Description
This Best Orange Cranberry Bread is a moist, flavorful quick bread that combines fresh cranberries and zesty orange for a perfect balance of tart and sweet. Topped with a smooth orange glaze, it makes a delightful breakfast treat or snack.
Ingredients
Scale
For the Bread
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon orange zest
- ½ cup buttermilk
- ½ cup canola oil
- ½ cup orange juice
- 2 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 ½ cups fresh cranberries
For the Glaze
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 3 tablespoons orange juice
Instructions
- Preheat and Prepare Pan: Preheat your oven to 350°F and grease a 9 x 5-inch loaf pan to prevent sticking.
- Mix Dry Ingredients: In a medium bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, baking powder, and salt until well combined. Set aside.
- Combine Sugar and Orange Zest: In a small bowl, mix granulated sugar and orange zest using a spoon until the sugar lightens in color and is fragrant. Set aside.
- Mix Wet Ingredients: In a large bowl, whisk together buttermilk, canola oil, orange juice, eggs, and vanilla extract until smooth.
- Incorporate Dry and Zest Mixtures: Add the flour mixture and the orange zest sugar mixture to the wet ingredients, whisking gently until just combined to avoid overmixing.
- Add Cranberries: Fold in the fresh cranberries with a wooden spoon or spatula until evenly distributed throughout the batter.
- Bake the Bread: Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan. Bake in the preheated oven for 75 minutes. If the top browns too quickly, cover loosely with aluminum foil to prevent burning. The bread is ready when a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with a very light crumb.
- Cool the Bread: Remove the bread from the oven and let it cool in the pan for 15 minutes, then transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely.
- Prepare the Glaze: While the bread cools, whisk powdered sugar and orange juice together in a medium bowl until smooth and creamy. Adjust orange juice as needed for desired consistency.
- Glaze and Serve: Once the bread is completely cool, drizzle the orange glaze over the top. Slice and serve to enjoy.
Notes
- The calorie count is an approximation based on one slice being one-tenth of the loaf; actual values may vary depending on ingredient brands and measurements.
- If fresh cranberries are unavailable, frozen cranberries can be used but do not thaw before adding to the batter to prevent color bleeding.
- For a dairy-free version, substitute buttermilk with almond milk plus 1 tablespoon vinegar as a buttermilk alternative.
- The glaze consistency can be adjusted by adding more or less orange juice to suit your preference.
- Store leftover bread covered at room temperature for up to 3 days or refrigerate for up to a week.
- This bread freezes well; wrap tightly and freeze up to 2 months.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 slice
- Calories: 280 kcal
- Sugar: 18 g
- Sodium: 220 mg
- Fat: 12 g
- Saturated Fat: 1.5 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 10 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 38 g
- Fiber: 2 g
- Protein: 3 g
- Cholesterol: 40 mg
