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Cranberry Orange Bread

Cranberry orange bread with bright orange zest and ruby cranberries, baked into a tender loaf with a crackling coarse-sugar top. This straightforward quick-bread method gives a tart-sweet slice with a golden, lightly crisp finish.
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Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour
Total Time 1 hour 15 minutes
Course: Breakfast
Cuisine: American
Calories: 250
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

Dry ingredients
  • 2 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1.5 tsp baking powder
  • 0.5 tsp baking soda
  • 0.5 tsp salt
  • 0.75 cup sugar
  • 2 tbsp orange zest
Wet ingredients
  • 0.5 cup orange juice
  • 0.5 cup buttermilk
  • 0.5 cup butter, melted
  • 1 egg
Cranberries and topping
  • 1.5 cup fresh cranberries Toss the cranberries in flour to keep them from sinking.
  • 2 tbsp coarse sugar

Equipment

  • 1 sheet pan
  • 1 sheet pan

Method
 

Preheat and prepare the pan
  1. Preheat the oven to 350°F and grease a 9x5-inch loaf pan, keeping the loaf from sticking for clean slices.
Mix dry ingredients
  1. Whisk the all-purpose flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, sugar, and orange zest until evenly combined and no streaks of zest remain.
Mix wet ingredients
  1. Whisk the orange juice, buttermilk, melted butter, and egg until smooth and glossy.
Combine and fold in cranberries
  1. Pour the wet mixture into the dry and combine until just mixed, then fold in the fresh cranberries to distribute them without overworking the batter.
Bake
  1. Top the batter with coarse sugar and bake for 60 minutes at 350°F, until the loaf is golden and a toothpick comes out mostly clean.

Notes

Pro tip: toss the cranberries in flour before folding to help them stay suspended instead of sinking. Store the loaf wrapped at room temperature up to 2 days or refrigerated up to 5 days. Freeze slices in an airtight bag for up to 2 months; thaw overnight in the fridge. Dietary swap: substitute an equal amount of plain yogurt for buttermilk for a similar tang.