This Oceanspray Cranberry Bread recipe makes a soft, moist loaf with the perfect balance of sweet-tart dried cranberries and orange zest flavor. This loaf makes a delicious breakfast bread and a satisfying addition to tea time and study breaks.
Why you'll love this recipe
- This Ocean Spray Cranberry Bread recipe has lots of flavor from sweet-tart cranberries and orange zest tang.
- Enjoy a slice with breakfast or as dessert.
- Cranberry loaf freezes well. Make some in advance and enjoy over the holidays.
This flavorful quick bread is made with plump, dried cranberries (craisins) for maximum cranberry taste without excess moisture from frozen or fresh cranberries.
Excess moisture in quick breads from fresh fruit shortens the shelf life of baked goods and can lead to mold in warm weather. Dried fruits are a better choice.
Craisins are available year round. They add sweet,chewy, deliciousness to baked goods like this loaf and to Cranberry White Chocolate Cookies and Pumpkin Biscotti!
Citrus is a great flavor to pair with tart cranberries. In this cranberry bread, the batter is flavored with orange zest and fresh orange juice. Use any kind of orange, including madarins, tangerines, or clementines.
This lovely loaf and a flock of Turkey Sugar Cookies are great additions to a Thanksgiving Care Package!
Ingredients
Instructions
This is an overview of the instructions. The full instructions are in the recipe card below.
- Toss the dried cranberries with 2 tablespoon of flour to coat, then set aside.
- In the bowl of an electric mixer, mix sugar and oil. Add the egg and the zest and beat at high speed for at least 3 minutes until light and fluffy. Alternate adding the wet ingredients (clementine juice and buttermilk) and dry ingredients, just until combined. Fold in the cranberries.
- Spread the batter into a greased loaf pan. Sprinkle the top of the bread with a few craisins and 1 tablespoon of granulated sugar.
- Bake in a preheated oven for 50-60 minutes at 350 degrees F, until a toothpick comes out clean .
Storage
Wrapped in plastic wrap and stored in an airtight container at room temperature, Oceanspray Cranberry Orange Bread stays moist and delicious for 5-7 days.
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Tips and variations
- Use any form of orange with this recipe. Consider using mandarins, tangerines, or clementines instead of a standard orange.
- Remove the zest from the orange using a microplane to easily remove only the very top part of the orange peal.
- Use the same orange for the zest and the juice. First remove the zest, then squeeze for the juice.
- Tossing the cranberries in flour before adding, helps the fruit disperse throughout the batter and keeps the cranberries from sinking to the bottom of the loaf.
- For Cranberry Nut Bread, substitute ½ cup of chopped nuts for ½ cup of the cranberries.
- The wonderful flavor of this delicious Ocean Spray Cranberry Bread recipe is the perfect addition to Thanksgiving dinner.
Frequently asked questions
Orange zest is the orange outer layer of the orange peel.
Orange peel is the orange colored zest plus the white pith underneath.
A microplane is a very fine grater that easily removes the zest from citrus fruits without any of the bitter white pith below.
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Ocean Spray Cranberry Bread Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 cup craisins plus 1 tablespoon for decoration
- 2 Cups all-purpose flour plus 2 tablespoon for tossing with cranberries
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon ginger
- ½ cup vegetable oil
- 1 cup sugar plus 1 tablespoon for decoration
- 1 large egg room temperature
- 1 tablespoon orange zest mandarins or clementines can be used
- ⅓ cup orange juice
- ⅔ cup buttermilk
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350˚F. Lightly butter 1 large 5”x 9” loaf pan or 4 mini-loaf pans.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and ginger.
- In a medium mixing bowl, toss the dried cranberries and 2 tablespoon of flour to coat. Set aside.
- In the bowl of an electric mixer, cream together the oil and sugar. Add the egg and the zest and beat at high speed for at least 3 minutes until light and fluffy.
- Gradually alternate adding the liquids (clementine juice and buttermilk) and flour mixture, just until combined. Fold in the cranberries.
- Spread the batter into the prepared pan. Sprinkle the top with a few craisins and 1 tablespoon of granulated sugar.
- Bake the large loaf pan for 50-60 minutes. Half way, lay a sheet of foil on top of the loaf to prevent the top from burning. Start checking for doneness at 40 minutes. The loaf is done when a toothpick, inserted into the center of the bread, comes out clean. Bake mini-loaves for 20-30 minutes, covering half way through baking, and test for doneness starting at 20 minutes.
- Cool the loaf in the pan for 15 minutes, then remove from the pan and cool completely on a wire rack. Do not slice until completely cool or the loaf will crumble.
- Store at room temperature wrapped well in plastic wrap and then in an airtight container for 5-7 days. For long distance shipping, vacuum seal.
Notes
- Fresh and frozen cranberries should not be used in this recipe.
- Use any form of orange with this recipe. Consider using mandarins, tangerines, or clementines instead of a standard orange.
- Remove the zest from the orange using a microplane to easily remove only the very top part of the orange peal.
- Use the same orange for the zest and the juice. First remove the zest, then squeeze for the juice.
- Tossing the cranberries in flour before adding, helps the fruit disperse throughout the batter and keeps the cranberries from sinking to the bottom of the loaf.
- This loaf will retain its moist texture longer if shipped unsliced.
- Wrap the loaf (if baked in a disposable pan, wrap the loaf right in the pan) first in plastic wrap, then in foil, before placing in an airtight container or freezer weight ziplock bag.
- Vacuum seal for longer shipping in a military care package.
- Due to the high moisture content of the cake and fruit, this recipe is recommended for cold weather shipping only to avoid conditions that would promote mold.
Nutrition
First Published: November 21, 2014. Last Updated: November 5, 2024. Updated for better reader experience.
