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This cranberry orange bread tastes absolutely amazing when drizzled with some of my orange icing glaze and you can make this delicious, fruity bread at home with just a few simple ingredients.
This is a quick bread for the tangy and sweet taste combination lovers! The contrast of sour cranberries with the orange flavor is a classic. But, if you want something a little sweeter, why not try my Cranberry Pumpkin Cookies or just a basic orange cake?
Cranberry Orange Bread
Cranberries and oranges go together incredibly well because they are both sweet and tart at the same time. The orange is bright and citrusy, whereas the cranberries have this indefinable quality that makes everything you mix it with a taste like a sweet winter treat! (or is it just me? Cranberries are a winter food for me!)
The key to making this cranberry orange bread is to try and use only the very best quality ingredients that you can find. When you have such a simple recipe, the basic ingredients really stand out, so make sure you find the highest quality possible.
Make This into Muffins
My Cranberry Orange Muffins were an absolute hit with readers, so I took the recipe and baked it into this loaf! These two recipes are completely interchangeable, you just must follow different methods to make them!
Ingredients for Cranberry Orange Bread
- Butter
- White sugar
- Eggs
- Juice & zest of an orange
- All-purpose flour
- Baking powder
- Salt
- Cranberries
- Orange icing glaze
How to Make Cranberry Orange Bread
- Beat your sugar and butter together until creamy
- Add in your eggs, one at a time, and mix with the orange zest and juice until just combined.
- Whisk together all of your dry ingredients.
- Add the wet to the dry and mix well, stirring in the cranberries at the end.
- Bake in a prepared loaf pan for an hour or so, and let cool completely.
Choose Good Oranges
As the orange is really the star of this recipe, you need to find the best quality oranges you can, ideally a juicing orange like a Valencia.
However, if you can’t find any good oranges at your local farmer’s market, then you can cheat a bit and use orange juice from a carton and just zesting a regular orange. Just make sure you don’t get an orange juice that comes with a lot of added sugar, or you might find your bread tasting overly sweet.
Fresh, Frozen or Dried Cranberries
Cranberries are a really great tasting fruit, typically served alongside a giant roast turkey for Thanksgiving and Christmas, but outside of the holiday season, you might actually struggle to find fresh cranberries. Besides being used for sauces, not a lot of people really enjoy fresh cranberries throughout the year. So, if you struggle to find fresh cranberries for this bread, what can you do?
- Dried cranberries – usually sold with other dried fruit, dried cranberries can be used in place of fresh cranberries without much problem. Just make sure you aren’t getting any that come with extra sugar added.
- Frozen Cranberries – simply defrost on paper towels and then use in the recipe as directed
Cranberries and oranges go together so well, so you might want to try and keep the trend going and make some more recipes with both fruits in them. Why not try some Orange Cranberry Relish to spread on your bread?
Happy baking! Now, tell me, do you prefer this recipe in a muffin form OR in the bread form? I’m curious to know!
Love,
Karlynn
Cranberry Orange Bread
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup butter
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 3 tablespoons orange zest
- 1/2 cup orange juice
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup fresh cranberries cut in half
- orange icing glaze
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350 °F. Grease a standard loaf pan ( 9x5x3 inches approximately) and set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, beat together the butter and sugar until creamy and smooth. Beat in the eggs, one at a time until fully combined. Mix in the orange zest and juice until combined.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Add into the butter mixture and stir until mixed in well. Stir in the cranberries until they are just mixed in.
- Spoon into the prepared loaf pan, smoothing out the top. bake for 55-60 minutes or until a cake tester or toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean. Remove from the oven and let cool until you can touch the pan safely. Turn out onto a rack to cool completely.
- Glaze with my Orange Icing Glaze when fully cooled.
Notes
- Try to find the best, most flavorful oranges for this recipe but if all else fails, use the orange zest from a fresh orange and use orange juice from a carton for a great orange taste.
Nutrition
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Jillian says
This bread is insanely good! I have made it twice now and it was so delicious both times. Highly recommend!!!!