The Best Glazed Cranberry Orange Bread
This ultra-moist glazed cranberry orange bread has bright citrus flavor, a tender crumb, and cranberries that don’t sink. It’s perfect!
Cranberry and orange together are one of my favorite holiday flavor combinations, and this bread is absolutely incredible. Everything about it – from the glaze to the cranberries – is absolute perfection.
Why I Think You’ll Love This Bread
With millions of versions of this bread out there already, why does the world need another recipe?
The answer is simple: after lots of tweaking and testing, this version is better than any other recipe I’ve ever tried with more pronounced citrus flavor and a decidedly more moist and tender texture!
Here are a few more reasons to love this cranberry orange bread:
- The recipe can be made in one standard (8 1/2X4 1/2-inch) loaf pan or three mini loaf pans.
- It can easily be doubled.
- The bread stays moist for several days.
- If you follow all the tips in the recipe, the cranberries don’t sink! They are evenly distributed throughout the batter creating the most stunning slices.
Key Ingredients for Cranberry Orange Bread
- Orange Zest: Fresh orange zest is an important ingredient in this recipe! You’ll need 1 full tablespoon zest (from about 1 large orange) for the batter and another 1 to 2 teaspoons zest in the glaze.
- Granulated Sugar: For the batter, the fresh orange zest is rubbed into the granulated sugar before mixing the rest of the ingredients. This releases the natural oils in the zest creating more delicious orange flavor. Don’t skip this step!
- Orange Juice: Since fresh oranges are needed for the zest, it makes sense to use the fresh orange juice from the oranges in the recipe. However, if for some reason that doesn’t work, you can use bottled orange juice instead.
- Cranberries: This recipe is best with fresh cranberries. It hasn’t been tested with dried cranberries. However, it should work fine with frozen cranberries.
- Buttermilk: Using buttermilk produces a more tender, more moist bread. I tested variations of this bread with varying amounts of milk, and using store bought buttermilk had the best results by far. Homemade buttermilk might also work. If making homemade buttermilk, I recommend using 2% or whole milk.
- All-Purpose Flour: I use unbleached, all-purpose flour. I suspect this bread might work fine with gluten-free flour. A reader recently commented that when subbing in gluten-free flour for all-purpose flour, they use 10% less flour (by weight) than the recipe calls for and results in baked goods are always fantastic.
🍊 Heads up: You’ll need two large oranges for this recipe. 🍊
Several other standard baking ingredients are also used, like eggs, baking powder, baking soda, and powdered sugar.
Tips for Making Cranberry Orange Bread
Make sure to read through the recipe in its entirety before making this bread, because there are some helpful tips (and options) that will ensure perfect cranberry orange bread.
Let me share a few tips about the glaze, in particular:
- You can make the glaze thin or thick, simply add more or less orange juice depending on the desired consistency. A thinner glaze will soak into the bread a bit more, whereas a thicker glaze will settle on top and form more of a sugary crust.
- The pictures below show the glaze made according to the thicker option. After a lot of test batches, I prefer making it on the thinner side so it soaks into the top of the bread just slightly. Either way is delicious.
- I made a delicious test batch using orange zest and lemon juice in the glaze (because I ran out of orange juice!). Wow, it was really good! The bread had a brighter, more tart flavor at first bite than using orange juice.
- The bread can be glazed right out of the oven (while still in the pan) if you want the glaze to soak almost completely into the bread. Or the bread can be removed to a cooling rack and the glaze can be drizzled across the top once the bread has cooled (or when it is still slightly warm).
So…you definitely have options when it comes to the glaze! Play around with how to make it and when to add it and see what you like the best!
A Favorite Holiday Bread
This glazed cranberry orange bread is absolutely phenomenal. It has skyrocketed to the top of my holiday favorite baked goods list.
The bread is sweet without being cake-like sweet, and the cranberries pop with tart juiciness and flavor. The hint of orange in the bread batter and the glaze adds a flavor dimension that is just so good.
I can’t wait for you to make this bread! The flavors define all that is delicious and sweet about the holidays.
Make-Ahead Note: The glazed and cooled bread can be frozen for several months. Keep in mind that after thawing, the top of the bread may soften quite a bit (and may even have a bit of a soggy texture thanks to the glaze). An alternative is to freeze the bread unglazed and glaze after thawing.
Glazed Cranberry Orange Bread
Ingredients
Bread:
- ¾ cup (160 g) granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon fresh orange zest
- ½ cup (134 g) buttermilk (see note)
- ½ cup (100 g) neutral-flavored oil, like canola, vegetable, or grapeseed
- ¼ cup (55 g) orange juice
- 2 large (100 g) eggs
- 1 ½ cups (213 g) all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- 1 ¼ cups (125 g) fresh cranberries
- 2 teaspoons all-purpose flour
Glaze:
- ¾ cup (86 g) powdered sugar
- 1 to 2 teaspoons fresh orange zest
- 1 to 2 tablespoons orange juice (see note)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly grease an 8 1/2 X 4 1/2-inch loaf pan or three mini loaf pans. If using a glass pan or dark-coated pan, reduce the oven temperature to 325 degrees F.
- For the bread, in a large bowl, add the granulated sugar and orange zest. Rub the zest into the sugar with your fingers until well-combined and fragrant.
- To the sugar mixture, add the buttermilk, oil, orange juice, and eggs. Whisk until well-combined.
- Add the flour, baking powder, salt, and baking soda. Whisk until JUST combined. It's ok if there are a few lumps and small dry streaks.
- In a small bowl, add the cranberries and spritz VERY lightly with water. I run my fingers quickly under water and then flick them over the cranberries. Add the 2 teaspoons flour and toss until the cranberries are lightly coated in flour.
- Add the cranberries to the batter and stir until evenly combined. Don't over mix.
- Pour the batter into the prepared pan(s). For a standard loaf pan, bake for 55 to 60 minutes. For mini loaf pans, bake for 28 to 30 minutes. Bake until the top of the bread springs back lightly to the touch and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs. Add time, if needed.
- While the bread bakes, make the glaze. In a medium bowl, add the powdered sugar, orange zest and 1 tablespoon of the orange juice. Whisk until combined. Continue adding orange juice a teaspoon at a time until the glaze is pourable. I prefer the glaze on the thinner side so it soaks into the bread; however, you can keep it thicker for a more pronounced glaze look on top of the bread.
- OPTION 1: When the bread is done baking, let it cool for a few minutes in the pan. Run a thin knife around the edges of the pan and turn the bread out onto a cooling rack. Let the bread cool to just warm or room temperature before glazing. Spoon the glaze over the bread. It will drizzle down the sides and pool next to the bread. You can discard the pooled glaze or continue spooning it over the bread.
- OPTION 2: Immediately out of the oven, pour about half of the glaze over the bread while still in the pan and let the bread cool in the pan for 10 to 15 minutes. Run a thin knife around the edges of the pan and remove the bread to a cooling rack. Spoon the rest of the glaze over the bread. Use this method if you want the glaze to soak into the bread a bit more.
- Cool the bread to room temperature (the glaze will set and harden as it cools). Cut into slices and serve. Store leftover bread in the refrigerator well-covered or in a sealed bag.
Notes
Recommended Products
Recipe Source: from Mel’s Kitchen Cafe
