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Avatar photoIsha Joe

Cranberry Bread with Orange Glaze

Orange Glazed Cranberry bread is loaded with juicy cranberries with a moist and tender crumb. This stays moist for a few days after it’s made so it’s perfect as a homemade Christmas gift.
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 50 minutes
Total Time 1 hour
Servings: 8 people
Course: Breakfast, Dessert
Cuisine: American
Calories: 226

Ingredients
  

Cranberry Bread Ingredients
  • 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 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
  • 1/2 Tbsp all-purpose flour
Orange Glaze Ingredients:
  • 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

Method
 

How to Make Cranberry Orange Bread:
  1. Prep: Preheat oven to 350˚F. Butter a 6 cup (8 1/2 by 4 1/2 bread loaf pan)* then dust with flour, tapping out the excess flour.
  2. In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together: 1 1/2 cups flour, 1 tsp baking powder, and 1/4 tsp salt. Set aside.
  3. In a measuring cup, combine 1/4 cup milk, zest of 1 orange (Reserve 1 tsp zest for the glaze), and 1/4 cup orange juice. Set aside.
  4. In a large mixing bowl, cream together 6 tbsp butter and 3/4 cup granulated sugar on medium/high speed (2-3 minutes on high speed). It won’t be smooth, just combined. Beat in 2 large eggs, mixing until well incorporated.
  5. Add flour mixture in 2 parts, alternating with the milk mixture and mixing on medium/low speed just until incorporated with each addition. Scrape the sides of the bowl with a spatula as needed.
  6. Toss cranberries with 1/2 Tbsp flour, then fold them into the batter just until incorporated. Spread the batter into your prepared pan and bake for 45-50 min at 350˚F until golden on top and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Let cool in pan 10-15 minutes, then run a knife around the edges and transfer the loaf to a wire rack to cool completely before glazing.
To Make the Glaze:
  1. In a separate bowl, stir together powdered sugar, orange juice and reserved teaspoon of zest. Stir until smooth. It should have a drizzling consistency. Add more orange juice to thin it out or powdered sugar to make it thicker.

Notes

I used a light-colored baking pan. If using a dark pan, the bread will bake and brown faster, so I recommend reducing the oven temperature by 25˚F for a darker loaf pan.