Cranberry Orange Bread
This easy recipe for the best cranberry orange bread packs crunchy walnuts, tart cranberries, and sweet orange into a holiday quick bread that makes a great breakfast or dessert.
We love quick bread. Moist, sweet, and perfect for breakfast. While our peanut butter chocolate chip banana bread is a delicious treat anytime of the year, during the winter months we love this easy cranberry orange bread recipe because it has some of our favorite flavors of the season.
Fresh cranberries, orange zest, and crunchy walnuts are packed into this simple cranberry bread with buttermilk making a sweet, slightly tart bright bread that bursts with orange notes. It’s delicious to enjoy for breakfast or as an afternoon sweet snack with a warm cup of tea or coffee.
This cranberry nut bread is great for those mornings when you have extra people in your house, as we tend to have during the holidays. We know they’ll love this moist, flavorful quick bread and it will help get everyone into the holiday spirit and keep it going through the New Year!
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Ingredients You’ll Need
- All-purpose flour – We highly recommend all-purpose flour instead whole wheat as that can change the texture and flavor of the bread.
- Sugar – Sugar helps to provide sweetness to the bread.
- Salt – Salt helps bring out the flavors a bit and balances the sweetness.
- Leavening agents – You’ll need both baking soda and baking powder.
- Eggs – Eggs provide some rise and structure for the bread.
- Butter – Butter adds some flavor and helps to moisten the bread.
- Buttermilk– Go for buttermilk over regular milk. It will help the bread rise and make it super tender.
- Vanilla – We use vanilla extract for best flavor. Try to avoid imitation vanilla.
- Orange zest– Freshly grated orange zest adds the bright citrus pop.
- Fresh cranberries – Fresh cranberries are seasonal, but you can almost always find them starting around October depending on where you live.
- Walnuts – You can substitute with pecans or omit the nuts if you prefer or are allergic to them.
- White chocolate melts – We use white chocolate melts for the drizzle, but you use chips or bar versions.
How to Make Cranberry Orange Bread
Step 1 – Preheat – Preheat oven to 350 degrees F
Step 2 – Mix dry ingredients – Whisk flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt in one bowl.
Step 3 – Cream – Using your mixer cream together the butter and sugar in a large bowl.
Step 4 – Add eggs – Add eggs to the butter mixture one at a time making sure each is mixed in before adding the next.
Step 5 – Add orange and vanilla – Add the vanilla extract and orange zest to the egg and butter mixture.
Step 6 – Mix together – Add the flour mixture to the eggs and butter and mix until combined.
Step 7 – Add buttermilk – Slowly stir in the buttermilk until it is fully incorporated.
Step 8 – Fold – Fold in the cranberries and chopped walnuts.
Step 9 – Prepare pan and pour batter – Grease your 9×5-inch loaf pan and either flour the bottom or line it with parchment paper. Pour the batter your prepared pan.
Step 10 – Bake – Bake for 55 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Make sure to check it early and often so it doesn’t over-bake.
Step 11 – Cool – Once it has finished baking remove it from the oven and let it cool in the pan for 15 minutes before removing it from the pan and placing on a wire rack to cool completely.
Step 12 – Drizzle – Once the bread has cooled, melt the while chocolate melts in the microwave for 30 seconds at a time until they are fully melted and smooth. Drizzle it over the top of the bread. Let the chocolate cool and firm up and then slice and serve.
Yes! You can substitute frozen cranberries for fresh cranberries. The bread has the same great flavor and using frozen cranberries means you can make the bread all year round!
Yes. Remove them from the freezer and spread out on a baking sheet. Let them come to room temp before adding to batter.
We recommend lightly patting any excess moisture off of them with a paper towel before adding them to the batter.
Yes. Dried cranberries don’t have the same strong, tart flavor that fresh cranberries give the bread, but you can use dried cranberries. For this recipe you will use 1 1/2 cups of dried cranberries.
Yes! Let it cool completely. Wrap in plastic wrap and then a layer of aluminum foil, making sure to seal tightly. Store in the freezer for up to 2 months.
To thaw and serve, remove from the freezer, unwrap, and let your bread come to room temperature
How to Store Cranberry Orange Bread
Store at room temperature. Wrap tightly in plastic wrap or store in an airtight container. It should keep for 4-7 days.
If you want the bread to last longer you can wrap it tightly in plastic wrap or seal in an airtight container and store in the refrigerator. The cool temp tends to dry the bread out a little but this bread is moist enough to begin with that it is still delicious.
Looking for More Easy Bread Recipes?
- Caramel Apple Bread
- Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Banana Bread
- Apple Cinnamon Pull Apart Bread
- Orange Cinnamon Roll Monkey Bread
- Garlic Parmesan Popovers
- Overnight Refrigerator Yeast Rolls
- Texas Toast Garlic Bread
- More Bread Recipes…
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Cranberry Orange Bread
Ingredients
- 2 cups All purpose flour
- 1 1/2 cups Sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon Salt
- 1/2 teaspoon Baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon Baking powder
- 2 large Eggs
- ½ cup Butter
- 1/2 cup Buttermilk
- 1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
- 2 tablespoons Orange zest
- 1 cup Fresh cranberries
- 1/2 cup Walnuts
- 1/2 cup White chocolate melts
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F
- Mix flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt in one bowl.
- Using your mixer cream together the butter and sugar.
- Add eggs to the butter mixture one at a time making sure each is mixed in before adding the next.
- Add the vanilla extract and orange zest to the egg and butter mixture.
- Add the flour mixture to the eggs and butter and mix until combined.
- Slowly pour in the buttermilk until it is fully incorporated.
- Fold in the cranberries and chopped walnuts.
- Grease your 9×5 inch loaf pan and either flour the bottom or line it with parchment paper.
- Pour the batter into the loaf pan.
- Bake for 55 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Make sure to check it early and often so it doesn’t over-bake.
- Once it has finished baking remove it from the oven and let it cool in the pan for 15 minutes before removing it from the pan and letting it cool completely.
- Once the bread has cooled melt the while chocolate melts in the microwave for 30 seconds at a time until they are fully melted and smooth. Then drizzle over the top of the bread.
- Let the chocolate cool and firm up and then slice and serve.
Nutrition
G’day Looks great! All blog comments appreciated and sharing is caring today!
Cheers! Joanne @ What’s On The List #SayGdayParty pinned
Oh, I could certainly tuck into this at my morning or afternoon tea. Looks delish!
Thanks for linking up to Marvelous Monday on Smart Party Planning.
Looks so beautiful and really tasty!
Found you at bewitchin projects.
Love all the different berries used in this bread – “bliss” is totally right! 🙂
Love quick breads and this looks so delicious! Thanks for sharing! Pinned and Twittered! Stopping by from the Friendship Friday Blog Party! 🙂
You seriously share way too many good recipes… this looks delicious and perfect for Christmas morning!
Hello!! Just wanted to let you know I will be using this in a round up (posting soon) from the Teach Me Tuesday party! Very much appreciate you linking up with us 😉
This looks absolutely amazing! I am doing this tonight! Such a great idea! Thanks for sharing!