Description
This Cranberry Bread with Orange Glaze is a delightful holiday treat featuring a moist, tender crumb loaded with juicy fresh cranberries. The sweet and tangy orange glaze adds a citrusy finish that perfectly complements the bread, making it an ideal homemade gift or festive breakfast bread.
Ingredients
Scale
Dry Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/2 Tbsp all-purpose flour (for coating cranberries)
Wet Ingredients
- 1/4 cup milk (room temperature)
- Zest of 1 large orange (divided)
- 1/4 cup orange juice (freshly squeezed)
- 6 Tbsp unsalted butter (softened)
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs (room temperature)
- 1 1/2 cups fresh cranberries (rinsed and patted dry)
Glaze
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 1 1/2 Tbsp freshly squeezed orange juice (or to reach desired consistency)
- 1 tsp orange zest (reserved from the orange above)
Instructions
- Preheat and Prepare Pan: Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C). Grease and flour a loaf pan to prevent sticking.
- Mix Dry Ingredients: In a medium bowl, whisk together 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, baking powder, and salt.
- Coat the Cranberries: Toss the rinsed and dried cranberries with 1/2 tablespoon flour to prevent them from sinking in the batter. Set aside.
- Cream Butter and Sugar: In a large bowl, use a mixer to cream the softened unsalted butter and granulated sugar until light and fluffy, about 3-5 minutes.
- Add Eggs and Flavor: Beat in the eggs one at a time until fully incorporated. Then add the orange zest and orange juice mixing well.
- Combine Wet and Dry Ingredients: Gradually add the dry ingredients alternately with the milk to the creamed mixture, starting and ending with the dry ingredients. Mix just until combined; do not overmix.
- Fold in Cranberries: Gently fold the floured cranberries into the batter, distributing them evenly.
- Pour and Bake: Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan and smooth the top. Bake in the preheated oven for 50 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
- Cool the Bread: Remove the bread from the oven and let it cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
- Prepare the Orange Glaze: In a small bowl, whisk together powdered sugar, reserved orange zest, and 1 1/2 tablespoons of fresh orange juice until smooth. Adjust the orange juice to get desired glaze consistency.
- Glaze the Bread: Drizzle the orange glaze evenly over the cooled bread and allow it to set before slicing.
Notes
- For a festive touch, add chopped nuts such as pecans or walnuts to the batter.
- Make sure the cranberries are dry before coating with flour to avoid clumping.
- If fresh cranberries are unavailable, frozen cranberries can be used but do not thaw before adding.
- This bread stores well in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days or refrigerated for up to a week.
- The glaze can be adjusted in thickness by adding more powdered sugar to thicken or more orange juice to thin.
- Allow the bread to cool fully before glazing to prevent melting the glaze.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 slice
- Calories: 326 kcal
- Sugar: 36 g
- Sodium: 95 mg
- Fat: 10 g
- Saturated Fat: 6 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 4 g
- Trans Fat: 1 g
- Carbohydrates: 56 g
- Fiber: 2 g
- Protein: 4 g
- Cholesterol: 64 mg
