Moist Cranberry Orange Bread

This moist cranberry orange bread is bursting with orange flavor and juicy cranberries. Since it uses baking soda & baking powder, this recipe creates a soft & moist “quick bread” similar to banana bread and pumpkin bread. It is perfect for breakfast or any time you want a delicious snack.

Recipe Sections

1. Ingredients
2. Instructions
3. Helpful Tips

My moist cranberry orange bread recipe is NOT for a sandwich bread. Rather, it is a sweet “quick bread” recipe that uses baking soda/powder to rise (and does not use yeast).

Key Ingredients

Ingredients

• 3/4 Cup – Orange Juice – 177 milliliters
• 1/2 Cup – Vegetable Oil – 118 milliliters – Use a neutral tasting vegetable oil such as corn or mild/light olive oil. For more info, see the tips section below.
• 2 Large Eggs – 114 grams
• 1 Teaspoon – Vanilla Extract – 5 milliliters
• 2 Tablespoons – Orange Zest – 10 grams – To make the zest, you will need 2 medium/large oranges. Use 1 tablespoon of zest if you prefer a milder orange flavor. See the instructions below on how to make orange zest.
• 1 Cup – White Granulated Sugar – 200 grams – Use 3/4 cup of sugar (150 grams) if you want less sweet orange bread.
• 2 Cups – All Purpose Flour – 240 grams – Not bread flour.
• 1 Teaspoon – Baking Soda – 5 grams
• 1 Teaspoon – Baking Powder – 4 grams
• 1/2 Teaspoon – Salt – 3 grams
• 1 Cup – Fresh or Frozen Cranberries – 100 grams – Or you can use 3/4 cup of dried cranberries. See tips section below for more information.

Servings – Roughly 12 slices

Equipment Needed – Measuring cup & spoons, mixing bowl, zester, long wooden spoon, 9 by 5 inch metal bread pan, oven mitts, silicon spatula, cooling rack and an oven.

Need any of these tools? Check out my banana bread & quick bread equipment page.

Oranges with Zesting Tool

Instructions – How To Make Orange Zest

• Wash and dry 2 medium/large oranges. FYI – Keep the oranges whole because it makes them easier to zest. For example, do not cut the oranges in half before zesting.
• Use a zester (a fine grating tool) to gently shave off the thin orange outer peel of the orange. FYI – Do not grate off any of the white layer (the pith) below the orange peel. It is bitter.
• Rotate the orange slowly as you grate in order to remove the peel evenly.
• Repeat with second orange.
• This should create roughly 2 to 3 tablespoons of orange zest (depending on the size of the oranges!!).

Instructions – How to Make A Moist Cranberry Orange Bread

• Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (163 degrees C).
• Prepare the orange zest (see instructions above).
• Lightly beat eggs.
• Stir orange juice, vegetable oil, eggs, vanilla extract, orange zest and sugar together in a large mixing bowl.
• Mix in the remaining ingredients (except the cranberries). Stir until batter is completely mixed. FYI – Don’t overmix the batter or the cranberry orange bread can come out gummy.
• Add the cranberries to the batter. Gently stir in the cranberries until they are fully mixed into batter.
• Pour the finished batter into a nonstick or greased metal bread pan. Smooth out the top of the batter within the bread pan. FYI – I also like to use baking parchment paper to line my pan because cranberries often stick to the bottom of the pan after baking. See tips section below for more information.
• Bake in the oven for 65 to 70 minutes at 325 F (163 C).
• Take out of oven and let the cranberry orange bread cool down in the bread pan for 15 minutes. Use oven mitts.
• After 15 minutes, remove the cranberry orange bread from the bread pan. Place the bread on a cooling rack in order to completely cool. This cool down may take 1 to 2 hours.
• Please read the tips section below for extra information on how to make this recipe successfully & to avoid common quick bread problems.

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Cranberries Being Added To The Batter

Helpful Tips

• The tips below are designed to help quick bread “novices” and those without a lot of baking experience.
• Click on this “print recipe” link if you want to print out this recipe. It includes all of the recipe’s ingredients and instructions. However, the recipe print function does not include my tips section. Please read the tips section in order to avoid common recipe problems.
• This recipe is part of Bread Dad’s series on easy Quick Bread Recipes such as pumpkin bread and sweet potato bread.

