Description
This orange‑glazed cranberry bread is a soft, moist quick loaf bursting with tart cranberries and bright citrus flavor, topped with a sweet orange glaze for a beautifully balanced bake.
Ingredients
- 2 cups all‑purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¾ cup granulated sugar
- ½ cup unsalted butter, softened (or ½ cup oil for extra moisture)
- 2 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 teaspoons orange zest (from 1 large orange)
- ½ cup fresh orange juice
- ½ cup buttermilk or milk
- 1 ½ cups fresh or frozen cranberries (if frozen, add them unthawed)
- For the glaze: 1 cup powdered sugar + 2–3 tablespoons fresh orange juice + optional orange zest
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 °F (175 °C). Grease or line a 9×5‑inch loaf pan with parchment paper.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
- In a large bowl, cream together sugar and butter (or mix sugar with oil) until well combined. Beat in eggs one at a time, then stir in vanilla, orange zest, and orange juice.
- Alternate adding the dry ingredients and the buttermilk (or milk) to the wet mixture, beginning and ending with the dry ingredients. Mix just until combined—do not over‑mix.
- Toss the cranberries with a tablespoon of flour (to prevent sinking) and gently fold them into the batter. Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan and smooth the top.
- Bake for 50–60 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs. If the top browns too fast, you can loosely cover it with aluminum foil for the last 10–15 minutes.
- Let the bread cool in the pan for about 10 minutes, then transfer it to a wire rack to cool completely.
- While it cools, whisk together powdered sugar, orange juice and optional orange zest to make the glaze. When the loaf is fully cool, drizzle the glaze over the top. Let the glaze set before slicing.
Notes
- You can fold in chopped walnuts or pecans for extra texture.
- Use dried cranberries if fresh/frozen aren’t available—soak them in warm water or orange juice for 10 minutes before using.
- For a gluten‑free version, use a 1:1 gluten‑free flour blend instead of all‑purpose flour.
- If you prefer less tartness, toss the cranberries with a teaspoon of sugar before folding them in.
- The bread tastes even better the next day as the flavors meld.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 slice
- Calories: 240
- Sugar: 18g
- Sodium: 160mg
- Fat: 9g
- Saturated Fat: 5g
- Unsaturated Fat: 3g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 36g
- Fiber: 2g
- Protein: 3g
- Cholesterol: 30mg
