolutely hold its own against any traditional cranberry orange cake recipes with twice the amount of fat and sugar.
In a blind taste test, five out of six of my friends chose this version as their favorite, without having any idea it was healthier and vegan.
I sent the recipe to my mom over the weekend so she could make it for a winter party. She reported back that all her guests were asking for the recipe!
If you are a fan of the Krusteaz cranberry orange quick bread, or if you always get excited about the cranberry sauce at Thanksgiving dinner, you will absolutely fall in love with this homemade cranberry orange bread.
Also make this Chocolate Banana Bread
Tips For Storing Leftovers
The cranberry orange loaf can be left out on the counter overnight, loosely covered with a cloth or paper towels. This allows excess moisture to escape so the bread does not become gummy.
After a day, I like to store leftovers in the refrigerator in a covered container , for optimal freshness. The bread will last for four to five days.
Or slice leftover cranberry orange bread and freeze in an airtight container for up to three months. Sandwich a layer of parchment or wax paper in between each slice so they do not stick together in the freezer.
Thaw frozen slices in the fridge overnight or in a microwave, oven, or toaster oven. Enjoy on a morning when you need a quick breakfast that encompasses the best flavors of the holiday season.
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Why Should You Make This Recipe
From my Pumpkin Bread with Cream Cheese Frosting to my Maple Apple Loaf Cake and Cardamom Pear Loaf Cake recipes, its easy to see my love for simple and cozy loaf cakes and breads. This festive cranberry bread recipe is no exception. Its filled with the coziest flavors and textures of the season. If youre a fan of wonderfully moist and perfectly spiced holiday breads, this recipe is for you. Here are a couple of reasons I know youll reach for this Ocean Spray inspired cranberry bread recipe over and over again.
- Layers of flavors and textures: From the moist and fluffy, orange infused cake, to the tart bursts of cranberries and citrus icing, this Ocean Spray cranberry cake will delight your senses.
- Perfectly cozy and made for festive holidays. This wonderfully delicious bread with fresh cranberries and orange glaze is not only beautiful, but perfect for slicing and sharing with friends and family. Its simple, flavorful, beautiful and endlessly adaptable.
How To Make Healthy Cranberry Bread
Time to cover how to make the best cranberry bread! This recipe is pretty straightforward, so lets just touch upon a few key things in the instructions.
Alternating additions. This is a fancy way of saying stir in some of the spiced flour mixture Then stir in some milk Switch back to the spiced flour mixture And keep going until you run out of flour and milk!
Alternating additions help prevent overmixing, which would create a tough or gummy texture. By using a gentle hand with alternating additions, youll get the best moist and tender texture possible in your cranberry bread.
Tip: Do this by hand with a fork! Do not use a stand mixer or hand-held mixer. Its much easier to overmix low fat and low sugar batters when using either of these, even if youre using alternating additions. For the best results, use a fork because the tines of the fork allow for the ingredients to mix more efficiently, which means you stir less and therefore helps prevent overmixing even more too.
Cover the pan with foil. Yes, before you put it in the oven! Many recipes suggest covering the top of a quick bread with foil towards the end of baking if the top starts to brown too much. However, Ive found that theres a high likelihood of me burning myself while pressing the foil around that hot pan and covering the top during the first half of baking creates a beautifully even domed top. Without the foil, youll often end up with a crack down the middle or off to one side.
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Popular Substitutions & Additions
If you want to make this cranberry bread a little healthier, you can substitute plain Greek yogurt for the sour cream. The measurements will stay the same.
If you like the combination of orange and cranberry, add a little orange zest into the mixture. You can even top or garnish with a few orange slices.
How To Store Freeze And Thaw
- To store leftover slices of cranberry bread: Place the Ocean Spray cranberry cake in an airtight container to store at room temperature for up to 3 days.
- To freeze the easy cranberry bread: Individually wrap each slice of cranberry bread in plastic wrap. Place each wrapped slice in a ziplock bag. Store in the freezer for up to 3 months.