• Zest is key to great cranberry orange bread! Orange zest provides a lot of the flavor and aroma.
• If you use only orange juice (and no zest), this easy cranberry orange bread will have only a VERY mild orange taste.
• What is orange zest? Orange zest is the thin orange outer layer of the orange peel. You only want to use this layer when making orange zest. You do NOT want to use any of the white layer (the pith) under the orange part of the peel. The white part is more bitter & has very little orange flavor. To learn more about the “science” of zesting, you should read the Wikipedia article on Zest (Ingredient).
• Always wash & dry the oranges before zesting. You want to wash off any dirt, chemicals, etc.
• Try to use organic or unwaxed oranges when making the zest. Some supermarket oranges are coated with wax to extend their shelf life, make them look shinier, etc. However, this wax can trap dirt & pesticides on the fruit. Therefore, it is better to use unwaxed or organic oranges in order to reduce this potential problem.
• In order to zest the oranges, you need to use a zesting tool (see picture above with the 2 oranges) or very fine grater.

• I like to use 2 tablespoons of orange zest to make this moist cranberry orange bread because it adds a stronger orange flavor & aroma. FYI – To make 2 tablespoons of orange zest, you will need roughly 1 1/2 to 2 large oranges (or 2 to 3 medium-sized oranges).
• For a milder orange flavor, you should use 1 tablespoon of zest. However, if you use only 1 tablespoon, the tartness of the cranberries will stand out more. FYI – To make 1 tablespoon of orange zest, you will need roughly one large orange.
• I am using 5 grams as the weight of 1 tablespoon of orange zest. However, this weight can vary based on how packed the zest is in the spoon (compressed versus fluffed), the size of the zest “flakes”, the type of orange used, etc.
• If you don’t have any oranges to zest, you can skip this ingredient. However, without the zest, this moist cranberry orange bread will have only a VERY mild orange flavor. The 3/4 cup of orange juice alone isn’t enough to provide a strong orange taste or aroma.
• Do not sprinkle orange zest on top of the batter in the bread pan. It will dry out, burn and/or turn bitter in the oven. The orange zest to needs to be thoroughly mixed into the moist batter.
• Visitors – Do you like to add orange zest to your cranberry orange bread? Or do you skip this ingredient? Please leave your orange zest tips & thoughts in the comment section below.

• Optional – After zesting the 2 large oranges, you can use these “leftover” peeled oranges to make fresh squeezed orange juice for this quick bread recipe. However, depending on the size of the oranges, you might need a little extra orange juice (e.g. from store bought juice) in order to reach the full 3/4 cup of juice needed for this recipe.
• If you would rather use a ready-made commercial product (instead of grating some oranges), you should look for dried orange zest and NOT dried orange peel. Dried orange peel often is more bitter than dried orange zest because it often includes some of the bitter white layer (the pith) under the thin orange outer layer of the orange. You can find this product online or in the spice section of major supermarkets (but not all supermarkets carry it).
• If you use dried orange zest, you should only use 50% of the fresh orange zest listed in my recipe. Therefore, instead of 2 tablespoons of fresh orange zest, you would use only 1 tablespoon of dried orange zest. Dried zest has had the water removed and this concentrates the orange flavor.
• However, fresh orange zest usually has a better flavor and aroma than packaged dried orange zest.
• If you do not have any orange zest (fresh or dried), you can replace the 2 tablespoons of fresh orange zest in the recipe with 1 teaspoon of orange extract. FYI – Do not remove the vanilla extract from the recipe. The orange extract is just replacing the orange zest.
• In my opinion, orange extract is not as good as fresh orange zest in baked goods because fresh orange zest has a more natural aroma and flavor. However, orange extract is a good emergency substitute if you do not have any orange zest.
• Visitors – Do you prefer to use fresh orange zest, dried orange zest or orange extract to make this moist cranberry orange bread? Please leave your orange “flavoring” ideas in the comment section below.

• You can use fresh or frozen cranberries to make this cranberry orange bread recipe.
• Fresh cranberries have the advantage of no attached ice crystals (which can add unplanned for moisture to the batter). Moreover, they tend to be firmer than frozen cranberries (which can sometimes turn mushy or burst during the freezing process). This why many people prefer to make cranberry orange loaf with fresh cranberries.
• However, fresh cranberries can be harder to find in the supermarket (versus frozen cranberries). Fresh cranberries are more seasonal versus frozen cranberries tend to be found year round. Moreover, fresh cranberries are often more expensive than frozen cranberries.
• If you use frozen cranberries, they do not have to be thawed. They can be added directly to the batter of the cranberry orange bread and they will thaw during the baking process.
• However, you need to make sure that you remove any ice attached to the frozen cranberries (or you will be adding too much liquid to the recipe and the cranberry orange bread could come out underbaked). I like to wash off the ice off of the frozen cranberries & then dry the frozen cranberries (in order to make sure there is no extra moisture).
• Some bakers like to use halved cranberries when making cranberry orange bread. They think that the halved cranberries “float” better in the batter. However, I don’t use halved cranberries in this recipe because that is too much work for me (cutting each cranberry in half). The halved berries also add extra moisture to the batter. Too much moisture variation throws off recipes and can lead to an under baked cranberry orange bread.
• You can also use dried cranberries to make this moist cranberry orange bread (if you don’t have fresh or frozen cranberries). However, since most dried cranberries have extra added sugar, I would only use 3/4 cup of granulated white sugar in order to make the cranberry orange bread (instead of the 1 cup of sugar called for in the recipe).
• Visitors – Do you prefer to use fresh cranberries, frozen cranberries or dried cranberries to make your cranberry orange bread? Please leave your cranberry tips in the comment section below.

