Seasonal Cranberry Orange Bread (Printable Version)

Moist quick bread with tart cranberries and bright orange zest, ideal for breakfast or a festive snack.

# What You Need:

→ Dry Ingredients

01 - 2 cups all-purpose flour
02 - 1 cup granulated sugar
03 - 1½ teaspoons baking powder
04 - ½ teaspoon baking soda
05 - ½ teaspoon salt

→ Wet Ingredients

06 - ½ cup unsalted butter, melted and cooled
07 - 2 large eggs
08 - ¾ cup fresh orange juice
09 - 1 tablespoon orange zest
10 - 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

→ Add-ins

11 - 1½ cups fresh or frozen cranberries
12 - ½ cup chopped walnuts or pecans (optional)

# How-to Steps:

01 - Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease and flour a 9 x 5-inch loaf pan or line with parchment paper.
02 - In a large bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt until evenly mixed.
03 - In a separate bowl, whisk melted butter, eggs, orange juice, orange zest, and vanilla extract until fully incorporated.
04 - Add wet ingredients to the dry and stir gently until just combined, avoiding overmixing.
05 - Fold in cranberries and nuts (if using) until evenly distributed throughout the batter.
06 - Pour batter into prepared pan and level the surface with a spatula.
07 - Bake for 45 to 55 minutes until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
08 - Allow bread to cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely before slicing.

# Expert Advice:

01 -
  • Moist and fragrant quick bread
  • Filled with tart cranberries and bright orange zest
02 -
  • For extra citrus flavor, glaze the cooled bread with a simple mixture of powdered sugar and orange juice.
  • Substitute dried cranberries if fresh or frozen are unavailable (use 1 cup and soak briefly in warm water).
03 -
  • Do not overmix the batter to keep the bread tender.
  • If using frozen cranberries, mix them directly into the batter without thawing to prevent color bleeding.
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