Cranberry Orange Bread Recipe

This cranberry orange bread recipe is full of fresh cranberries, and orange zest and has a simple orange glaze. Orange cranberry loaf is a quick bread with a delightful balance of tart and sweet, perfect for an easy Christmas food gift.

Cranberries are a super fruit and I love to bake with them. Apple cranberry pie is on our Thanksgiving table each year and my daughter will make her 3 ingredient cranberry sauce with them.

✨ Here is why this recipe is amazing:

• Use the option of fresh cranberries or frozen cranberries and make this cranberry bread year-round.
• Perfect for making ahead, keeping in the freezer and pulling out when guests come over.
• A thick slice pairs wonderfully with a cup of coffee or tea.
• Make the bread in mini loaf pans and add to your baby shower brunch ideas.

🍊 Ingredients needed:

Here is a visual overview of the ingredients in the recipe. Scroll down to the recipe at the bottom for quantities.

📝 Ingredient for cranberry orange loaf:

• Sugar - white granular sugar.
• Orange - the orange is going to be zested and the juice is squeezed for use in the bread as well as the icing.
• Butter - unsalted butter is used in this recipe because there is an additional salt in the batter. Room-temperature butter is best.
• Eggs - large eggs are used.
• Flour - all-purpose flour is perfect for this recipe. Read up on why different flours are needed in different recipes in my baking definitions post.
• Milk - I use 2% milk in this recipe but whole or skim milk can be used.
• Salt - kosher or flake salt is used in this recipe. Table salt is to 'salty' for this recipe.
• Cranberries - whole fresh cranberries are what I use. See the note below about using dried cranberries.

🔄 Substitutions

If you have buttermilk instead of regular dairy milk, that will add another layer of tang to this recipe. Substitute non-dairy kinds of milk as you normally would a substitute.

Dried cranberries can be used in place of fresh ones. Use ⅔ cup of sweetened dried cranberries but I like to rehydrate them with about ¼ cup of water or orange juice for 10 minutes or warm them in your chosen liquid for 30 seconds in the microwave. Drain and pat dry before adding the rehydrated cranberries to the batter.

Nuts: This is more of an addition than a substitution. Add ½-3/4 cup of chopped nuts to the batter when you fold in the cranberries. Bake as directed. Be sure to toast the nuts first to bring out their full flavor.

Helpful Kitchen Tools

• Microplane - A Microplane will take off the orange part of the rind of the orange without cutting into the white part of the peel. The orange contains the essential orange oil and the white will be bitter.
• Parchment Paper - Parchment paper is used to line the baking pan to help release the baked loaf from the bread ban. By leaving the paper a bit long, the cranberry bread can be easily lifted from the pan and clean-up is a breeze!

🔪 How to make Cranberry Orange Bread, basic instructions

1. Infuse the sugar by blending the orange zest with the sugar.
2. Add the butter to the bowl and cream the butter into the sugar/orange zest mixture. Beat on medium-high for 3 minutes.
3. Add the eggs, one at a time, incorporating fully before adding the second.
4. Whisk together the flour, salt, and baking powder. Add half the flour mixture to the batter, stir to incorporate.
5. Add the orange juice and the milk and stir to combine.
6. Add the rest of the flour, stirring to combine, scraping the bowl.
7. Fold in the cranberries.
8. Pour into a prepared loaf pan.
9. Bake at 350 for 45-50 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.
10. Whisk together the glaze ingredients and pour over the cooled bread.

📷 How to make Cranberry Bread, photo instructions

1. In a mixing bowl, with the paddle attachment or beaters in place, blend together the sugar and the orange zest. This will infuse the sugar and will give the bread a hint of orange flavor throughout the finished orange bread.

2. Add the room-temperature butter to the infused sugar and beat on medium-high speed until 2-3 minutes or until light and fluffy.

3. Add one of the eggs.

4. Stir to combine the egg.

5. Add the second egg to the batter.

6. Fully incorporate the second egg.

7. In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, salt and baking powder. Add ½ the flour mixture to the bowl.

8. Stir to combine.

9. Add the orange juice and the milk.

10. Add the second half of the flour mixture to the batter.

11. Fully incorporate the flour into the batter, be sure not to over mix.

12. Add the fresh cranberries to the bowl.

13. If using a stand mixer with a paddle, turn on the mixer for 3 rotations. If using a hand mixer, fold the cranberries in by hand with a spatula or wooden spoon.

14. Spread the batter in a prepared loaf pan. See Chef's note below for a tip on how to prepare the pan.

Allow the bread to cool completely before adding the orange glaze.

🥣 Make the Orange Drizzle

In a bowl, stir together the powdered sugar and the reserved orange zest. Slowly add a few teaspoons of orange juice until smooth and pourable. Pour the glaze over the cooled bread. Allow the glaze to set and a crust to form before slicing.

Storage Tips

Allow the bread to cool completely before wrapping in plastic wrap or storing in an air-tight container.

The bread can be made and frozen in a freezer-safe bag, with as much air removed as possible. If freezing, it is best not to add the orange glaze icing to the bread before freezing. Add the orange drizzle after thawing.

📝 Frequently asked questions, answers and tips:

Chef Tip

Prepare a loaf pan by spraying with a nonstick pan spray and dusting with a few tablespoons of flour. But I find that lining the pan with parchment paper will help with easy cleanup.

To get the parchment paper to properly fit in the loaf pan, use a second pan to press the parchment paper into your baking pan. Remove the top pan before adding the batter to the parchment-lined pan.