Each bite of this festive bread is bursting with fresh, tart cranberries and zesty orange. It makes the perfect holiday gift or dessert. Dusting the cranberries with flour makes them easy to incorporate into the batter and ensures they are well distributed throughout the bread.
Ingredients For Orange Cranberry Bread
To make this festive bread you need the following ingredients:
- All-purpose flour
- Baking powder
- Salt
- Milk
- Orange juice and zest
- Vanilla extract
- Unsalted butter
- Sugar
- Eggs
- Fresh or frozen cranberries
- Powdered sugar
- If you’re feeling adventurous, try adding white chocolate chips or a sprinkling of cardamom to the batter!
How to Make Festive Orange Cranberry Bread
- Preheat the oven to 350 F and prepare the loaf pan by greasing and flouring it.
- In a medium-sized bowl, whisk the dry ingredients together (flour, baking powder, salt). Set aside
- Combine the milk, orange juice, orange zest, and vanilla extract in a measuring cup. Set aside.
- Using a handheld or stand mixer, cream the room-temperature butter with the sugar until combined.
- Beat in the eggs, one at a time, until well combined
- Mix in half the flour mixture and half the milk mixture into the sugar/butter. Add the second half of the flour and milk mixtures and mix just until you see no more dry flour streaks. Do not overmix the batter.
- Place the cranberries into a medium-sized bowl and sprinkle them with 1 tbsp of flour. Toss to coat.
- Fold the floured cranberries into the batter carefully and spoon into the prepared loaf pan.
- Bake for 45-50 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Let the bread cool down for 10 mins in the pan. Remove from the pan and transfer to a cooling rack to cool down completely.
- While the bread is cooling, prepare the glaze: in a small bowl mix the powdered sugar with the orange juice until smooth.
- Once the cake is at room temperature, drizzle the glaze on top.
Can I Use Dried or Frozen Cranberries?
Yes. If you have dry cranberries, soak them in hot water for 10 minutes, drain, then use as directed. If you have frozen cranberries, thaw them completely, dry them, and flour them before adding them to the batter.
How To Store Orange Cranberry Bread?
Wrap it with plastic wrap and store it at room temperature for two days, or freeze it for up to 3 months.
Quick & Easy Homemade Orange Cranberry Bread
Each bite of this festive bread is bursting with fresh, tart cranberries and zesty orange!
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Servings: 8 SLICES
Calories: 338kcal
Equipment
- Mixing bowls
- Handheld or stand mixer
- Whisk
Ingredients
For the bread:
- 1 ½ cup all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- Pinch of salt
- ¼ cup milk, room temperature
- Zest of one orange
- ¼ cup orange juice
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 6 tbsp unsalted butter
- ¾ cup sugar
- 2 eggs, room temperature
- 1 ½ cups fresh cranberries
- 1 tbsp flour
For the glaze:
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 2 tbsp orange juice
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 F and prepare the loaf pan by greasing and flouring it.
- In a medium-sized bowl, whisk the dry ingredients together (flour, baking powder, salt). Set aside
- Combine the milk, orange juice, orange zest, and vanilla extract in a measuring cup. Set aside.
- Using a handheld or stand mixer, cream the room temperature butter with the sugar until combined.
- Beat in the eggs, one at a time, until well combined
- Mix in half the flour mixture and half the milk mixture into the sugar/butter. Add the second half of the flour and milk mixtures and mix just until you see no more dry flour streaks. Do not overmix the batter.
- Place the cranberries into a medium-sized bowl and sprinkle them with 1 tbsp of flour. Toss to coat.
- Fold the floured cranberries into the batter carefully and spoon into the prepared loaf pan.
- Bake for 45-50 mins or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Let the bread cool down for 10 mins in the pan. Remove from the pan and transfer to a cooling rack to cool down completely.
- While the bread is cooling, prepare the glaze: in a small bowl mix the powdered sugar with the orange juice until smooth.
- Once the cake is room temperature, drizzle the glaze on top.
Nutrition
Calories: 338kcal | Carbohydrates: 57g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 10g | Saturated Fat: 6g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.6g | Monounsaturated Fat: 3g | Cholesterol: 70mg | Sodium: 101mg | Potassium: 79mg | Fiber: 1.5g | Sugar: 36g | Vitamin A: 6IU | Vitamin C: 12mg | Calcium: 6mg | Iron: 8mg
Frequently Asked Questions about Orange Cranberry Bread
1. How Do I Keep The Cranberries From Sinking to The Bottom of The Bread?
By tossing them in flour you prevent the cranberries from sinking to the bottom.
2. What if I Don’t Have a Loaf Pan?
You can also use this batter to make muffins. Place the batter into muffin tins and bake for 20-25 mins.
3. Why Is My Bread Too Dense?
Bread usually come out dense when the batter is overmixed or when the baking powder or soda is too old and has lost potency.
