Cranberry Orange Bread

Name: Cranberry Orange Bread
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 1 h
Total time: 1 h 20 min
Yield: 10 servings
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 2 cups (250 g) all-purpose flour, spooned into the cup and leveled; 1½ teaspoons (6 g) baking powder; ½ teaspoon (3 g) baking soda; ½ teaspoon (3 g) fine salt; ½ cup (1 stick) (113 g) unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly; ¾ cup (150 g) granulated sugar; 2 tablespoons (12 g) orange zest, finely grated (from about 2 oranges); 2 whole (100 g) large eggs, at room temperature; ¼ cup (60 ml) fresh orange juice, strained; ½ cup (120 ml) buttermilk, at room temperature; 1 teaspoon (5 ml) vanilla extract; 1½ cups (150 g) fresh or frozen cranberries, coarsely chopped (do not thaw if frozen); ½ cup (60 g) walnuts or pecans, toasted and coarsely chopped (optional); 1 cup (120 g) powdered sugar, sifted; 1½ tablespoons (22 ml) fresh orange juice

From the MyKitchenBank Kitchen

A tender, buttery loaf bursting with tart cranberries and bright orange zest, finished with a simple orange glaze. Easy to mix by hand and even better the next day.

Prep: 20 min
Cook: 1 hr
Wait: 1 hr 10 min
Total: 2 hr 30 min
Makes: 1 loaf (10 slices)

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Ingredients

10 servings

For the bread
2 cups (250 g) all-purpose flour, spooned into the cup and leveled
1½ teaspoons (6 g) baking powder
½ teaspoon (3 g) baking soda
½ teaspoon (3 g) fine salt
½ cup (1 stick) (113 g) unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly
¾ cup (150 g) granulated sugar
2 tablespoons (12 g) orange zest, finely grated (from about 2 oranges)
2 whole (100 g) large eggs, at room temperature
¼ cup (60 ml) fresh orange juice, strained
½ cup (120 ml) buttermilk, at room temperature
1 teaspoon (5 ml) vanilla extract
1½ cups (150 g) fresh or frozen cranberries, coarsely chopped (do not thaw if frozen)
½ cup (60 g) walnuts or pecans, toasted and coarsely chopped (optional)
For the glaze
1 cup (120 g) powdered sugar, sifted
1½ tablespoons (22 ml) fresh orange juice

Equipment (9)

9×5-inch (23×13 cm) loaf pan
Large mixing bowl
Medium mixing bowl
Whisk
Rubber spatula
Fine grater or microplane
Wire cooling rack
Parchment paper
Toothpick or cake tester

Steps

Before you start

Take the butter, eggs, and buttermilk out 30–60 minutes ahead so they are at room temperature.
Zest the oranges before juicing them; you need 2 tablespoons of zest and about ½ cup (120 ml) of juice in total.
Fresh or frozen cranberries both work. Do not thaw frozen ones, or they will bleed color into the batter.
Plan about 2½ hours total, including cooling time before glazing.

1
Preheat and prep panOven 350°F / 175°C
- Position a rack in the center of the oven and heat to 350°F (175°C).
- Grease a 9×5-inch (23×13 cm) loaf pan with butter or spray, then line the bottom and two long sides with a strip of parchment, leaving a 2-inch overhang to use as handles.
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Ready when: Pan is lined and oven is fully preheated.
Tip: Preheat for at least 15 minutes so the oven is truly at temperature.
2
Whisk dry ingredients
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt for 20 seconds until evenly combined.
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Ready when: No streaks or clumps of leavener remain.
3
Rub zest into sugar
- In a large bowl, combine the sugar and orange zest.
- Rub them together with your fingertips for about 1 minute, until the sugar looks damp, clumps slightly, and smells strongly of orange.
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Ready when: Sugar is pale orange-tinged and fragrant.
Tip: This releases the zest's oils for much stronger orange flavor.
4
Mix wet ingredients
- Add the melted butter to the zest sugar and whisk for 30 seconds.
- Whisk in the eggs one at a time, then the orange juice, buttermilk, and vanilla, until the mixture is smooth and uniform.
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Ready when: Mixture is smooth with no visible egg streaks or butter pools.
Tip: If the butter is hot, it can scramble the eggs or make cold buttermilk clump; cool it to warm, not hot.
5
Combine batter
- Pour the dry ingredients over the wet.
- Fold with a spatula just until about 90% combined, with a few flour streaks remaining.
- Add the cranberries and nuts (if using) and fold 5–6 more strokes.
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Ready when: Batter is thick, lumpy, and no large dry pockets remain.
Tip: Overmixing develops gluten and makes the loaf tough and tunneled.
6
Fill the pan
- Scrape the batter into the prepared pan and spread it evenly, slightly mounding the center is fine.
- Tap the pan once on the counter to release large air bubbles.
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Ready when: Batter is level and fills the pan about two-thirds full.
7
Bake the loafOven 350°F / 175°C
- Bake at 350°F (175°C) for 55–65 minutes.
- After 40 minutes, if the top is browning quickly, tent loosely with foil.
- The loaf is done when the top is deep golden and domed with a lengthwise crack, and a toothpick in the center comes out with a few moist crumbs but no wet batter.
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Ready when: Toothpick shows a few moist crumbs; internal temperature reads 205–210°F (96–99°C) if you check.
Tip: Avoid opening the oven in the first 40 minutes.
8
Cool the loaf
- Cool the loaf in the pan on a wire rack for 15 minutes.
- Lift it out using the parchment handles and set it directly on the rack.
- Cool for at least 45 more minutes until completely cool to the touch.
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Ready when: Bottom of the loaf feels room temperature.
Tip: Glazing a warm loaf makes the glaze soak in and disappear.
9
Glaze and slice
- Whisk the powdered sugar with 1½ tablespoons orange juice until thick but pourable, adding a few drops more juice if too stiff.
- Drizzle over the cooled loaf and let it set for 10 minutes.
- Slice into 10 pieces with a serrated knife.
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Ready when: Glaze falls from the whisk in a thick ribbon and then sets matte-shiny to the touch.

Good to know

Tips

Chop the cranberries coarsely so they distribute evenly and don't sink or burst into pockets of liquid.
Measure flour by spooning and leveling, or by weight, to avoid a dry loaf.
Zest oranges before juicing; it's nearly impossible the other way around.
If the loaf cracks down the center, that's normal for quick breads and a sign of good oven spring.

Make ahead

"Bake the loaf up to 1 day ahead, wrap it tightly once cooled, and glaze just before serving. The flavor deepens overnight."

Storage & reheating

"Room temperature: up to 3 days, wrapped airtight or in a covered container. Refrigerator: up to 1 week. Freezer: unglazed, wrapped tightly in plastic and foil, up to 3 months; thaw at room temperature for 3 hours. Reheat slices in a 300°F (150°C) oven for 8 minutes or toast lightly."

Substitutions

buttermilk → Whole milk plus 1½ tsp lemon juice or vinegar. Stir and let sit 5 minutes before using, or use plain yogurt thinned with a little milk.
unsalted butter → Neutral oil such as canola, ½ cup (120 ml). Gives a slightly moister loaf with less buttery flavor.
walnuts or pecans → Pecans or pistachios. Or omit the nuts entirely.
fresh or frozen cranberries → Dried cranberries, ¾ cup (95 g), soaked in hot water for 10 minutes and drained. The loaf will be sweeter and less tart.