The Best Cranberry Orange Bread

The Best Cranberry Orange Bread is the perfect treat! This scrumptious bread is packed with the flavors of cranberries and oranges, making it a festive and flavor-packed treat.

This Orange Cranberry Bread is easy to make, and is sure to be a hit with family and friends. The orange flavor is perfectly balanced with the tartness of the cranberries, making for a truly delicious experience. This bread is also wonderfully moist and tender, thanks to the addition of orange syrup. So if you’re looking for a holiday treat that is both delicious and impressive, look no further than Cranberry Orange Bread!

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Orange Cranberry Bread

This simple quick bread is made with real cranberries and oranges, for a tart and juicy flavor in every bite. The perfect breakfast or snack, this bread is moist and delicious.

You’ll love the zesty flavor of this Cranberry Orange Bread. It’s perfect for satisfying your sweet tooth without being too heavy. With its soft texture and refreshing taste, this bread is hard to resist.

What is a Quick Bread?

Quick breads are recipes that use baking soda or baking powder as their primary leavening agent, as opposed to yeast. Muffins, Biscuits and pancakes are often consider quick bread, as well as breads like Cranberry Orange Bread and one bowl banana bread.

Quick breads are typically quicker and easier to make than traditional yeast breads. They don’t require the time to rise, so they can be made in a shorter amount of time. Quick breads are also usually more dense and moist than yeast breads. In addition they tend to be sweeter and looked at like a dessert or snack, unlike yeast breads which are used for sandwiches and such.

Are Quick Breads Always Sweet?

No, quick breads don’t always have to be sweet. You could technically make a quick bread with savory ingredients like rosemary and Parmesan cheese. However, the most popular quick breads are usually on the sweeter side like this Orange Cranberry Bread, zucchini bread and other bread recipes.

Should I Use Fresh or Frozen Cranberries

You can use either fresh or frozen cranberries. Both will work in this recipe. If you are using frozen cranberries, there is no need to thaw them before adding them to the batter. Just add them in as is.

Can I Use Dried Cranberries?

You can use dried cranberries, but they will not be as moist or juicy as fresh or frozen cranberries. If you do use dried cranberries, I recommend rehydrating them in orange juice before adding them to the batter. This will help to plump them up and add some extra flavor. You can also use water if you prefer.

To rehydrate dried cranberries, simply add them to a bowl with enough orange juice to cover them. Let them sit for about 15 minutes, or until they are plump and hydrated. Drain off any excess juice before adding them to the batter.

Where Can I Find Cranberries All Year Long

Fresh cranberries are easy to find during the Thanksgiving and Christmas season, but this bread is delicious all year long. Frozen cranberries are available all year long and work just as well in this recipe. You can find them in the freezer section of your grocery store.

Can I Add Nuts?

Yes, you can add nuts if you’d like. I think walnuts and pecans would be especially good in this bread. Just fold them into the batter before baking.

Can I Make Cranberry Orange Muffins Instead?

Yes, this recipe can easily be made into muffins. Just fill a muffin tin with the batter and bake at 350 degrees F for 15-20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.

How to Store Cranberry Bread

Once the cranberry orange bread has cooled completely and the glaze has set, loosely wrap the the bread with plastic. You can also place it in an airtight container. Store the orange bread at room temperature

How Long Does It Last?

This Cranberry Orange Bread will stay fresh for 3-5 days. After that it will start to dry out. If you want it to last longer, I recommend freezing it.

How to Freeze Cranberry Orange Bread

Wrap the cooled and glazed bread tightly in plastic wrap. Then place it in a freezer safe bag or container. Freeze for up to 3 months. Let thaw overnight on the counter before serving.

I like to freeze the bread in slices. This way, I can take a few slices of bread out at a time instead of needing to take out the whole loaf.

How Do You Make Orange Glaze?

The orange glaze is made with fresh orange juice and powdered sugar. You can make it as thick or thin as you’d like by adding more or less orange juice. I like my glaze on the thicker side so it stays put on the bread, but feel free to add more juice if you prefer a thinner glaze.

How to Tell When the Bread is Done

Bake the bread until a knife or cake tester inserted into the center comes out clean. The bread should be golden brown and slightly firm to the touch.

If the knife comes out with wet batter, it needs to bake for longer. If the knife comes out dry or with crumbs, it has been over baked

Cranberry Orange Bread Tips

Use room temperature eggs.

Do not overmix the batter. You want to mix it just until the batter comes together. Overmixing will cause the bread to be dense.

Don’t substitute the oil. I know you might want to lighten up this recipe but the oil is what makes the bread moist. When you substitute the oil in this recipe the bread taste drier and tends to be denser.

Make sure the bread is cooled before adding the glaze. If you add the orange glaze over the cranberry bread before it is completely cooled, the glaze will melt off.

Do not cut the bread before it is cooled. The bread will be crumbly if you cut into it while it is hot.

I hope you enjoy this Cranberry Orange Bread as much as we do! It’s perfect for breakfast, brunch, or a snack. Serve it plain or with a dollop of fresh whipped cream or ice cream. Enjoy!

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Ingredients in This Quick Bread Recipe

Get the full list of ingredients, with measurements, and step-by-step instructions at the bottom of the post in the printable recipe card.

• All-purpose flour
• kosher salt
• Greek yogurt
• Sugar
• Eggs
• Grated orange zest
• Vanilla extract
• Oil
• Cranberries
• Fresh orange juice
• Powdered sugar

How to Make Cranberry Orange Bread Recipe

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Prepare the sides and bottom of the 9 x 5 inch loaf pan by spraying with cooking spray or using shortening. Then flour generously. Make sure to tap out the excess flour.

Sift together the salt, baking powder, and flour in a medium sized bowl and set aside.

Using a large bowl, add in the yogurt, orange zest, vanilla, oil, sugar, and eggs and whisk thoroughly.

Slowly incorporate the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients.

Then very carefully add the cranberries to the wet mixture.

Pour the mixture into the prepared loaf pan and bake for 50 minutes. Pull the bread out of the oven and test with a cake tester or toothpick to see if it comes out dry. If it comes out wet, place the bread back into the oven and cook in 5 minute increments.

Once the loaf is done, remove it from the oven and let it cool in the pan for 10 minutes.

As soon as the 10 minutes is up, using a toothpick or cake tester, poke holes all over the top of the bread.

Make the Orange Syrup

Next, prepare the homemade orange syrup. Using a small saucepan, stir the two ingredients together until the sugar is dissolved. Once the sugar has dissolved, cook for another 3 to 4 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside.

After the syrup is ready to go, slowly pour it all over the top of the bread and make sure to coat the sides and let the loaf totally cool.

Remove the bread to a wire rack that is on the top of a baking sheet.

Once the bread has completely cooled, make the orange glaze and then pour it all over the top of the bread and let it drip down the sides.

Let the bread set for 20 minutes then slice and enjoy!

More Cranberry Recipes

• Cranberry Orange Chicken
• Cranberry Eggnog Breakfast Bake
• Loaded Thanksgiving Potatoes
• Cranberry MargaritaMaple Cranberry Granola Pancakes : Mother’s Day Breakfast Idea