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4.82 from 11 votes

Cranberry Walnut Bread

A little tangy, a little crunchy, and totally delicious, cranberry walnut bread is a holiday baking staple! This festive quick bread recipe makes an impressive hostess gift or an easy make-ahead Christmas morning breakfast. Try it with sweet orange marmalade!
Prep Time20 mins
Cook Time1 hr 10 mins
Total Time1 hr 30 mins
Course: Breakfast, Snack
Cuisine: American
Servings: 8
Calories: 352kcal
Author: Allison Ferraro

Ingredients

  • 2 cups all-purpose flour
  • ¾ cup granulated sugar
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 large egg
  • ½ cup water
  • ⅓ cup orange juice
  • ¼ cup unsalted butter, melted and slightly cooled
  • 3 Tablespoons white vinegar
  • 1 teaspoon grated orange rind
  • 1 cup halved fresh cranberries
  • 1 cup chopped walnuts
US Customary - Metric

Instructions

  • Preheat the oven to 350°F. Spray a standard loaf pan (8.5"x4.5") with cooking spray and set aside.
  • Add flour, sugar, baking soda, and salt to a medium bowl and whisk to combine. Set aside.
  • In a large bowl, beat the egg until well blended.
  • To the bowl with the egg add the water, orange juice, melted butter, vinegar, and orange rind and whisk to combine.
  • Add the flour mixture to the egg mixture and stir just until blended.
  • Add the cranberries and walnuts and stir just until mixed. (Optional: save a few chopped walnuts and sprinkle them on top of the loaf before baking.)
  • Pour the batter into the greased loaf pan and bake for 1 hour and 10 minutes, until the top is golden and a toothpick inserted into the loaf comes out clean.
  • Let the baked loaf cool in the pan for 10 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.

Notes

Storage: Store bread in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days. Cranberry walnut bread can also be frozen for up to 3 months; for best results, wrap the completely cooled loaf tightly in plastic wrap followed by a layer of aluminum foil and a plastic bag or other airtight container before freezing.
Frozen or dried cranberries can be substituted for fresh cranberries in this recipe, though I do recommend fresh if you can get them.
  • If using frozen cranberries, keep the measurement the same (1 cup for 1 loaf) and do not thaw the berries before adding them to the batter. You won't be able to chop them, but keeping them whole is fine (though you will have fewer and larger cranberries in your loaf than if you had use fresh, halved cranberries as the recipe calls for).
  • If using dried cranberries, opt for unsweetened and reduce the measurement to ¾ cup for 1 loaf, as dried cranberries are smaller by volume. Though it's not necessary, you may choose to soak the dried cranberries in water for about 15 minutes to hydrate the dried berries before adding them to the batter so that they will be plump and moist once baked.
This bread is delicious served with sweet orange marmalade.

Nutrition

Serving: 1slice | Calories: 352kcal | Carbohydrates: 47g | Protein: 6g | Fat: 16g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 7g | Monounsaturated Fat: 3g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 36mg | Sodium: 438mg | Potassium: 139mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 21g | Vitamin A: 239IU | Vitamin C: 7mg | Calcium: 28mg | Iron: 2mg