• Optional – You can turn these into cranberry walnut orange bread by replacing 1/2 of the fresh cranberries with chopped walnuts.
• Optional – Don’t have cranberries or the kids don’t like the tart taste of cranberries? You can use blueberries instead of cranberries. Blueberries allow to create some delicious blueberry orange bread!
• Optional – Another fun variation is to turn this bread into chocolate chip cranberry orange bread. Replace 1/2 of the fresh cranberries (or all of the cranberries) with mini chocolate chips. Mini chocolate chips “float” better in the batter than heavier large sized chocolate chips. This means that the mini chips spread out better in the batter (versus sinking to the bottom).
• Optional – Want a fun & super easy topping for this moist cranberry orange bread? Sprinkle some powdered sugar on top of the bread after it has been baked & has completely cooled down.
• Visitors – How do you like to make your cranberry orange bread even better or more special? Do you add chocolate chips? Blueberries? Chopped walnuts? More zest? A special topping? Other? Please post your cranberry orange loaf variations in the comment section below.

• I like to use vegetable oil (instead of butter) to create this moist cranberry orange bread.
• Cranberry orange bread made with oil tend to taste MOISTER than cranberry orange bread made with butter. The main reason is because vegetable oil remains liquid at room temperature whereas butter turns back to a solid at normal room temperatures. Therefore, the use of vegetable oil helps to create a moister tasting cranberry orange loaf.
• You should use a neutral flavored vegetable oil (e.g. corn) in order to make this easy cranberry orange bread. A strong flavored oil (e.g. peanut oil or extra virgin olive oil) may negatively impact the cranberry orange taste.
• If you want to use olive oil, I would recommend using “light”, “extra light” or “mild” olive oil as they would have the least impact on this easy quick bread recipe. Unfortunately, extra virgin and virgin olive oil have stronger flavors and are more likely to negatively impact the taste of this easy cranberry orange bread.
• Some of my visitors like to use avocado oil when making quick bread recipes. Avocado oil has a neutral flavor and is high in monounsaturated fats. However, as you are probably aware, avocado oil is usually significantly more expensive than corn oil.
• Visitors – Do you prefer to use oil or butter when making a cranberry orange bread? Please leave your oil versus butter thoughts in the comment section below.

• Store your ingredients (e.g. flour & sugar) in airtight containers to avoid “funky” flavors & smells being added to your baked goods. Airtight containers also prevent contamination by dust, pests, etc.
• Flour absorbs moisture from the air (if it is kept in an open bag and not an airtight container). This extra moisture can throw off recipes and leads to overly wet batter and/or underbaked quick breads.
• This quick bread recipe uses all purpose flour. Do not use bread flour to make cranberry orange bread or it is more likely to turn out dense and/or gummy.

• Do NOT use an electric mixer to mix your ingredients (when combining the wet and dry ingredients). Stick to an old fashioned wooden spoon. An electric mixer can overmix the ingredients and the cranberry orange loaf will turn out rubbery & gummy.
• Make sure to use level teaspoons & tablespoons when measuring ingredients (such as flour and baking soda). You can level off the ingredients in a measuring spoon or cup with the flat back of a butter knife or similar utensil. No “mountains” of ingredients in your measuring spoons & cups!! Adding too much of an ingredient can lead to recipe problems (such as too much flour can result in overly dry baked goods).
• Many of my international visitors like to use a kitchen scale in order to more accurate measure their ingredients.

• To prevent your cranberry orange loaf from sticking to the bottom of the bread pan, you should consider either “greasing” the bottom of the pan with butter or vegetable oil, using a cooking spray, using a nonstick pan or lining the interior of the bread pan with baking parchment paper.
• Some ingredients (such as cranberries & chocolate chips) are very sticky after the baking process. These ingredients often make the bottom of a cranberry orange bread hard to get out of the pan (without damaging the bread). Baking parchment paper is probably the best method for avoiding the problem of a potentially sticky “bottom”.
• FYI – Baking parchment paper is NOT regular paper. It is a specialty paper designed for use with baking.

