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.
Table Of Contents
Bread Machine Cranberry Bread is a perfectly moist and delicious quick bread loaf packed with tangy cranberries, the sweet flavor of oranges and nutty walnuts. This recipe makes a lovely holiday bread, breakfast bread or dessert bread during the fall and winter.
With this recipe, the bread machine kneads your nutty cranberry orange bread batter and bakes it all in one go. It's one of my favorite autumn breads, along with pumpkin bread and apple cider bread.
Loaf Size and Bread Machine Settings
Loaf size: 1.5 lb
Yield: 8-10 servings, depending on how big you cut the slices.
Setting: Quick Bread (see Tips section below if your machine doesn't have this setting)
Time: ~1 hour and 45 minutes
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
- 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).
- 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.
- When the button chimes that it's ready to start baking, remove the kneading paddle (if you miss this part, it can be removed after baking). Give the batter a good, final mix to ensure everything is incorporated evenly.*After 20 minutes of baking, top with additional chopped walnuts if desired.
- 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!
Recipe FAQs
Neither one is better- it just depends on your preference. I like that dried cranberries have a slightly more subtle taste but I also like the strong tanginess of fresh cranberries. If I make cranberry orange bread for guests, I usually go with dried cranberries.
No, since this is a quick bread yeast is not needed. This recipe uses baking powder and baking soda as leveners.
Yes, whole wheat flour can be used in place of all purpose or bread flour. Since whole wheat flour absorbs more liquid, you should use ¾ cup of whole wheat flour per 1 cup of all-purpose/bread flour.
Yes, you can use the delay start function when making this cranberry orange bread.
You won't be able to mix the batter in your bread machine and then transfer it to the oven easily. But it's easy to make this recipe by hand and bake it in the oven if you prefer. Simply mix the wet ingredients and dry ingredients together in separate bowls. Combine bowls, then mix in the cranberries and walnuts and bake in a 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.
It doesn't need to be refrigerated but you can to extend it's life.
Recipe
Bread Machine Cranberry Bread
Ingredients
- ¼ cup milk warmed
- ¼ cup cranberry juice warmed
- ½ cup orange juice warmed
- 2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ⅔ cup honey
- 2 eggs
- 2 cups bread flour or all-purpose flour
- ¾ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¾ teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- 1½ cups cranberries fresh or dried
- ½ cup walnuts chopped
Instructions
- Spray the bread pan with a little olive oil to ensure the bread does not stick once baked (optional, unless you're sure your pan does not cause breads to stick).
- 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).
- Select the "quick bread" setting. Choose the 1.5 lb loaf and select your preferred crust color (see notes).
- 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. When the button chimes that it's ready to start baking, remove the kneading paddle (if you miss this part, it can be removed after baking). Give the batter a good, final mix to ensure everything is incorporated evenly.
- After 20 minutes of baking, top with additional chopped walnuts if desired.
- 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 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.
- Store uneaten cranberry orange bread in bread bags at room temperature for up to 3 days or in the freezer for up to 6 months in freezer safe bags.
Notes
Nutrition
Julie Finley says
I made the bread machine version. All the cranberries floated to the top of the bread. The concentrated cranberry flavor at the top edge of the bread was a bit much.
Jayme says
This turned out perfectly! So easy and delicious.
Clark Taylor says
have pushed the 'go' button on my map but have question : the mixed ingredients more resemble a thick soup than the standard thick dough of a bread. Should it visually be so liquidy ? Thanks for any pointers 🙂
Kristina Tipps says
Yes, the dough is more of a batter here. Did it turn out okay?
Devin says
There are too many wet ingredients. Did not rise due to this. I followed it step for step and still got a wet cranberry soup. Really sad Please fix this.
Kristina says
This is a quick bread, meaning that it won't rise like doughs that use yeast, and will stay relative rectangular with a flatter top. The batter should be very wet prior to baking. If your loaf remained uncooked after the bake cycle, it is likely your bread machine is defective. The ratio for quick breads is 2 parts flour to 2 parts liquid, plus 1 part fat (honey is used here in place of the fat and less than 1 part) and 1 part egg (1 more used to make up for the less fat). I'd try the recipe again, with only 1 egg this time. Altitude can affect baking so I am wondering if this was part of the issue too.
Hayley Dhanecha says
My bread machine is sitting ideal in one corner of my kitchen. Thank you for sharing this recipe, can't wait to make this bread as soon as fresh cranberries arrives in the markets.
Jenny says
Cranberry bread is a gift from heaven. This is my new new go to cranberry bread recipe. For sure it will be on our Thanksgiving dat table. Yay!