Carlee
Yum! What a perfect fall bread, I just love cranberries and orange together.
April J Harris
What a lovely, colourful quick bread, and so wholesome too! Your Cranberry Clementine Whole Wheat Quick Bread looks wonderful, Wendy. Pinning. Thank you for being a part of the Hearth and Soul Link Party. Hope you are having a lovely week!
Karren Haller
Your rockstar in my book with all the great recipes you create for shipping, I have shared your post on Friday Features this week. Hope you have a great weekend!
Karren
Miz Helen
Those are the most adorable Turkey's and that Cranberry Clementine Bread looks delicious! Hope you have a great week and thanks so much for sharing with Full Plate Thursday.
Miz Helen
April J Harris
I'm not seeing the 'imperfect' in your turkey cookies at all! They are gorgeous!! Love how you are sharing your wonderful food gifts with the military and giving them a little taste of home. And what a wonderful memory from your wedding. You had a fantastic Rabbi - and what lovely memories. Thank you for being a part of Hearth and Soul. Hope to see you again this week.
Edye
What adorable cookies!!! 🙂
Eden Passante
These recipes look great! I love the flavors you have going on in the quick bread! Love this!
The Monday Box
Thanks, Eden! The whole wheat added a nutty flavor that goes so well with the fruit flavors!
BruCrew Life
I get a smile every time I read your posts. 🙂 You're such a great person! And I'm sure Soldier B. would agree! And those turkey cookies are beyond cute!!
themondaybox
Oh, Jocelyn, thank you for your kind words! Smiles are a very good thing! I don't know about being a great person, but I am a big believer in both building up positive karma and "what goes around, comes around". I makes ME happy to spread a little joy to a young man willing to put himself in harms way for us. I enjoy the baking. He enjoys the cookies. Win win. 🙂 My husband says my decorated sugar cookies look like something a mom would send. Again, win win. 🙂
Monica
It is a wonderful thing what you're doing with these military care packages, Wendy. I love that story about your wedding day. I am so grateful for so many things and I'm reminded of it all constantly but it is nice to really stop and think about it and to say it aloud sometimes.
On a lighter note, I think you may have a new career in cookie decorating! I just love those cute turkey cookies!! Thank you for the step-by-step pics - I almost feel like I could try it one day. My son will really think I'm a rock star. ; ) Lovely, lovely. You have a wonderful Thanksgiving, Wendy! xo
themondaybox
Thank you for all of your kind words and support, Monica! Its hard not to get caught up in day to day busyness and to pause now and then in appreciation for the moment. I need to make an effort to do it more often! Every time I send a military care package, I am a little overwhelmed...with thankfulness....with awe....with worry.... and with a profound hope that tiny acts of kindness can impact our world, one person at a time.
I am a total amateur cookie decorator so I try to only choose simple designs that anyone could replicate. It sometimes takes patience, but I have so much fun doing it! I hope you and your family had a happy Thanksgiving! 🙂
chrisscheuer
Wendy, what a great post - from you wedding memory to the delicious bread and wonderful turkey tutorial. I know your soldier will be delighted with his new box!
themondaybox
Thanks, Chris! I got an email from Soldier B. indicating he was happy with his care package and enjoying its contents! 🙂 The whole wheat nutty flavor with cranberry and clementine are so yummy in this bread, I had a hard time giving it away! 😉
Paula K.
Thank you so much for showing your care package ideas and what you put in, I get stumped what to send and the cute ideas you have help and thanks so much for telling us that you heard from your new soldier...it is so nice to hear that they enjoy and appreciate your efforts! Love the turkey cookies...did you send some of these to your new soldier also?
themondaybox
Paula, thank you for your kind words. It means so very much to me to hear that my posts are helping you just the way I want them too! Anyone can bake some cookies and enjoy them, but to know that my efforts to provide care package recipes (and ideas) are actually being used to bake some smiles....well, it makes me smile! I was thrilled to hear from my soldier! It reassured me that he is ok and that the packages are reaching him. Knowing that the packages help him (and his buddies) feel and taste a bit of home is Monday Box mission accomplished! I have sent decorated circle cookies in every military care package so far. You can find them all by searching "military care package' or on The Monday Box Facebook page there is a photo album of all of them. Iced Sugar cookies travel well and stay fresh for ages. (I found a desert safe sugar cookie recipe for the summer!) My husband tells me that they look like something a mom would make. 🙂
Jess @ On Sugar Mountain
OMG those turkey cookies. So freaking cute. And I love the flavors you have going on in this quick bread! It would be a lovely way to have breakfast Thanksgiving morning. 😀 Hope you have a wonderful Thanksgiving, Wendy!
themondaybox
Thanks, Jess! Googly eyes are the secret to cute cookies, I think. You could probably put eyes on a blank cookie and they would stare at you adorably, daring you to take a bite!
I was addicted to the flavor combination in this bread. It is wonderful, as you suggest, for breakfast, or as an afternoon pick-me-up with coffee or tea! I hope your Thanksgiving train travel went well and that you enjoyed your family time!
Ashley
Wendy those turkey cookies are absolutely adorable! I think they came out fantastic!
And that quick bread - I would happily eat a piece of that for dessert right now! Hope you have a wonderful weekend!
themondaybox
Thanks, Ashley! I have so much fun playing with decorating the cookies. Their "homemade" look may be what helps the guys that eat them feel like they are having a piece of home. 🙂 It helps that they taste amazing as well.;) I have taste tested my way through 4 loaves of this quick bread (well, ok, I gave most of 2 loaves away) and can confirm that a slice would definitely make you happy! Enjoy your weekend and stay warm!
Margaret Darakjian
Delicious! Thank you! Margaret
Sent from my iPad
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themondaybox
Thanks, Margaret! I hope you and Pat enjoyed the quick bread!