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This cranberry orange bread is a quick sweet orange bread full of fresh cranberries. The combination of orange and cranberry is perfect.
What is A Quick Bread?
Cranberry Orange Bread is a quick bread. It is a bread made without yeast that uses baking soda and baking powder as leavening agent. There is no yeast involved!
Quick breads also include things such as muffins, biscuits, scones, cornbread, and breads like banana bread and zucchini bread.
Ingredients Needed
- Orange Juice and Zest. Use fresh squeezed orange juice for best flavor.
- Cranberries. Fresh are best but you can substitute with frozen or dried cranberries if fresh are not available.
How to Make Cranberry Orange Bread
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
- Grease and flour a 9×5 inch loaf pan or 3 mini loaf pans
- Whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
- Stir in orange zest, cranberries, and pecans.
- Gently stir to incorporate ingredients.
- In a large bowl, cream together margarine, sugar, and egg until smooth.
- Pour in orange juice. Mix to combine.
- Add in flour mixture and stir until just moistened.
- Pour into prepared pan.
- Bake for 1 hour in the preheated oven, or until the cranberry orange bread springs back when lightly touched. A toothpick should come out clean. Let stand 10 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack to a cool before slicing.
Tips for Tender Quick Bread
- Don’t over mix. Stir just until ingredients are combined. Mix wet ingredients in one bowl and dry ingredients in another and then combine. Overmixing causes tough bread.
- Fresh ingredients. Be sure your baking soda and baking powder are fresh. If it is too old your bread won’t rise well.
- Don’t allow batter to sit in the pan for very long before putting it in the oven. The baking soda and powder begin working as soon as they are wet so if the batter sits too long it may not rise as well.
Yes, this recipe will make 3 mini loaves or one full size loaf. Bake for 45-50 minutes
After it has cooled completely you can wrap it airtight in plastic wrap and it will keep 3-5 days. Keep in the refrigerator to extend the shelf life.
This bread is a perfect make ahead and freeze treat. After it has cooled, wrap in plastic wrap and then in a layer of foil. It will keep in the freezer for up to six months. Allow it thaw in the refrigerator.
Use a serrated knife and cut using a sawing motion for the cleanest cut. Allow bread to cool before slicing for best results.
Other favorite quick breads include:
- Lemon Poppyseed Bread
- Lemon Bread
- Gluten Free Banana Bread
- Small Batch Banana Bread
- Pumpkin Bread
- Quick Cheese Bread
- Blueberry Zucchini Bread
- Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Bread
- Key Lime Bread
- Chocolate Chip Cinnamon Bread
For more cranberry recipes try these:
Orange Cranberry Bread Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon grated orange zest
- 1 1/2 cups fresh cranberries
- 1/2 cup pecans coarsely chopped
- 1/4 cup butter softened
- 1 cup white sugar
- 1 egg
- 3/4 cup orange juice fresh squeezed is best
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
- Grease and flour a 9×5 inch loaf pan. Whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Stir in orange zest, cranberries, and pecans. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, cream together butter, sugar, and egg until smooth.
- Stir in orange juice. Beat in flour mixture until just moistened.
- Pour into prepared pan.
- Bake for 1 hour in the preheated oven, or until the bread springs back when lightly touched. Let stand 10 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack to cool. Wrap in plastic when completely cool.For mini loaves, bake 45-50 minutes
Tips & Notes:
- Don’t over mix. Stir just until ingredients are combined. Mix wet ingredients in one bowl and dry ingredients in another and then mix just combine. Overmixing causes tough bread.
- Fresh ingredients. Be sure your baking soda and baking powder are fresh. If it is too old your bread won’t rise well.
- Don’t allow batter to sit in the pan for very long before putting it in the oven. The baking soda and powder begin working as soon as they are wet so if the batter sits too long it may not rise as well.
Nutrition Facts:
Milton Newcomb says
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Karina Harris says
Can you freeze it?
Leigh Anne Wilkes says
Yes, there are directions on how to do it in the post
Jackie says
How long did the mini loaves take and did they bake at the same temperature?
Thank you.
Leigh Anne Wilkes says
mini loaves will take about 22-24 minutes to bake, check five minutes before end of time.
Ellen says
Does it have to be margarine or can you use butter?
Leigh Anne says
No you can use butter
Leigh Anne says
You can use butter