If I’ve learned anything from my Cranberry Orange Trifle and my Slow Cooker Cranberry Apple Cider, it’s that I love cranberry and orange together. Especially in sweets! I mean, what could be better than the tart flavor of cranberry and the tangy flavor of orange made better with some sugary sweetness? This Orange Cranberry Bread is a new cranberry orange favorite! It’s moist and sweet, has just the right amount of cranberry and orange flavor, and is topped off with a super simple orange glaze. It’s so good and takes just 15 minutes to prep! Perfect for Christmas breakfast or Thanksgiving brunch.
Ingredients Needed:
Butter: melted butter gives the bread a moist, perfectly dense texture. Plain Greek Yogurt: yogurt is the key to an ultra moist sweet bread. Sugar: use 1 cup if you like it less sweet or 1 ¼ cups if you prefer it on the sweeter side. Eggs: binds everything together so the Cranberry Orange Bread can hold its shape. Vanilla: adds flavor depth and warmth. Orange Juice: use freshly squeezed orange juice for the best flavor. All-Purpose Flour: fluffed and leveled. Baking Powder: keeps the bread lighter and fluffier. Salt: cuts the sweetness and enhances the flavors in the bread. Orange Zest: add more or less to taste. The zest of 1 or 2 oranges will do the trick! Cranberries: fresh or frozen will work. Glaze: we’re topping our bread off with a two-ingredient orange glaze made with powdered sugar and orange juice.
How to Make Cranberry Orange Bread
This Orange Cranberry Bread recipe takes a quick 15 minutes to prep before you pop it in the oven. So simple and so perfect!
Tips and Notes
Grease the pan. This makes it so much easier to get the bread out when it’s done baking. Use 8×4 or 9×5. Either size of loaf pan will work, but it will bake more quickly in a 9×5 pan so it’s important to keep an eye on it in the oven. Use a glass or light colored non-stick pan. Darker colored pans can cause the outside of the bread to burn. Don’t over-mix. Overworked gluten can become tough and dry. Mix the batter only until just combined. Check for doneness. The cranberries you use, the oven you have, the pan you use, and even the elevation can affect the baking time. So, it’s important to focus on doneness rather than time. To check for doneness, insert a toothpick into the center of the loaf. If it comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs, it’s good to go. Halve the cranberries. Slicing your cranberries in half will prevent that big pop of sour cranberry flavor when you bite into one. I like that flavor to be more evenly distributed with smaller pieces.
Variations
Use another fruit. This recipe works great with any other citrus or any other berries. Add nuts. Cranberry walnut is a classic! Feel free to add a handful of chopped walnuts (or another type of nut) to the batter OR sprinkle them over the top of the loaf. Frost it. Swap the glaze out for cream cheese frosting to make it even more dessert-y.
More Sweet Bread Recipes You’ll Love
Banana Nut Bread
Cinnamon Apple Bread
Blueberry Banana Bread
Coconut Bread with Cream Cheese Glaze + VIDEO
Create an account easily save your favorite content, so you never forget a recipe again. Register Now Tag @thereciperebel or hashtag #thereciperebel — I love to see what you’re making!
