Studded with candied walnuts and fresh cranberries (or frozen!), this sweet and tart cranberry walnut bread is my new go-to for breakfast. Sometimes I make it without the glaze and slather it with butter, other times I frost it with bright powdered sugar icing.
Ingredients
Many home bakers may find that they already have the majority of these ingredients.
- Flour – Use all-purpose flour to give the bread its structure.
- Baking Powder – Baking powder helps the bread to rise.
- Fine Sea Salt – Salt is a necessity in nearly every baking recipe — it enhances all of the other ingredients.
- Sugar – Granulated sugar sweetens the bread.
- Vegetable Oil – Use this to keep it moist.
- Whole Milk – Whole milk helps to give the bread its soft crumb.
- Zest from an Orange – The zest helps to add concentrated orange flavor. We add it to both the bread and the glaze.
- Vanilla Extract – Vanilla balances the flavors and adds a warm aroma.
- Eggs – Be sure to bring the eggs to room temperature before adding them to the batter.
- Fresh or Frozen Cranberries – If you’re using frozen cranberries, thaw them ahead of time.
- Candied Walnuts – Chop the walnuts before pouring them into the batter.
- Orange Juice – Use the juice from the orange that was zested.
- Powdered Sugar – This helps to make the icing sweet and silky smooth.
Candied Walnuts
Candied walnuts were just what I had on hand when I was testing the recipe. In fact, walnuts were more of an afterthought. Consider it a happy mistake, but the sugary nuts taste pretty amazing in this already delicious bread (although it might be a cake).
It can also be made with plain walnuts, pecans, or go nutless.
Variations
Make this bread your own with any of these add-ins or swaps.
- Nuts – Trade out the walnuts for pecans, almonds, or your favorite nut.
- Chocolate – Fold in mini chocolate chips. Dark chocolate, milk chocolate, and white chocolate all work well.
- Cinnamon – For a little warm flavor, shake in some cinnamon.
- Gluten-free – Use a 1:1 gluten-free alternative flour.
- Dried Fruit – Add dried orange pieces or raisins.
- Juice – Use a different citrusy juice like lemon or lime in the icing or try cranberry juice instead.
How to Make Cranberry Walnut Bread
Once you see how easy this is to make, you’ll be whipping it up on the regular!
- Combine dry ingredients. Add the flour, baking powder, and salt to a medium bowl. Using a sifter will help to combine the ingredients.
- Combine wet ingredients and zest. Add the sugar, vegetable oil, milk, orange zest, vanilla extract, and eggs to a large bowl and beat with an electric hand mixer. Or, use a stand mixer with a paddle attachment.
- Add dry ingredients to the wet ingredients. Pour half of the flour into the wet ingredients and mix to combine. Repeat with most of the remaining flour but leave a couple of tablespoons in the bowl.
- Coat cranberries. Place the cranberries in the bowl with the remaining flour and toss to coat. Then, use a rubber spatula to gently stir them into the batter.
- Add nuts. Place the nuts in the bowl with the batter and gently stir to combine.
- Bake. Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan and bake until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. If the top of the cake becomes brown too early in the baking process, use aluminum foil to cover it.
- Cool. Take the bread out of the oven and let it cool briefly. Then, remove the bread from the pan and place it on a wire cooling rack with parchment paper under it.
- Make icing. Pour the juice and the sugar into a small bowl and stir to combine. Let it rest for several minutes so that it can thicken.
- Ice the cake. Pour the orange icing over the top of the bread. Then, allow the cake to rest for at least half an hour before slicing and serving.
Tossing Cranberries in Flour
Cranberries and other heavy fruits and add-ins often sink to the bottom of cake and bread. Tossing them in flour helps the batter to stick to the exterior and hold them up while baking, making them uniform throughout the slice.
What to Serve With Cranberry Walnut Bread
You can serve this sweet bread solo or wash it down with a hot cup of coffee or a vanilla sweet cream cold brew. If you choose not to use the icing, you can also try it with cinnamon honey butter, cream cheese, or homemade jam.
I also love it with homemade whipped cream and sugared cranberries.
Stovetop Potpourri – If you have any fresh cranberries leftover, make some stovetop potpourri, it will make your whole house smell like Christmas!
Storage and Freezing
Wherever you store the bread, be sure to wrap it tightly in plastic wrap or place it in an airtight container. It will remain fresh for up to 3 days at room temperature.
How to Store Orange Cranberry Bread
Store the wrapped cranberry walnut bread in the fridge for up to one week.
Can I Freeze Cranberry Bread?
Yes, this festive bread actually freezes very well. You can freeze the bread for up to three months.
Common Questions about Cranberry Walnut Bread
Sometimes the cranberries have a reaction when they come in contact with baking powder. This may cause your bread to have a slightly green hue, but it’s perfectly safe to eat!
You can refrigerate cranberry bread, but it’s not necessary. You can safely keep it at room temperature where it will likely remain more moist.
If you wind up with bread that’s more crumbly than moist you may have used too much flour. Be sure to measure precisely when making the batter.
More Easy Bread Recipes
Whether sweet or savory, you just can’t beat homemade bread recipes. These are some of our favorites.
Cranberry Walnut Bread
Ingredients
Cranberry Walnut Bread:
- 1 1/2 cups flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 3/4 cup sugar
- 1/3 cup vegetable oil
- 1/4 cup whole milk
- Zest from 1 orange , reserve the orange juice for icing
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 eggs
- 1 1/4 cups fresh or frozen (thawed) cranberries
- 1/3 cup candied walnuts , coarsely chopped
Orange Icing:
- 1 tablespoon orange juice
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- orange zest , optional
Instructions
Cranberry Walnut Bread:
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease a 8.5×4.5 with vegetable shortening or line parchment. Set aside.
- Sift together the flour, baking powder and salt in a medium bowl, set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, mix together the sugar, vegetable oil, milk, orange zest, vanilla extract and eggs.
- Add the flour in 2 increments, leaving about 2 tablespoons in the bowl.
- Toss the cranberries in the remaining flour and then fold into the bread batter.
- Fold in the candied walnuts.
- Transfer the bread batter to the prepared loaf pan.
- Bake for 50-55 minutes or until it is golden brown on top and passes the toothpick test. Loosely cover with a leaf of aluminum foil if it starts to brown too quickly.
- Remove and allow to cool before inverting out of the bread pan. Set on a wire cooling rack with a rimmed baking sheet or piece of parchment undernether (to catch drips).
Orange Icing:
- In a small bowl, whisk together the orange juice and powdered sugar. Allow to sit for 4-5 minutes to start to set.
- Drizzle or pour over the bread, allowing the excess to drip off. Allow to sit for at least 30 minutes.
- Use a serrated knife to cut slices.
- If you’ve tried this recipe, please come back and let us know how it was in the comments or star ratings!
Nutrition
