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Cranberry Orange Bread is easy to make with a bright refreshing flavor. It’s perfect for brunch or snacking!
The bread recipes with fruity flavors are especially yummy, like this Orange bread, Glazed Blueberry Bread, or Lemon Zucchini Bread!
EASY HOLIDAY BREAD
The cool winter weather tends to put me in a baking mood! I love to bake all sorts of cookies, bars, and quick bread.
This Cranberry Orange Bread recipe is a holiday favorite because:
- Holiday favorite. It screams Christmas time and with the orange and cranberry flavors, it’s hard not to love around the holidays.
- Quick. With it being a quick bread, no yeast is involved which means this is made in a jiffy.
- Great for other recipes. Use this bread to make French Toast for a delicious breakfast/brunch or even make Homemade Croutons out of it for a sweet salad.
Ingredients
- all-purpose flour
- sugar
- baking soda
- cinnamon
- salt
- orange
- buttermilk – You can also make Buttermilk if needed.
- melted butter or a neutral cooking oil
- orange juice – Use a bottle of orange juice from the store, or use freshly squeezed orange juice for this recipe. One orange contains 4-5 tablespoons of juice which is about ¼ to ⅓ cup of juice.
- egg
- vanilla extract
- coarsely chopped fresh cranberries
For the glaze, you’ll need just powdered sugar and orange juice.
Optional Toppings
Top with chopped almonds, pecans, or walnuts. Use an equal amount of frozen cranberries (don’t thaw) or even dried cranberries.
How to Make cranberry orange bread
- PREP. Preheat oven to 350°F. Line a 9×5 inch loaf pan with a parchment paper sling or spray with non-stick spray; set aside.
- DRY INGREDIENTS. In a large bowl combine the flour, sugar, baking soda, cinnamon, salt, and orange zest.
- WET INGREDIENTS. In a separate bowl combine the buttermilk, melted butter, orange juice, egg, and vanilla. Pour into the dry ingredients and add the cranberries. Mix just until combined.
- BAKE. Pour into prepared pan and bake for 50-60 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
- Tent the bread with foil ¾ of the way through cooking to prevent the top from over-browning.
- COOL. Remove from oven and let cool 10 minutes before removing from the pan then cool completely before glazing.
- GLAZE. In a small bowl, combine the powdered sugar and orange juice. Drizzle over the top of the bread.
Variations
- Mini loaf pans. Divide the batter into 3-4 small bread loaf pans and bake at 350°F for 45-50 minutes or until done.
- Muffin pans. Divide batter and fill muffin liner ⅔ of the way full. Bake the muffins at 425°F for 5 minutes then reduce the oven to 350°F and bake for another for 18-20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.
- Mini muffins can be baked at 350°F for about 11-13 minutes.
Recipe Tips
Quick Bread is an easy start to bread making. There are a few tips and tricks to ensure the perfect Cranberry Orange loaf:
- Do not over-mix. Over-mixing can cause large holes and tunnels in the loaf. It can also make the bread tough.
- Temperature. Sometimes the bread may look done on the outside and still doughy/raw in the middle. Be sure to check the temperature of your oven. Sometimes ovens can run too hot and this will cook the outside too fast.
- Tent a piece of tin foil over the top of the bread ¾ of the way through cooking to prevent the top from burning.
Storing Info
STORE. Allow the bread to cool completely on a wire rack before storing. Place in a plastic bag, seal, and store at room temperature for up to 3 days.
FREEZE. Wrap the bread (either in a loaf or as individual slices) tightly in heavy foil or place them in freezer bags, and freeze for up to 3 months.
We typically leave the glaze off if we know we are storing this for later or making ahead of time. Add glaze when ready to serve.
FOR MORE FAVORITE QUICK BREAD:
- Cinnamon Quick Bread
- Glazed Blueberry Quick Bread
- Eggnog Bread
- Peanut Butter Banana Bread
- White Chocolate Lemon Bread
- Zucchini Bread
- Amish Friendship Bread
Cranberry Orange Bread Recipe
Ingredients
Bread
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- ⅔ cup sugar
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- zest of 1 large orange
- 1 cup buttermilk
- ¼ cup melted butter or a neutral cooking oil
- ¼ cup orange juice
- 1 large egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup coarsely chopped fresh cranberries
Orange Glaze
- ¾ cup powdered sugar
- 2 tablespoons orange juice
Instructions
Bread
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Line a 9×5 inch loaf pan with a parchment paper sling or spray with non-stick spray; set aside.
- In a large bowl combine the flour, sugar, baking soda, cinnamon, salt, and orange zest.
- In a separate bowl combine the buttermilk, melted butter, orange juice, egg, and vanilla. Pour into the dry ingredients and add the cranberries. Mix just until combined.
- Pour into prepared pan and bake for 50-60 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Tent the bread with foil ¾ of the way through cooking to prevent the top from over-browning.
- Remove from oven and let cool 10 minutes before removing from the pan then cool completely before glazing.
Orange Glaze
- In a small bowl combine the powdered sugar and orange juice. Drizzle over the top of the bread.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Could you use chopped dried cranberries instead of fresh??
Sounds delicious, I love cranberries, thanks
I love the flavor combination of cranberries and oranges — they taste so yummy together! Thanks for sharing this recipe, I am definitely saving it to make again soon