Cranberry Orange Bread (2024)

This cranberry orange bread recipe is citrusy, moist, and studded with tangy berries! Drizzle this classic with a simple sweet glaze.

What’s more classic in the winter than a good Cranberry Orange Bread? This cozy quick bread has everything going for it: it’s moist and citrusy, studded with orange zest and pops of tangy berries. It’s simple and sweet, drizzled with a tasty sweet orange glaze. Every time we make this, it goes over incredibly well! (Oddly enough, we might like it even better than banana bread.) It’s ideal for the holidays or anytime you need a tasty berry-filled pick-me-up.

Ingredients in cranberry orange bread

This cranberry orange bread recipe uses simple ingredients to make a symphony of flavor. It comes out perfectly moist due to some secret ingredients: Greek yogurt and honey, which also add depth and complexity to the flavor. If you don’t stock Greek yogurt you can also use sour cream, which gives an even richer body to this bread. It’s ideal for fall and winter holidays like Thanksgiving or at Christmas breakfast. Here’s what you’ll need for cranberry bread:

• Fresh cranberries*
• All purpose flour
• Granulated sugar
• Cinnamon
• Baking powder
• Kosher salt
• Eggs
• Honey
• Neutral oil
• Greek yogurt
• Milk
• Apple cider vinegar
• Orange zest

Tips for baking cranberry bread

This cranberry bread recipe is easier than most: because it’s made with oil, you don’t need to use a mixer to cream together butter and sugar. It’s modeled after our cranberry orange muffins, which use similar ingredients. Here are a few tips for baking cranberry bread:

• Use an aluminum baking pan for best results.Ceramic and glass pans don’t cook as evenly for quick breads. Use aluminum if you can! We make this bread with a 9-inch loaf pan, but you can use an 8-inch pan too: increase the bake time slightly since the bread will be thicker.
• Don’t overmix.Overmixing a quick bread batter leads to holes in the texture of the crumb. Mix until the batter is combined and there are no dry spots remaining.
• Cover loosely with aluminum foil at 30 minutes.Add a bit of foil to prevent the top from browning too much.
• Don’t overbake!Pull the bread just when a toothpick comes out clean, about 50 to 60 minutes (ours is usually 55 minutes). The internal temperature should be between 200°F and 205°F.

Can you use frozen cranberries?

The flavor of this cranberry bread recipe is best with fresh cranberries. However, you can use frozen berries as a substitute. Keep in mind: don’t thaw the berries before using! You can place them right into the batter frozen. This helps them from bleeding into the batter.

Tips for the icing glaze

Cranberry orange bread is complete without the icing glaze: it adds just the right pop of sweetness! It’s like adding a few more pinches of salt to a savory dish to bring out the flavor even more. Here are a few things to know about the icing:

• It’s just 2 ingredients: powdered sugar and orange juice! Then mix them into a thick icing. Use the fresh juice from one of the oranges you zested for the muffins, or milk works too.
• If it’s too thick or thin, adjust. If it’s too thin, add a bit more powdered sugar. If it’s too thick, add a few more drops of juice (a little goes a long way!).
• Let the bread cool completely before drizzling the icing to avoid melting.
• A fork makes the best icing drizzle. Don’t use a spoon! Using a fork makes the best drizzly icing lines.

Cranberry orange bread storage

How to store this homemade cranberry orange bread once you’ve baked up a loaf? The icing makes storage slightly tricky. Here’s what to know:

• Cranberry bread lasts 3 to 4 days at room temperaturewrapped in aluminum foil.
• Store refrigerated for 10 days wrapped in aluminum foil, making sure to bring the slice to room temperature before enjoying.
• Freeze un-iced bread for up to 3 months. Slice it into pieces and wrap it in plastic wrap then a freezer-safe bag or container.

More cranberry recipes

Love cranberries? Here are a few more tasty cranberry recipes to make using this seasonal berry:

• Try Cranberry Orange Muffins
• Go for a Cranberry Smoothie
• Mix up Easy Cranberry Salsa or Cranberry Sauce
• Make Cranberry Goat Cheese or Cranberry Cream Cheese Dip

This cranberry orange bread recipe is…

Vegetarian.

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