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+ servings

Orange Bread with Orange Glaze

Prep15 minutes
Cook50 minutes
Cool1 hour
Total2 hours 5 minutes
Serves8 servings
Tender, buttery cranberry bread filled with tart, juicy cranberries and topped with a bright orange glaze. It stays moist for days and tastes even better the next morning.

Equipment

  • Large Mixing Bowl
  • Medium mixing bowl
  • Whisk
  • Electric Hand Mixer or Stand Mixer
  • Measuring cups and spoons
  • Citrus Zester or Microplane
  • 8.5 x 4.5-Inch Loaf Pan
  • Wire Cooling Rack

Ingredients  

For the Cranberry Orange Bread

  • 1 1/2 c. All-Purpose Flour — plus 1/2 tbsp. for coating cranberries
  • 1 tsp. Baking Powder
  • 1/4 tsp. Salt
  • 1/4 tsp. Ground Cinnamon
  • 1/2 c. Unsalted Butter — softened to room temperature
  • 1/2 c. Granulated Sugar
  • 1/4 c. Light Brown Sugar — packed
  • Zest of 1 Large Orange — divided, reserve 1 tsp. for glaze
  • 2 Large Eggs — room temperature
  • 1/3 c. Sour Cream — room temperature
  • 2 tbsp. Fresh Orange Juice
  • 1/2 tsp. Pure Vanilla Extract
  • 1 1/2 c. Fresh Cranberries — rinsed and patted dry half coarsely chopped, half left whole

For the Orange Glaze

  • 1 c. Powdered Sugar
  • 1 1/2 tbsp. Fresh Orange Juice — or more to reach desired consistency
  • 1 tsp. Orange Zest — reserved from above

Optional

  • Top with Streusel Instead of the glaze

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Instructions 

For the Cranberry Orange Bread

  • Preheat your oven to 350°F. Butter an 8.5 x 4.5-inch loaf pan and dust with flour, tapping out any excess.
  • In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon. Set aside.
  • In a large mixing bowl, combine the granulated sugar, brown sugar, and orange zest (reserving 1 tsp. for the glaze). Using your fingers, rub the zest into the sugars for about 1 minute until fragrant and the sugar looks slightly damp — this releases the orange oils for more intense flavor.
  • Add the softened butter to the sugar mixture and beat on medium-high speed for 2-3 minutes until light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs one at a time, followed by the sour cream, orange juice, and vanilla extract, mixing until smooth.
  • Add the flour mixture to the wet ingredients and mix on low speed just until incorporated. Be careful not to overmix.
  • Coarsely chop half of the cranberries, leaving the other half whole. In a small bowl, toss all the cranberries with 1/2 tbsp. flour to coat. Gently fold the coated cranberries into the batter until evenly distributed.
  • Pour the batter into the prepared pan and spread evenly. Bake for 45-55 minutes, until golden on top and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. If the top is browning too quickly, tent loosely with foil around the 30-minute mark.
  • Let the bread cool in the pan for 10-15 minutes, then run a knife around the edges and transfer to a wire rack to cool completely before glazing.

For the Orange Glaze

  • In a small bowl, whisk together the powdered sugar, orange juice, and reserved orange zest until smooth. The glaze should be thick but pourable — add more orange juice a little at a time if needed.
  • Drizzle the glaze over the completely cooled bread. Let set for 10-15 minutes before slicing.

Notes

Storage
Wrap loosely in plastic wrap or store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days. Refrigerate for up to 1 week.
Freezing
Freeze the unglazed loaf wrapped tightly in plastic wrap, then aluminum foil, for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator and glaze before serving.
Frozen Cranberries
Use frozen cranberries straight from the freezer — no need to thaw. You may need to add 2-3 extra minutes of baking time.
Dried Cranberries
This is not ideal! But, if you must, substitute 2/3 c. dried cranberries and reduce sugar to 2/3 c. For juicier results, soak dried cranberries in warm water for 10 minutes, then drain and pat dry before using.
Add Nuts
Fold in 1/2 c. coarsely chopped walnuts or pecans with the cranberries for a cranberry nut bread variation.
Don't Skip the Flour Coating
Tossing cranberries in flour keeps them from sinking to the bottom of the loaf.
Replace Glaze with Streusel
Skip the glaze and add a buttery crumb topping instead. Mix 1/4 c. all-purpose flour, 3 tbsp. brown sugar, 1/2 tsp. cinnamon, and 3 tbsp. cold butter (cubed) — use your fingers to work it together until crumbly. Sprinkle over the batter before baking. Add 1/4 c. chopped pecans or sliced almonds to the streusel for extra crunch.

Nutrition

Serving: 1serving, Calories: 528kcal, Carbohydrates: 92g, Protein: 7g, Fat: 16g, Saturated Fat: 9g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g, Monounsaturated Fat: 4g, Trans Fat: 0.5g, Cholesterol: 79mg, Sodium: 150mg, Potassium: 140mg, Fiber: 3g, Sugar: 54g, Vitamin A: 533IU, Vitamin C: 10mg, Calcium: 76mg, Iron: 3mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

Additional Info

Author: Jamie Sandstedt
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 50 minutes
Cool: 1 hour
Total Time: 2 hours 5 minutes
Course: bread
Servings: 8 servings
Calories: 528
Keyword: cranberry, orange

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