Bread Machine Cranberry Bread

Bread Machine Cranberry Bread combines the flavors of tangy cranberries and sweet oranges into one savory quick bread loaf. It's delicious for breakfast, dessert and makes a lovely addition to the appetizer or dessert table on Thanksgiving and Christmas.

I have Cuisinart CBK-100 and CBK-200 bread makers, and cranberry orange bread turns out wonderfully in both. No matter the brand and model you own, you should be able to successfully use it to make quick breads like this.

Ingredients

• Cranberries: fresh or dried.
• Walnuts: or other nuts.
• Milk: any type of dairy or non-dairy milk works.
• Cranberry juice: can be substituted with more milk.
• Orange juice
• Vanilla extract: homemade or store bought pure vanilla extract.
• Honey: pure organic honey is the best.
• Eggs: for an egg-free recipe use flax eggs.
• Bread flour: or all-purpose flour.
• Cinnamon
• Leveners: baking powder and baking soda.

Step-By-Step Instructions

STEP 1: Add all ingredients to the bread pan in the order listed. For non-Cuisinart bread makers, check your manual for the correct order to add ingredients (this is usually liquids first and dry ingredients last but it's always best to check).

STEP 2: Select the "quick bread" setting. Choose the 1.5 lb loaf and select your preferred crust color. After 5 minutes of mixing, use a spatula to mix in any ingredients that have stuck to the sides or bottom of the bread pan.

STEP 4: Once the bake cycle has finished, allow to cool in the bread pan for 10-20 minutes. Then unplug the machine and remove the pan using oven mitts. Turn the pan on it's side and carefully ease out the banana bread with the help of a spatula or butter knife if needed. Cool completely on a wire rack before slicing. If you haven't removed the kneading paddle, carefully pull it out of the bottom prior to slicing.

How To Make Cranberry Orange Bread By Hand

To make this recipe by hand instead, mix the wet ingredients and dry ingredients together in separate bowls. Combine the bowls and mix well. Then fold in the cranberries and walnuts and bake in a greased loaf pan until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. At 350 degrees Fahrenheit it will take between 45 and 60 minutes. The internal temperature should be 190 degrees Fahrenheit.

How To Store Quick Breads

Fresh fruity quick breads don't keep long. Store them in a cool place in a sealed bag or container for up to 3 days at room temperature. This bread can be kept in the fridge for about 7 days or stored in the freezer for up to 6 months in airtight plastic freezer bags. Slice the bread into pieces before freezing for quick grab and go snacks. Defrost overnight in the fridge, for a few hours on the counter or do a quick defrost in the microwave.

Recipe Tips

• Different model bread machines may refer to the quick bread setting differently. Read your manual for determining which setting on your bread maker is made for quick breads. It may be called "quick", "quick bread", "cake", "cake/quick bread" of "sweet quick bread".
• Cranberry bread is best eaten within a few days of baking. After that the freshness dissipates, but it will still make a delicious snack when toasted.
• Remove the kneading paddle after the mixing cycle. This will make the bread much easier to remove from the bread pan when it's done baking. Plus you won't have a big hole in the bottom of the loaf!
• To easily remove the loaf from the bread pan, wait 10 minutes for the loaf to cool. Then run a knife gently between the pan and the loaf to loosen it. Turn the bread pan on it's side and pat the bottom of the pan while wiggling it until the loaf slides out. Use oven mitts, as the pan will still be hot.
• Depending on your bread maker, you may need to help it out during the knead stage. With mine, I need to use a spatula to get all of the ingredients, mainly the flour, mixed into the batter. The flour tends to stick to the sides of the pan and if I don't push it down with a spatula, the baked loaf will have large spots of flour on the outside.
• After baking and before removing from the pan, make sure the bread is done! Insert a toothpick into the center or check to internal temperature to ensure it's reached 190 degrees Fahrenheit. Most machines have a "bake only" cycle which will continue to bake the bread for 10 minutes. If it's not done, use the bake only cycle to continue cooking until it is.
• Always let the loaf cool for 10-20 minutes at least before removing from the pan. A too hot loaf will fall apart as you remove it.
• Top the batter with extra walnuts after it's baked for about 20 minutes. If you put the nuts on right as it starts baking, they will fall into the batter instead of remaining on top.

Cranberry Bread Variations

There are many variations to bread machine cranberry bread, all of them producing a tasty loaf! Here are some ways to vary the recipe:

• Different nuts: instead of walnuts use pecans, almonds, or cashews.
• Add seeds: pumpkin seeds and sunflower seeds are great additions.
• Nut-free: make it nut-free by eliminating the nuts all together.
• Dairy-free:
• Different seasonings: while I love cinnamon in this recipe, nutmeg, ginger and cardamom are also great spice choices.
• Different extract flavors: vanilla extract seems like an obvious choice in a lot of baking, but don't be limited to this! Cinnamon and almond extract taste wonderful in cranberry orange bread, and you can make them right at home!

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