To truly enjoy the holidays, you must taste the holidays.
I have the perfect recipe to bring cheer into your life: Glazed Cranberry Orange Bread. This cranberry orange bread is moist, dense, and delicious! If you somehow thought this tasty dessert bread can't get any better, it's also topped with a sweet orange glaze that covers the outside of the loaf. Along with being a tasty holiday treat, it's simple to make!
A few things to consider:
- This bread is essentially a pound cake since it's moist and dense—not airy and fluffy like a traditional cake.
- The orange glaze is optional, but I recommend it. It adds a sweet “zing” to the moist bread.
- Use fresh cranberries if you have them. Frozen cranberries are OK but thaw them before baking!
What ingredients do you need for Glazed Cranberry Orange Bread?
All-purpose flour, baking powder, salt, granulated sugar, orange zest, buttermilk, vegetable oil, orange juice, eggs, vanilla, cranberries.
What can you substitute for orange juice in Glazed Cranberry Orange Bread?
For the bread, you can use equal parts of buttermilk instead of orange juice; then add 1 to 2 teaspoons of orange extract for an orange flavor. If you don’t have orange extract, you can use vanilla extract to add a vanilla flavor to pair with the cranberry. In the glaze, use 1/2 to 1 teaspoon of orange or vanilla extract and use milk in place of orange juice.
What can I use in place of buttermilk?
Using a liquid measuring cup, add 1/2 tablespoon of white vinegar, then enough milk to reach 1/2 cup. Stir and let sit for 10 minutes before adding to the other ingredients.
How do I ensure the cranberries mix into the bread?
To make sure the cranberries get evenly dispersed throughout the bread, coat them with flour before adding them into the batter.
How do I make gluten free cranberry orange bread?
Use gluten-free ingredients directly in place of the ingredients that are not gluten free. Simple!
How do you make Glazed Cranberry Orange Bread?
Preheat your oven to 350F and grease a 9"x5" loaf pan. In a mixing bowl, combine the granulated sugar with the orange zest and set aside. In another mixing bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, and salt and set aside. In a third mixing bowl, combine the wet ingredients: orange juice, buttermilk, vegetable oil, eggs, and vanilla. Add the flour mixture and the sugar mixture to the wet ingredients and combine. Do not over-mix! Fold in the flour-coated cranberries and pour into a greased loaf pan. Bake for 65 to 75 minutes until a toothpick poked in comes out clean. While the bread is baking, make the glaze. Allow the bread to cool in the loaf pan for 10 minutes before transferring to a cooling rack. Once the bread is completely cooled, drizzle on the orange glaze and enjoy!
Glazed Cranberry Orange Bread
Ingredients
Bread
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 tbsp orange zest
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp salt
- ½ cup buttermilk
- ½ cup vegetable oil
- ½ cup orange juice
- 1½ tsp vanilla extract
- 2 cups fresh cranberries
Glaze
- 1½ cups powdered sugar
- 2 to 5 tbsp orange juice
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350F and grease a 9"x5"loaf pan.
- Combine the sugar and orange zest and set aside.In another bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt and setaside. In a third bowl, combine the buttermilk, vegetable oil, orange juice,eggs, and vanilla. Add in the sugar mixture to the wet ingredients and combine.Add the flour mixture to the wet ingredients and combine—do not over-mix!
- Fold the cranberries into the batter and pourinto the prepared loaf pan. Bake 65-75 minutes. If the bread begins to browntoo quickly, place a piece of aluminum foil over the top of the loaf pan. Thebread is done when an inserted toothpick comes out clean. Allow the bread tocool in the pan for 10 minutes before transferring to a wire cool rack.
- While the bread is baking or cooling, make theglaze by combining powdered sugar and orange juice to your preferred taste andtexture.
- Once the bread is cooled, drizzle over the glazeand enjoy!
