Whole wheat orange cranberry bread can be made as mini loaves or a large loaf. It smells amazing, is full of holiday flavors and works great for gifts or a holiday brunch!
I’m seriously addicted to this soft, buttery orange cranberry bread…
I love the mingling of the sweet orange and tart fresh cranberry flavors, plus a little texture from the walnuts.
I keep making more loaves. Big and small.
I tell myself it’s for more gifts for people. Tis the season for sharing, right?
But honestly, I wouldn’t need to make so many batches if I didn’t keep stealing loaves for myself!
They’re too good! Especially when you add the easy citrus glaze. I'll drizzle that all day long.
Also, it's WAY fun to chop cranberries.
They have such a satisfying little burst when you run your knife through them. You'll have them flying and rolling all over your kitchen, but it's so worth it.
I did manage to take some mini loaves of this bread for the holiday bake sale at my kids’ preschool.
They have a family dinner every December, with crafts and of course, a visit from Santa. All the parents drop off baked goods that morning and that’s the dessert, with the proceeds going back to the school.
Both kids said they were excited about Santa.
I knew M would love it (especially the candy cane she gets at the end) but I was curious to see what J would do. He’s just 2 and that’s a tricky age for these sorts of things. But he assured me every time I asked that he was excited to see Santa, to sit on his lap, to say “ho ho ho” with him, to tell Santa his Christmas wishes.
Wanna guess what happened?
Yup, we waited in line till it was our turn and as soon as we got to the front and J saw Santa sitting there in his chair, he latched onto my leg and started crying.
Poor little guy. I told him he didn’t have to do it but he wouldn’t stop crying. Big scared tears.
I had to pick him up and walk away with him - a little distance calmed him down.
So no pictures of J with Santa this year.
Or, at least not yet! We’ve got other Santa visits coming up... but he did enjoy coloring some Christmas trees at the crafts table that night and both kids had bright eyes looking at all the lights on the way home.
It’s pretty spectacular to experience the holidays through the eyes of a child. The magic, the wonder, the purity really comes back.
OK, back to baking.
I wanted to cover a few quick notes for this cranberry orange bread.
(You can also scroll on down to the recipe card below.)
Recipe Notes:
- Flour: I use white whole wheat flour, but regular whole wheat flour or even all-purpose flour can be substituted. You can also use a combination of whole wheat and all-purpose flour if you'd like.
- Cranberries: The cranberries need to be roughly chopped for this recipe so they are in pieces. You can chop them on your board with a knife (be careful that they don't scatter everywhere) or you can pulse them a few times in a food processor.
- Pans: You can use a 9x5 bread pan or these mini bread pans depending on the size you want.
- Storage: The bread can be stored at room temperature for 4-5 days or in the fridge for up to a week. You can also freeze leftovers or extra loaves (preferably without the glaze) for up to 3 months.
Wishing you all a little magic in your lives this month! And wishing you multiple batches of this orange cranberry bread to share and to savor.
Enjoy!
XO,
Kathryn
P.S. You might also like these mini gingerbread loaves for a fun holiday treat!
Healthy Orange Cranberry Bread
Ingredients
- ¾ cup granulated sugar
- ¼ cup unsalted butter, melted
- 1 large egg
- 1 teaspoon grated orange zest
- ¾ cup orange juice
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1 ¾ cups white whole wheat flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 heaping cup fresh cranberries, rinsed and chopped
- ½ cup walnuts, chopped (optional)
For the glaze (optional):
- ⅔ cup powdered sugar
- 1-2 tablespoons orange juice
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350.
- In a medium bowl, cream together the butter and sugar using a stand mixer or hand mixer. (You can also just beat it really well with a fork.)
- Add the egg and mix well. Add the orange zest and juice and the vanilla and mix well.
- In a separate, large bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt and mix well.
- Add the wet ingredients to the bowl with the dry ingredients and stir, by hand, just until combined.
- Fold in the chopped cranberries and walnuts.
- Pour the batter into a well-greased 9x5 pan, smoothing the top with the back of your spoon or spatula so it's even. Bake at 350 for 45-50 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Or use 3 mini pans (each 5.75x3) and bake for about 22-25 minutes.
- To make the glaze: Place the powdered sugar in a small bowl. Add 2 teaspoons orange juice and stir to combine. Continue to add orange juice, a teaspoon at a time, until the glaze reaches a good drizzling consistency.
- Drizzle with glaze, if desired, and enjoy!
Susan
I remember when I had to hold my son and just get close to Santa for one year's photo! He was still crying, but at least I got the shot. Too funny! I am excited to try your gorgeous loaf of Whole Wheat Orange Cranberry Bread. I have never used whole wheat flour before, but I can hardly wait to try it. Your photos are beautiful.
Kathryn
Haha, I tried to get him to do that, and nope, didn't want to be within 5 feet of Santa! Maybe next year 😉 I pretty much ONLY use white whole wheat flour. It subs perfectly and is a little lighter and closer to regular flour than whole wheat. Plus it's got all the benefits of whole wheat. I'm a convert. Thanks so much for stopping by - happy holidays to you!
Lisa @ Chocolate Meets Strawberry
This looks absolutely fantastic! I love cranberries and the fresh, tart flavour they add to baked goods. It's a shame that here in Australia you can't buy fresh cranberries (or at least not that I've ever seen!), as they're so yummy. There's a brand that sells them frozen here, though, and I'm a huge fan. I'll often just buy a bag of them and eat a handful of straight from the freezer here and there throughout the week. So good! I love how you have combined them with oranges here - a winning combination for sure!
Kathryn
I always stock up at the holidays and freeze a few extra bags of cranberries to have them throughout the year. I have never tried them straight from the freezer though - what a great idea! (And yes to orange and cranberry together - something magical happens with that mash-up...) Thanks for stopping by Lisa!
skd
Citrus and berries are such an amazing combination. This bread looks delicious😋
Kathryn
Aren't they though? I love how well they go together! This bread is definitely a good example 🙂
Mollie
Num - one of my favorite breads, but healthier! Thanks for bringing this by to our Throwback Thursday Link Party - I'll be pinning this to our board, too, and Happy New Year!
Kathryn
Still just as delicious, too! Thanks Mollie!
Katie
Found you at Friday Favorites with the Chunky Chef - I just love the combination of cranberry and orange, so zesty and tart! Pinned!
Kathryn
Thanks Katie! Cranberries and orange just go so well together, don't they?!
Elisabeth
We were looking for an alternative to Banana bread - something that uses more local, european ingredients, and we tried this recipe. We didn't have Cranberries, so we substituted with candied orange peel and lemon peel and hazelnuts.
Since then my whole extended family has fallen in love with this bread.
One of the things we appreciate about this recipe is the light texture, which is important when using whole wheat.
We don't know what "white" whole wheat flour is, but nobody has complained about the brown color.
Thank you very much, way to go in innovation.
Kathryn Doherty
I'm so happy to hear you all loved this bread Elisabeth! 😊 Love the sound of the orange peel and the hazelnuts. Oh, and white wheat flour is just made from a different, lighter strain of wheat than regular whole wheat flour, but it may not be available where you are. Glad to hear the regular whole wheat worked just fine.
Geri Sehnert
This is a great recipe. I try to always use whole wheat flour and it works quite well with this cranberry bread. Next time I make it (which will be soon!) I will add more orange zest as I would love a stronger citrus flavor.
Kathryn Doherty
I'm so happy to hear you enjoyed it!