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Cranberry Orange Bread

Cranberry orange bread with dense moist crumb, tart cranberries, thick orange glaze and zest, with slices on a white platter.
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This buttery cranberry orange bread pairs tart fresh cranberries with orange juice and zest, finished with a thick orange glaze for breakfast, brunch, or sharing.

Ingredients

Units Scale

For the Bread

For the Orange Glaze

Instructions

Prep

  1. Position an oven rack in the center and heat the oven to 350°F. Grease an 8½-by-4½-inch loaf pan with butter. Lightly coat the inside with flour and shake out any loose flour.
  2. Zest the orange before juicing it. Set aside 1 teaspoon of zest for the glaze; use the remaining zest in the batter.
  3. Whisk the 1½ cups flour, baking powder, and salt in a bowl. In a separate small bowl or measuring cup, stir together the milk and ¼ cup orange juice.

Mix the Batter

  1. Using a hand mixer or stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter, granulated sugar, and bread’s portion of orange zest for 2–3 minutes, until lighter in color and evenly blended.
  2. Beat in the eggs one at a time, scraping the bowl between additions.
  3. With the mixer on low, add half the dry ingredients, followed by the milk mixture, then the remaining dry ingredients. Stop mixing as soon as the flour is incorporated.
  4. Toss the cranberries with the remaining 1½ teaspoons flour. Fold them into the batter with a spatula, checking the bottom of the bowl for unmixed flour.

Bake and Cool

  1. Spoon the batter into the prepared pan and level the surface.
  2. Bake for 45–50 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out without wet batter. If the top browns before the center finishes baking, cover loosely with foil.
  3. Leave the loaf in the pan for 10–15 minutes. Loosen the edges carefully, remove the bread, and place it on a wire rack. Cool completely before adding the glaze.

Glaze

  1. Stir the powdered sugar, 2 tablespoons orange juice, and reserved zest together until smooth. Add more juice, ½ teaspoon at a time, if needed for a thick but pourable glaze.
  2. Spoon the glaze over the cooled loaf, allowing it to run down the sides. Let it set for 30 minutes before slicing.

Equipment

Notes

Toss the cranberries in the specified flour before folding them into the batter; this does not guarantee that every berry stays suspended.
Frozen cranberries may replace fresh in the same amount. Fold them in while frozen; additional baking time may be needed. Bottled orange juice may replace fresh juice; keep the fresh zest.
Bake for 45–50 minutes. Total time uses the 50-minute bake, 30 minutes total cooling (including the 10–15 minutes in the pan), and 30 minutes for glaze setting. Cool completely before glazing.
Serve with coffee, hot tea, scrambled eggs, or fruit salad. Unglazed slices can be lightly toasted and spread with salted butter.
Store after cooling and glaze setting in an airtight container at room temperature up to 2 days or refrigerate up to 1 week. Bring refrigerated slices to room temperature before serving.
Freeze unglazed for the neatest finish. Wrap the cooled loaf or slices tightly in plastic wrap, then place in a freezer bag. Freeze up to 3 months. Thaw while wrapped at room temperature, then glaze.

Find it online: https://jennifercooks.com/cranberry-orange-bread/