This Cranberry Walnut Bread has a sweet orange glaze and uses fresh cranberries for the perfect blend of sweet and tangy. Topped with a buttery streusel and made in one bowl for easy prep, this cranberry bread is the perfect holiday treat.
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This easy bread recipe draws a crowd every time it's made because it's so tasty. The tartness of the cranberries is balanced out with the sweetness of the glaze, and it's wrapped in a refreshing citrus flavor. Plus, it's a recipe that can be repurposed into muffins as well.
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If you love cranberries, try my White Chocolate Cranberry Bars, Whole Berry Cranberry Sauce, or Apple Cranberry Tart. For more cozy quick breads, you might also enjoy my Chocolate Chip Banana Bread or Cinnamon Swirl Banana Bread.
Ingredients
Ingredient Notes:
Walnuts - The walnuts are optional so they are not included in the above picture.
Cranberries - I use fresh cranberries for this recipe. They hold up better and add more tang to the bread.
See the recipe card for quantities.
Substitutions and Variations For Cranberry Orange Bread With Glaze
One of the great things about cranberry orange bread is that it's an easy one to switch up when you want to try something different.
- Muffins - you can make the loaf into glazed mini muffins for bite-sized treats or 12 large ones. If you don't want to serve them as dessert, just make cranberry muffins and leave off the glaze and streusel.
- Mini loaves - you could also make this cranberry orange bread into mini loaves using a mini loaf pan as well. Know that cooking times will be slightly different.
- Citrus switch - cranberry lemon bread is just as delicious if you enjoy a tart, uplifting flavor. Switch it up even more and make it lemon blueberry!
How To Make This Recipe for Cranberry Walnut Bread: Step-By-Step
You'll be making this cranberry bread in three separate parts and assembling it. Know that the bread itself can be made ahead of time to save some effort in the kitchen!
Step 1: Make the Streusel:
Whisk together the flour, sugar, and cinnamon together in a medium bowl.
Cut in the cold butter with a pastry cutter, your hands, or two forks until the mixture is pea-sized.
Place the bowl into the refrigerator.
Step 2: Make the Sweet Bread:
In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda and salt. Set the flour mixture aside.
In a separate bowl, whisk the eggs, sugar, and brown sugar together.
Add the buttermilk, oil, vanilla, and orange zest to the wet ingredients and stir well before pouring all of it into the dry ingredients.
Step 3: Combine but don't overmix the batter and then fold in the cranberries (and nuts if using).
Pour the cranberry bread batter into a prepared 9x5 loaf pan. Top it with the streusel pressing the streusel down into the top of the bread gently so that the topping sticks.
Bake for 45-60 minutes until a toothpick placed in the center of the loaf comes out clean and it is golden brown.
Let it cool on a wire rack.
Step 4: Make the Glaze:
In a small bowl, whisk together the orange juice and powdered sugar until thick.
Drizzle the glaze over the cooled bread and serve.
Hint: Light or dark brown sugar will work in the bread so use what you have on hand.
Expert Tips For a Moist Cranberry Orange Bread
Halfway through baking the cranberry orange bread, cover it loosely with foil. This will ensure that the top browns evenly without burning.
Do a toothpick test at 45 minutes of baking. Oven times vary and you don't want to overcook your bread. If the toothpick comes out clean, it's done. My cranberry loaf normally takes one hour.
You can use melted coconut oil in place of avocado oil but know that it may alter the texture slightly once it cools.
If you love the look of cranberries dispersed throughout the bread evenly, toss the cranberries in a hint of flour before adding them to the batter. This ensures that they don't sink once you pour it into the loaf pan.
Depending on how thick you like your glaze, add more or less orange juice.
Other delicious quick breads to enjoy are Banana And Pumpkin Muffins or Gluten-Free Pumpkin Muffins!
Frequently Asked Questions
Fresh or frozen cranberries will work to make cranberry bread. If using frozen ones, make sure you don't thaw them first though or they will bleed into the bread.
Though you can use dried cranberries in the cranberry orange bread, it will alter the flavor. Dried cranberries aren't as tart so the bread will be sweeter. Likewise, you won't have as much of a pop of color as you would with whole cranberries.
Eggs To Pair With This Quick Bread
Your family will love waking up on Christmas morning and eating this loaf of cranberry orange bread for brunch! The perfect balance of tart cranberries and sweet oranges, this moist cranberry bread is perfect this time of year!
Let me know your thoughts on this Cranberry Walnut Bread by leaving a star rating below or by sharing it on Facebook, Instagram, Flipboard, or Pinterest!
Thank you!
Gwen
Cranberry Walnut Bread With An Orange Glaze
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Equipment
- 1 Loaf Pan
Ingredients
Streusel Topping
- ¼ c all purpose flour
- 2 tbsps sugar
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 3 tbsps unsalted butter cubed and kept cold
Bread Batter
- 2 c all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 large egg room temperature
- ½ c light brown sugar
- ½ c sugar
- 1 c buttermilk room temperature
- ⅓ c vegetable oil or melted coconut oil
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 tsps orange zest
- 1 c cranberries fresh or frozen (do not thaw)
- ½ c walnuts chopped (optional)
Glaze
- 1 c powdered sugar
- 1-2 tbsps orange juice
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350℉.
- Spray a 9x5 inch loaf pan with nonstick spray.
Streusel
- Make the streusel first.
- Whisk the flour, sugar, and cinnamon together in a medium bowl.
- Cut the cold butter into the flour mixture with either a pastry cutter, two forks, or your hands. The mixture should resemble pea-sized crumbs.
- Place the streusel into the refrigerator to keep it cold until ready to use.
Batter
- Whisk the flour, baking soda, and salt together in a large bowl. Set aside.
- In another medium-sized bowl, whisk the egg, brown sugar, and sugar together until combined.
- Whisk in the buttermilk, oil, vanilla and orange zest.
- Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients. Whisk to combine. Avoid over-mixing.
- Fold in the cranberries and the nuts, if using.
- Pour into the prepared loaf pan.
- Top evenly with the streusel, pressing down gently so it sticks.
- Bake the bread for 45 minutes to an hour. If a toothpick poked into the center of the bread comes out clean, the bread is done. To avoid an overdone streusel topping, place a loosely fitted piece of aluminum foil over the top during the last half of the baking, this is optional depending on your oven.
- Cool completely in the pan set on a wire rack.
Glaze
- In a small bowl, whisk the powdered sugar and 1 tablespoon of the orange juice to form a glaze. Use more juice if the glaze is too thick.
- Drizzle over the cooled bread.
- Slice and serve. Cover and store leftover bread at room temperature for one day or in the refrigerator for up to a week.
Anonymous says
Delicious for Thanksgiving!