Cranberry Orange Bread

Cranberry Orange Bread is filled with the flavors of tart cranberries and juicy orange. This cranberry bread recipe is smothered with a sweet orange glaze. Cranberry Bread is perfect served as a winter breakfast or dessert with a cup of orange juice.

This bread is a family favorite. Another favorite is this Apple Cinnamon Bread, full of tasty apples and crunchy sugar topping. If you are a fan of cranberries, try this recipe for the best Fresh Cranberry Sauce.

Easy Cranberry Orange Bread

I love baking with cranberries because they are so festive and bright. When the cranberries start showing up at the grocery store, I know that the holidays are right around the corner. I always like to stock up on cranberries when they are in season so that I can make cranberry recipes all year long. Cranberries stay good in the refrigerator for 4 weeks and frozen for up to 10 months.

This cranberry orange bread is so moist and flavorful. It is the perfect balance between tart and sugary. The cranberries make this quick bread super tangy, but the simple powdered sugar glaze drizzled on top keeps it sweet.

If you have ever had problems with cranberries floating to the top of your batter in cranberry recipes, I have got a fix for that. Just follow my trick to prevent floating cranberries, below!

Are Cranberries Good For You?

Yes, cranberries are good for you. They are even considered a super food to some. Eating them may reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease and can even help prevent infections. They are also a good source of vitamin c.

How to Prevent Floating Cranberries

Since cranberries are filled with air, they naturally want to rise to the top of your batter. I love this hack for ensuring that your cranberries are distributed throughout the bread instead of just on the top.

Coat the cranberries in about a tablespoon of flour before adding them to the batter. This will ensure they are evenly through the bread. It also helps to have a really thick batter.

What if I Don’t Have Buttermilk?

I highly recommend using real buttermilk in this recipe, but there are a couple substitutions you can try out if you don’t have it.

• LEMON OR VINEGAR METHOD: Add 1 1/2 teaspoon of vinegar or lemon juice plus just enough milk (2% or whole is recommended) to fill up to the 1/2 cup line. Let this mixture set up for 5-10 minutes to thicken or curdle a little. Then it’s ready to use.
• YOGURT OR GREEK YOGURT METHOD: Combine 1-2 Tablespoons of milk plus just enough plain yogurt to fill up to the 1/2 cup line. Stir to combine and it’s ready to use. If you use Greek yogurt, use 2-3 Tablespoons of milk due to the fact that Greek yogurt is bit thicker than regular yogurt. The consistency should be like buttermilk.
• SOUR CREAM METHOD: Combine 2-3 Tablespoons of milk to just enough sour cream to fill up to the 1/2 cup line. Stir to combine and use in your recipe. The consistency should be like buttermilk.

Cranberry Orange Bread Ingredients

• Sugar: Granulated sugar and powdered sugar.
• Baking Powder
• Baking Soda
• Flour: All-purpose flour. You will need 2 cups of flour plus some to coat the cranberries.
• Buttermilk: I recommend using real buttermilk but have included substitutions in case you don’t have any buttermilk.
• Butter: Unsalted butter.
• Egg: One large egg.
• Vanilla: Real vanilla extract.
• Cranberries: Whole, fresh cranberries are the best but you can use frozen cranberries. Toss the frozen cranberries in the flour and add into the batter.
• Orange Zest: You will need the zest from two large oranges.
• Orange Juice: Two tablespoons of freshly squeezed orange juice.

How to Make Cranberry Orange Bread

1. Preheat the oven and coat a loaf pan with parchment paper, butter, nonstick cooking spray.
2. Whisk together sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and flour in a large bowl.
3. Add in buttermilk, butter, egg, and vanilla. Stir until combined.
4. In a separate small bowl, toss the cranberries in the flour.
5. Add the cranberries and the orange zest into the batter and combine.
6. Pour batter into the baking pan.
7. Bake for 60 minutes or toothpick until the bread is brown on top and a toothpick inserted comes out mostly clean, with only a few crumbs.
8. Make the glaze by stirring together the orange juice and the powdered sugar. Once the bread is completely cooled, then top with the glaze.

Cranberry Orange Bread Tips

• Check through the cranberries and pick out any that are mushy or bad.
• Use one of the buttermilk substitutions if you don’t have buttermilk.
• Be sure to coat the cranberries in flour before adding them to the batter to make sure they don’t float.
• Using parchment paper will allow the bread to be easily removed and keep clean up easy.
• Check to make sure the baking powder is fresh and not old.
• Insert toothpick into bread after it’s baked. It should come out clean with just a few moist crumbs stuck to it. If it is still doughy, bake the bread for a little longer.
• Cool the bread completely before adding on the glaze.

Cranberry Orange Bread Variations

• Use frozen cranberries (don’t thaw) instead of fresh. Treat them the same as the fresh cranberries for this recipe.
• Add chopped nuts such as walnuts or pecans to the batter when you add in the cranberries and zest.
• Add in 1/2 cup of chocolate chips or chocolate chunks to batter.
• Chop up the cranberries or halve them instead of leaving them whole.
• Drizzle bread with melted white chocolate instead of the powdered sugar glaze.

Storage Instructions for Orange Cranberry Bread

• How to Refrigerate Cranberry Bread: Store the bread in glass container or BPA-free airtight plastic container or zipper bag. The bread should last about 7 days in the fridge.
• How to Store Cranberry Bread at Room Temperature: Store bread at room temp for 2-3 days.
• How to Freeze Cranberry Bread: Store the bread in an airtight glass, BPA-free freezer-safe bag or freezer-safe plastic container. Make sure to label the bread with the recipe name and date. It should last about 3 months in the freezer.
• How to Thaw Cranberry Bread: Thaw the bread the refrigerator overnight. Let the bread come up to room temperature before eating.

Try these other fall recipes!

• Brown Sugar Carrots
• Fresh Cranberry Sauce
• Secret Ingredient Mashed Sweet Potatoes
• Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies

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