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Cranberry Bread

Cranberry bread is a classic type of sweet quick bread made with cranberries. The tart fruit was a staple food for Native Americans, who may have made the first version of cranberry bread in the New World. Their technique likely added cranberries to cornmeal batter before cooking it over an open fire. The modern recipe would not have appeared until after leavening agents were invented in the mid-1800s.

Recipe Servings: 10

Prep Time
10 minutes
+ 40 minutes resting
Cook Time
1 hour 5 minutes
Total Time
1 hour 55 minutes
Vegetarian
Vegan
Gluten Free
Dairy Free
Kosher
Halal

Ingredients

  • Nonstick cooking spray, as needed to grease pan
  • ⅔ cup buttermilk
  • 2 tsp orange zest, grated
  • ⅓ cup fresh orange juice
  • 6 Tbsp unsalted butter, melted
  • 1 large egg
  • 2 cups all-purpose flour, spooned into measuring cup and leveled off
  • 1 cup and 2 Tbsp sugar, divided
  • ¾ tsp salt
  • 1 tsp ground cinnamon
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • ¼ tsp baking soda
  • 1 cup fresh or frozen cranberries, halved
  • ½ cup walnuts or pecans, coarsely chopped (optional)

Directions

  1. Set oven rack in the middle position and preheat oven to 375°F. Grease a 9-inch loaf pan using nonstick cooking spray.
  2. Stir together buttermilk, orange zest, orange juice, melted butter, and egg in a small bowl.
  3. Whisk together the flour, sugar, salt, cinnamon, baking powder, and baking soda in a large bowl.
  4. Add buttermilk mixture to dry ingredients, stirring until just moistened.
  5. Stir in cranberries and nuts, if using. Do not overmix.
  6. Scrape the batter into the prepared loaf pan and spread it evenly.
  7. Bake for 20 minutes then reduce heat to 350°F.
  8. Bake an additional 45 minutes or until golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
  9. Remove the loaf from oven and let cool in pan about 10 minutes before turning it out onto a wire rack to cool for at least 30 minutes before serving.

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