This Cranberry-Orange Quick Bread Will Be Perfect for Christmas Breakfast
The orange-scented quick bread is studded with tart cranberries and perfect with a mug of hot tea.
Makes1 (9-inch) loaf
Prep15 minutes
Cook1 hour to 1 hour 8 minutes
I know it’s officially fall when cranberries start popping up in stores. I’m not a big fan of cranberry sauce, but I’m all in when the tiny, tart fruits are baked into desserts. This easy quick bread, for example, is one of my favorite ways to bake with cranberries. Orange plays so nicely with the cranberries, adding a bit of sweetness and fragrant flavor.
This cranberry-orange bread isn’t too sweet, and it can be baked up into a loaf or into muffins with equal success. It’s well-worth adding to your fall and winter baking rotation.
Can I Use Frozen Cranberries?
Fresh or frozen cranberries work equally well in this quick bread, which means it’s possible to make this treat year-round. Whatever you choose to use, cut the berries in half if they’re bigger than a blueberry so that the bites with cranberry aren’t too tart. It’s easier to cut frozen berries while they’re still frozen, so do that first before you thaw them.
How to Make Cranberry-Orange Quick Bread
- Mix the dry ingredients. To get the most flavor out of the orange zest, rub it into the sugar to release the oils before mixing in the remaining dry ingredients.
- Mix the wet ingredients. Whisk melted butter, orange juice, milk, egg, and vanilla extract together. It may look a bit curdled, but that’s OK.
- Fold everything together with the cranberries. Stir the wet into the dry ingredients and then fold in the cranberries.
- Bake as a loaf or as muffins. Bake in a 9×5-inch loaf pan or in a standard muffin tin (see muffin directions in Recipe Notes).
- Cool and glaze. Let the loaf or muffins cool completely, then glaze with an icing made with powdered sugar and orange juice if desired.
Can You Freeze Homemade Cranberry Bread?
You can definitely freeze cranberry bread — just make sure it’s well-wrapped first. Thaw at room temperature and rewarm if you’d like before serving. Cranberry bread makes a wonderful holiday gift or as a sweet treat for gatherings and parties. I even made a loaf for my daughter’s bake sale and it was one of the first items to sell out!
Cranberry-Orange Quick Bread Recipe
The orange-scented quick bread is studded with tart cranberries and perfect with a mug of hot tea.
Prep time 15 minutes
Cook time 1 hour to 1 hour 8 minutes
Makes 1 (9-inch) loaf
Nutritional Info
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups
fresh or frozen cranberries (5 to 6 ounces)
Cooking spray or butter, for coating the pan
- 4 tablespoons
(1/2 stick) unsalted butter
- 1 cup
granulated sugar
- 1 to 2
medium oranges
- 2 cups
all-purpose flour
- 1 1/2 teaspoons
baking powder
- 1 teaspoon
kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon
baking soda
- 3/4 cup
whole or 2% milk, plus more as needed
- 1
large egg
- 1 teaspoon
vanilla extract
- 3/4 cup
powdered sugar (optional)
Instructions
Cut 1 1/2 cups cranberries in half unless they are the size of a blueberry or smaller, then thaw if frozen (they’re easier to cut while still frozen).
Arrange a rack in the middle of the oven and heat the oven to 350°F. Coat a 9x5-inch loaf pan with cooking spray or butter.
Place 4 tablespoons unsalted butter in a medium microwave-safe bowl and microwave until melted. (Alternatively, melt on the stovetop and transfer to a medium bowl.)
Place 1 cup granulated sugar in a large bowl. Finely grate the zest of 1 medium orange (1 1/2 packed teaspoons) into the bowl and rub it into the sugar until fragrant and moistened. Add 2 cups all-purpose flour, 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder, 1 teaspoon kosher salt, and 1/2 teaspoon baking soda. Whisk to combine and break up any lumps.
Juice the zested orange. Add 1/4 cup of the juice (juice the second orange if needed) to the melted butter. Add 3/4 cup milk, 1 large egg, and 1 teaspoon vanilla extract and whisk until combined (the mixture may look curdled). Scrape into the flour mixture and stir with a spoon or rubber spatula until just combined. Add the cranberries and fold until evenly distributed. Scrape the batter into the loaf pan, push it into the corners, and smooth the top.
Bake until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, 45 to 55 minutes. Place the pan on a wire rack to cool for 15 minutes. Run a thin knife around the edges to loosen the bread, then flip out onto the rack and let cool completely, about 1 hour.
If making the glaze, sift 3/4 cup powdered sugar into a small bowl. Add 1 1/2 tablespoons of the reserved juice and whisk until smooth. The glaze should have a consistency like glue. If it’s too thick, whisk in more juice (or you can use milk) 1/2 teaspoon at a time. Drizzle over the bread and let sit until the glaze sets, about 15 minutes.
Recipe Notes
Making muffins: To make muffins, divide the batter between the wells of a greased or muffin paper-lined standard 12-well muffin tin. Bake at 375ºF until a tester inserted in the center comes out clean, about 25 minutes. Let cool in the pan for 10 minutes before removing.
Storage: The cooled bread can be wrapped in plastic wrap and stored at room temperature for up to 4 days, or frozen for up to 2 months. Thaw at room temperature.
This post originally ran on Kitchn. See it there: Cranberry-Orange Quick Bread