Cranberry Orange Bread Recipe | Julie Blanner (2024)

Cranberry Orange Bread is a delicious and festive twist on my Sweet Bread recipe. The addition of cranberries and orange zest elevate it into an elegant Christmas Bread for breakfast, brunch, snacks and gifting.

These little loaves make your home smell like Christmas and quickly disappear! It takes just 10 minutes to prep this quick bread recipe.

This easy cranberry orange bread is perfect for holiday entertaining. Cranberry orange bread is the perfect addition to Christmas brunch and makes a delicious snack. It also makes a beautiful hostess gift, neighbor or coworker gift.

I love using cranberries in our cooking and baking! Don’t skip Cranberry Salsa, Cranberry Quick Bread, this Cranberry Cheeseball, and this Cranberry Cheeseball in the shape of Santa’s hat!

Cranberry Orange Bread

Cranberry and orange flavors make a classic Christmas pairing. Typically bitter cranberries sweetened with sugar and balanced with orange zest makes a delicious holiday combination you’ll come to crave!

• Quick + Easy
• No Yeast Required
• No Bread Machine
• Mix in a single bowl, bake and enjoy!

Ingredients and Substitutions

• Sugar – Granulated white sugar to sweeten the bread.
• Flour – All purpose flour, no need to sift!
• Baking Powder – The leavening agent for this no-yeast bread.
• Salt – Balances the sweet flavors in this easy bread recipe.
• Eggs – Large eggs will bind the ingredients and also help with leavening. Don’t overmix.
• Milk – Use whatever you have on hand – anything from skim to vitamin D! Almond milk works as a dairy free alternative. Milk contributes to the light texture and color of the bread.
• Vegetable Oil – Oil makes this bread moist!
• Orange zest – Zesting the outer, colorful skin of unwaxed oranges (clementines or mandarins also work) adds a lot of flavor and aroma. Simply use a zester to zest the orange. Reserve the fresh orange to slice and garnish the top of your bread.
• Fresh Cranberries – You can also sub with frozen whole cranberries.

Variations

• Glaze – This bread is amazing on its own, but you can also cover it (or drizzle if you show any restraint) with Classic Glaze orCream Cheese Glaze.
• Cranberry Orange Almond Bread – Add sliced almonds.
• Make it Healthier –Replace half the oil with unsweetened apple sauce.

Tools to Use

• Mixer(You can also mix by hand)
• Measuring Cups + Measuring Spoons
• Ceramic Mini Loaf Pans – 5.23″ x 3.54″ x 2.16″ size. Michael’s generally offers seasonal versions in their Celebrate It® line of baking products. I love these for their size and price point!
• Loaf Pans(Mini kraft paper)
• Or, try theseMini Ceramic Loaf Pans

How to Make

It’s so quick to make this sweet bread!

1. Combine sugar, flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside.
2. Beat eggs, milk and oil.
3. Gradually add dry mixture to wet until just moist. Fold in orange zest and cranberries.
4. Grease six miniature baking dishes and pour mixture an inch below to the top to compensate for rise.
5. Garnish with orange slices, a few additional cranberries and a little sugar. Bake and enjoy!

Tips

• Don’t Overfill Your Loaf Pan– Fill 2/3 full to compensate for rise.
• Grease Baking Dishes– Be sure to grease your baking dishes for easy removal.
• Use the Toothpick Test– Bake time varies with oven, altitude, loaf pan size and material. Use the toothpick test to determine when your loaves are baked through. When a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, it’s ready to be removed from the oven.
• Orange Zest– Use fresh zest for the best results, but you can use dehydrated orange zest. It’s not a 1-1 substitution because it is more concentrated, so start with 1/3 of the amount and add to taste.

Loaf Pan Sizes

Not sure which loaf pan to use or how to adapt? Get all the details here!

READ MORE

Serving Suggestions

Serve with one of my favorite flavored butters for the ultimate treat – orange butter or honey butter are great choices for this bread!

How to Store

• Room Temperature– Store this quick breadin a sealed plastic bag or covered in saran wrapat room temperature for up to 5 days.
• Refrigerate– Up to 1 week in an airtight container.
• Freeze– Wrap them tightly in heavy foil, saran wrap or place them in freezer bags (I like to do at least 2 to prevent freezer odors from seeping in), and freeze for up to 3 months. Bring to room temperature to serve.

For more tips and tricks to store quick breads and keep them as fresh as the day they were baked, don’t skipHow to Store Banana Bread.

Dietary Considerations

• To Make Gluten Free: Use a gluten free flour intended for 1:1 baking.
• To Make Dairy Free: Sub with almond milk.
• Vegetarian