- To thaw the easy cranberry bread: Remove your desired number of pieces to sit out at room temperature or in the fridge until fully thawed.
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Key Ingredients & Substitutions For Cranberry Quick Bread
- Cranberries My first preference is using fresh cranberries for this recipe, however it is still tasty if you dont have fresh available. You may use frozen cranberries or just 1 cup of dried cranberries in a pinch.
- Orange Juice and Zest I love the flavor of fresh squeezed orange juice in this quick bread recipe, however you may substitute the same amount of bottled orange juice. And, in that case you can omit the orange zest. Youll use orange juice in the glaze as well.
- Canola oil If youd like to substitute melted butter for the canola oil, I think that should work.
- Egg An egg binds together all the ingredients during baking. I use large eggs in all my recipes.
- All-purpose flour Theres no need to sift the flour for this recipe, but you will need to add baking powder and salt for leavening. If you use self-rising flour, omit the baking powder.
- Granulated sugar Add sweet flavor to the bread! I havent experimented with any alternative sweeteners, but pure can sugar should work just fine.
- Powdered sugar I recommend sifting the confectioners sugar for a smoother glaze.
- Vanilla extract Youll need just a drop for the glaze. If you dont have any in your pantry, almond extract is a good substitute or just leave it out.
What To Serve/pair With Your Cranberry Bread
If you are serving your cranberry bread for breakfast, it pairs well with a warm mug of coffee , eggs, and a side of fresh fruit.
If youre serving this cranberry bread as a dessert, it pairs well with just about anything! I personally like to combine it with something chocolatey, like a chocolate mousse or a scoop of chocolate ice cream. It would even pair well with this Chocolate Lasagna. This combination will definitely satisfy your sweet tooth!
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No Dutch Oven No Problem
While baking the bread in a dutch oven is key to this breads texture, you can get around it. Instead, place the rounded dough on a parchment paper lined or generously floured baking pan. Score the bread as noted in step 3 below. Preheat the oven. After the oven is preheated, place a shallow metal or cast iron baking pan or skillet on the bottom oven rack. Carefully and quickly pour 34 cups of boiling water into it. Place the scored dough/baking pan on a higher rack and quickly shut the oven, trapping the steam inside. The steam helps create a crispier crust. Bake for about 30 minutes, but begin checking at 25 minutes. Gently tap the loafif it sounds hollow, the bread is done.
Its so easy, youll be silly not to try it. And youll really be missing out!
Step-by-step pictures and additional tips below the recipe.
- Yield:1 loaf 10-12 servings 1x
Keywords: cranberry no knead bread
Gently stir all of the ingredients together:
This will be a super sticky dough. Remember, do NOT be tempted to add more flour. It will stick to your hands. Thats nothing a quick wash cant fix!
Let the dough rise at room temperature. This recipe is very forgiving. Any normal-ish room temperature is fine. Youll know that the dough is finished rising when it has doubled in size and air bubbles have formed on top.
Bake! Eat! Enjoy!
Cranberry Bread With Fresh Cranberries
Here is an easy recipe for cranberry bread with fresh cranberries. Fresh cranberries help to create a dessert that is bursting with juicy cranberry flavor. In contrast, while you can make a nice cranberry bread with dried cranberries, the dried cranberries lack the natural juices & mouth feel of delicious fresh cranberries. Your family will love the taste of this easy cranberry bread with fresh cranberries. It is perfect as a breakfast snack or simple dessert for lunch or dinner.
Delicious Cranberry Bread Stuffed with Fresh Cranberries!
Our cranberry bread recipe should take you roughly 10 minutes to prepare and clean up. Please be aware that this is an oven-baked recipe. It is not made with a bread machine. For similar recipes, please visit Bread Dads section on Sweet Quick Breads. You will also find a printable and pin-able recipe at the bottom of this page. If you liked this recipe, please leave a comment below and give us a 5 star rating.