• This doesn’t happen often but if the top of the cranberry orange bread looks too moist or undercooked, you should try the “toothpick test”. Gently push a long wooden skewer into the top of the bread and see if any batter sticks to the wooden skewer. If batter is sticking to the skewer then it hasn’t completely cooked. Place the bread pan back into the still hot oven for another 2 or 3 minutes. Make sure to wear oven gloves because the bread pan will be very hot. After the 2 or 3 minutes, remove the bread pan and test the bread again with the wooden skewer.
• Instead of the “toothpick test”, some people (including me!) like to use a digital bread thermometer to test if the cranberry orange loaf is done. Generally, a “quick bread” (e.g. banana bread or cranberry orange bread) is done when the internal temperature reaches 200 to 205 degrees F. Just make sure to measure the temperature in the center of the loaf for the most accurate reading.
• Make sure that your oven has been completely preheated. If the oven has not been properly preheated, this quick bread could come out undercooked. I like to use a hanging oven thermometer to check my oven temperature and ensure the oven has been properly preheated.
• It takes roughly 10-20 minutes to preheat most ovens with some variability due to the size of the oven, planned baking temperature (hotter takes longer), etc.

• Do not open your oven during the baking process in order to “check” on the bread. This will allow the hot air to escape & cold air to rush in and this can cause your cranberry orange bread to collapse.
• If you want to try some similar cranberry orange recipes, you might like Bread Dad’s recipes for Cranberry Orange Muffins (oven-baked) and Bread Machine Cranberry Orange Bread.
• If you like baked goods with fresh/frozen cranberries, you should take a look at my oven-baked recipes for Cranberry Banana Bread, Cranberry Banana Nut Bread, Cranberry Bread with Fresh Cranberries (no bananas!) and Cranberry Banana Muffins.

• Problem with a sunken or collapsed middle in your cranberry orange bread? Then check out my Why Does My Banana Bread Sink In The Middle? page for reasons & potential solutions. While the page focuses on banana breads, the information also applies to other quick breads (such as cranberry orange bread).
• Long-term storage – If you want to keep your cranberry orange loaf for more than 1 to 2 days (depending on your home’s temperature & humidity), you will need to freeze it. Please read Bread Dad’s How To Freeze Banana Bread for more details on how to freeze quick breads (such as banana bread & cranberry orange bread).

• In case, you didn’t see this in the “equipment used to make this recipe” section, this recipe is based on using a standard 9 by 5 inch metal bread pan. This means that the interior of the bread pan (not exterior) measures 9 inches in length, 5 inches in width and 2 1/2 inches in depth/height. Of course, Bread Dads are crazy about exact measurements… thus the use of measuring tapes! Ha!
• Please use the suggested 9 x 5 inch bread pan to make this recipe. If you start using different sized pans, there is a greater potential for bread top collapses (potentially less bread pan “wall” support for the quick bread as it rises), different interior batter to exterior crust ratios (thus the need for different baking lengths), smaller pans are more likely to overflow, etc.
• My recipes are based on using a metal bread pan and NOT a glass bread pan. Glass bread pans bake faster than metal bread pans. If you use a glass bread pan for my recipes, you are more likely to overbake your bread (e.g. burnt crust).
• My recipes are based on using a regular oven and NOT a convection oven. Convection ovens bake faster than regular ovens and require less baking time than what is stated in my recipes.
• Place your cranberry orange bread in the middle of your oven. If you place it on the top or bottom racks, the quick bread may be too near the oven’s heating element and bake faster than expected.

• Always try to use relatively FRESH baking soda & powder for the best results. For example, using baking soda from an open container (that has been deodorizing your refrigerator for months) may lead to subpar results. Old & hard baking soda/powder may lead to rising problems and/or leave small bitter clumps in your cranberry orange bread.
• If you have a problem with a bread recipe, please make sure that you are following the recipe exactly (e.g. using the correct oven temperature), using the correct amounts of ingredients (e.g. don’t eyeball the measurements versus using a measuring cup or accidentally add a tablespoon when a teaspoon is called for), using the correct ingredients (e.g. baking soda/powder versus yeast or all purpose flour versus bread flour), etc. Please don’t “wing” things with recipes.
• My recipes are based on US ingredient measurements (e.g. US cups & tablespoons). However, as a courtesy to our European visitors, I have also included some very ROUGH European equivalents (e.g. grams & milliliters). Since I rarely use European measurements when baking, please let me know in the comment section below if any of the European ingredient measurements need to be changed (e.g. for XYZ ingredient, milliliters are more commonly used versus the grams information listed in the recipe).
• Always wear oven mitts/gloves when dealing with a hot oven and bread pan.
• For more baking soda/powder based recipes, please visit Bread Dad’s sections on easy Quick Bread Recipes and Banana Bread Recipes.

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Reference Sources

1. Wikipedia, Cranberry
2. Wikipedia, Orange
3. Wikipedia, Quick Bread
4. Wikipedia, Zest (Ingredient)

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