Description
This tender, moist cranberry orange bread features a jammy swirl of crushed cranberries and a sweet vanilla glaze. It’s a quick, budget-friendly treat that pleases kids and adults alike, perfect for breakfast, brunch, or snacking.
Ingredients
- 2 cups all-purpose flour (spooned and leveled)
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 large egg, room temperature
- ¾ cup buttermilk (or ¾ cup milk + 1 tablespoon lemon juice)
- ⅓ cup vegetable oil
- ¼ cup freshly squeezed orange juice (about 1 large orange)
- 1 tablespoon orange zest
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 ½ cups fresh or frozen cranberries (if frozen, do not thaw)
- 1 cup powdered sugar, sifted
- 2 tablespoons milk (whole milk preferred)
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C). Line a 9×5-inch loaf pan with parchment paper, leaving overhang on the long sides.
- Crush cranberries in a medium bowl using a potato masher or fork until chunky (not pureed). Set aside.
- In a large bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together egg, buttermilk, oil, orange juice, orange zest, and vanilla extract until smooth.
- Pour wet ingredients into dry ingredients. Stir gently with a rubber spatula until just combined (a few streaks of flour are okay; do not overmix).
- Fold in crushed cranberries gently until evenly distributed.
- Pour batter into prepared pan and spread evenly. Tap pan gently on counter to release air bubbles.
- Bake for 50-60 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs. If top browns too quickly after 40 minutes, tent loosely with foil.
- Cool in pan for 10 minutes, then lift bread out using parchment handles and transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
- While bread cools, whisk together powdered sugar, milk, and vanilla extract in a small bowl until thick but pourable. Adjust consistency with more milk or sugar if needed.
- Once bread is completely cool, drizzle glaze over top. Let set for about 10 minutes before slicing.
Notes
Don’t overmix the batter—mix until flour disappears to avoid tough bread. Room temperature ingredients help create a smooth batter. Check baking powder freshness by testing in hot water. Let bread cool completely before glazing to prevent glaze from melting. Bread tastes even better on day two. For freezing, wrap unglazed loaf tightly in plastic wrap and foil; freeze up to 3 months. Thaw at room temperature and glaze fresh.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 55 minutes
- Category: Breakfast, Brunch, Dessert
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 slice
- Calories: 285
- Sugar: 30
- Sodium: 210
- Fat: 9
- Saturated Fat: 2
- Carbohydrates: 48
- Fiber: 2
- Protein: 4
Keywords: cranberry orange bread, cranberry bread, orange bread, vanilla glaze, quick bread, kid-friendly, easy bread recipe, holiday bread, breakfast bread