Description
Cranberry orange bread delivers a delightful harmony of tart and sweet, dancing across your palate with festive Mediterranean zest. Delicate crumbs studded with ruby-red berries promise a memorable slice that you’ll savor with pure morning pleasure.
Ingredients
Scale
Main ingredients:
- 1.5 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 cup plain whole milk yogurt
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1.5 cups fresh or frozen cranberries
- 3 large eggs
- 0.5 cup vegetable oil
Leavening and seasoning:
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 0.5 teaspoon kosher salt
- 2 teaspoons grated orange zest
- 0.5 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Additional ingredients:
- 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour (for coating cranberries)
Instructions
- Prepare a 9×5-inch loaf pan by greasing and dusting with flour, ensuring even coverage and removing excess powder.
- Sift flour, baking powder, and salt together in a medium mixing bowl to eliminate potential lumps and create a uniform dry mixture.
- Whisk yogurt, sugar, eggs, orange zest, vanilla extract, and vegetable oil in a larger bowl until the ingredients form a smooth, well-integrated liquid base.
- Gently fold the dry ingredients into the wet mixture, stirring minimally to maintain a light, airy texture and prevent overmixing.
- Lightly coat fresh cranberries with a thin layer of flour, which helps prevent them from sinking during baking and ensures even distribution throughout the bread.
- Transfer the batter into the prepared loaf pan, spreading it evenly and smoothing the surface with a spatula.
- Slide the pan into a preheated 350°F (175°C) oven and bake for 50-55 minutes, checking doneness by inserting a toothpick that should emerge with a few moist crumbs.
- Let the bread rest in the pan for 10 minutes, then carefully transfer to a wire rack for complete cooling.
- Create an orange syrup by heating orange juice and sugar in a small saucepan until the sugar dissolves, then simmer for an additional 3 minutes.
- While the loaf remains warm, puncture the surface with a toothpick and generously brush the orange syrup, allowing it to penetrate the bread’s interior.
- Craft a smooth glaze by whisking confectioner’s sugar with fresh orange juice, adjusting the consistency to achieve a pourable texture.
- Once the bread has cooled completely, elegantly drizzle the orange glaze over the surface, allowing it to cascade down the sides and set naturally.
Notes
- Prevent cranberries from sinking by coating them lightly in flour before folding into the batter, ensuring an even distribution throughout the bread.
- Use fresh cranberries for the best flavor and texture, but frozen cranberries work well if thawed and patted dry to remove excess moisture.
- For a gluten-free version, substitute all-purpose flour with a cup-for-cup gluten-free flour blend and add 1/2 teaspoon of xanthan gum for better structure.
- Create variations by swapping cranberries with other fruits like blueberries or chopped nuts, adding a personal twist to the classic recipe.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 1 hour 8 minutes
- Category: Breakfast, Snacks, Desserts
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 12
- Calories: 200
- Sugar: 15 g
- Sodium: 150 mg
- Fat: 7 g
- Saturated Fat: 1 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 5 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 30 g
- Fiber: 1 g
- Protein: 4 g
- Cholesterol: 40 mg