Orange Cranberry Bread

Christmas is right around the corner and this Orange Cranberry bread is the perfect recipe for your holiday breakfast. Not only are the flavors festive, just look at that cranberry icing!

To be honest, I usually shy away from breads and stick to muffins instead if possible (things like banana or zucchini). I’m always so afraid of drying out the bread by cooking it too long that I end up with a middle that isn’t done all the way through. Not the case with this bread! It reminds me more of a pound cake consistency and the buttermilk helps keep everything moist. There is fresh orange juice and zest in the batter, so every bite is full of flavor.

I really liked how the original recipe calls to chop the cranberries. It is an extra step, and could easily be skipped, but cranberries can be tart and biting into a whole one may come as a surprise. The smaller pieces also mean more bites of cranberry spread throughout the loaf!

Speaking of cranberries, why do we only eat them at the holidays? I pretty much only make cranberry sauce to go with turkey but after eating this bread, I’m thinking I need to be eating it year round! I knew it was going to be tasty of course, but I didn’t think we would eat an entire loaf in 24 hours. And, umm…we did.

I also think this would be a super cute gift to friends or neighbors or even brought to a holiday party! It is sweet enough to be dessert but different than the millions of Christmas cookies, so I’m sure it would be appreciated.

Hope you are you enjoying the holiday season and slowing down to enjoy this time of year. Merry Christmas!

~Stephanie

Orange Cranberry Bread (recipe adapted from Two Peas and Their Pod)

For bread:

• 1 1/2 c  flour 
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1 c granulated sugar
• Zest of 1 orange
• 3/4 c buttermilk
• 1/2 c vegetable oil
• 2 eggs
• 1 tbsp orange juice
• 1/2 tsp vanilla
• 1 c fresh cranberries, chopped

For cranberry glaze:

• 1/4 c fresh cranberries
• 2 tbsp water
• 2 tbsp orange juice 
• 1 tsp orange zest
• 1 c powdered sugar

1. Preheat oven to 350. Line loaf pan with parchment paper and set aside.
2. In a small bowl, combine sugar and orange zest. Mix together with your fingers until combined and fragrant.
3. In separate mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, salt, and baking powder. Add sugar mixture and whisk all together.
4. In another bowl, combine the buttermilk, oil, eggs, orange juice, and vanilla.
5. Slowly add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients. Stir until combined. Gently stir in the cranberries. Pour batter into loaf pan and smooth evenly.
6. Bake for 65-70 minutes or until toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. If loaf starts browning too quickly, cover loosely with foil until finished.
7. Remove from oven and place on a cooling rack. After 15 minutes remove bread from pan using parchment paper and continue to let cool on wire rack.
8. While the bread is cooling, make the glaze. In a small saucepan add cranberries, orange juice, orange zest and water. Cook over medium heat until cranberries have broken down and a sauce is formed, about 15 minutes.
9. Carefully strain the liquid into a small bowl, discard of the cranberry remains. Add the powdered sugar to liquid and whisk until smooth icing forms. If icing is too thick, add a few drops of water at a time until desired consistency is reached.
10. Drizzle cranberry glaze over the loaf, slice and serve.