Ingredients Easy Cranberry Bread Recipe
- 2 Cups Flour 240 grams
- 1 1/4 Cups Light Brown Sugar 270 grams
- 1 Teaspoon Baking Soda 5 milliliters
- 1 Teaspoon Baking Powder 5 milliliters
- 1/2 Teaspoon Salt 2.5 milliliters
- 8 Tablespoons Unsalted Butter 115 grams
- 1 Cup Milk 230 milliliters
- 1 Teaspoon Vanilla Extract 5 milliliters
- 1 Cup Fresh Cranberries 100 grams
- Optional 1 Tablespoon Turbinado Sugar 13 grams
Servings Roughly 12 slices
Mix Batter & Then Add Cranberries
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Amazingly Moist Cranberry Bread Recipe
Tart and sweet cranberry bread recipe with just a tiny bit of crispness that protects each soft and moist slice. The best cranberry bread youll ever eat.
Cranberry bread is one of my favorite holiday traditions in our house. When fresh cranberries arrive at the supermarket I know the holidays arent far away.
Read on for the cranberry bread recipe
How To Store Leftovers:
- Store: You can store your leftover orange cranberry bread wrapped in plastic wrap in an airtight container. Refrigerate for up to three days.
- Freeze: You could also freeze cranberry orange bread for up to three months in a freezer-safe airtight container.
- Thaw: Just dont forget to put your frozen leftovers in the fridge to thaw overnight before serving. This will give you the best bread texture and flavor.
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Orange Glaze Icing Options
You can make a simple orange glaze icing by combining 1/4 cup of powdered sugar with 1 teaspoon of orange juice and an optional sprinkle of orange zest.
Or frost the cranberry orange cake with melted coconut butter or your favorite store bought or homemade cream cheese frosting. A little orange zest can be stirred into these two frosting options as well, with no need to measure.
It is also fine to skip the icing completely. Try spreading butter, jam, coconut butter, or almond butter on individual cranberry orange bread slices.
Storing And Freezing Instructions
- This cake stores well on the counter or in the fridge. Either way, wrap it tightly or place it in an airtight container, to keep it from going stale.
- For longer storage, wrap tightly in plastic wrap, place the wrapped cake in a freezer bag, and freeze for up to 3 months.
- fresh rosemary sprigs,for garnish, optional
- cranberries dipped in white crystal sugar,for garnish, optional
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How To Gift Cranberry Nut Bread
This cranberry walnut bread makes an excellent holiday gift. For a pretty presentation, wrap each loaf individually in storage wrap and finish with a festive ribbon or bow. A rosemary sprig inserted into the ribbon is an extra touch that everyone will love.
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Ingredients For Cranberry Walnut Bread
This is just a quick overview of the ingredients that youll need for a loaf of Moms cranberry bread. As always, specific measurements and complete cooking instructions are included in the printable recipe box at the bottom of the post.
- All-purpose flour: the base of the bread. Make sure that its properly measured by weight or by spooning and leveling. Incorrectly measuring the flour packs it too tightly into the measuring cup and results in dense, dry bread.
- Salt: to balance the sweetness and enhance the other flavors.
- Baking soda: the leavening agent that helps the bread rise.
- Sugar: for just the right amount of sweetness.
- Orange juice and orange zest: zest it first, then squeeze out the juice.
- Butter: I like salted butter for its flavor. The butter keeps the bread moist and gives it a rich, tender crumb. It tastes a lot like pound cake!
- Egg: gives the bread structure.
- Nuts: walnuts or pecans are the most popular choice for cranberry nut bread.
- Cranberries: fresh or frozen work best for their tart flavor and added moisture. If using frozen cranberries, do not thaw them before adding them to the batter. Fresh cranberries can be stored in the freezer so that you always have them available when you need them for this recipe!
- Milk: to thin the batter and bring everything together.
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