Name: Cranberry Bread
Prep time: 15 min
Total time: 90 min
Ingredients: 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted, plus more for pan; 2 cups all-purpose flour (spooned and leveled), plus more for pan; 1 cup packed light-brown sugar; 1.5 teaspoons baking powder; 0.5 teaspoon baking soda; 1 teaspoon salt; 1 large egg, lightly beaten; 0.75 cup whole milk; 1 bag (12 ounces) cranberries; 1 tablespoon turbinado sugar, for topping (optional)

Prep Time:

15 mins

Total Time:

1 hr 30 mins

Servings:

8

If you only use fresh cranberries for cranberry sauce, then you're missing out. Try making this quick cranberry bread recipe around the holidays, when fresh cranberries are available in stores. It's just right for a fall breakfast, afternoon tea, or anytime snack—and it strikes the balance of tart and sweet, thanks to the cranberries and brown sugar.

Our cranberry bread is easy and quick to make; it takes about 15 minutes to mix and just over an hour to bake. While a cake recipe might call for creaming the butter and sugar, this quick bread recipe doesn't—you actually don't need a mixer at all. Simply hand-mix dry ingredients in one bowl and wet ingredients (the melted butter, eggs, and whole milk) in another. Then, combine them, add the cranberries, and transfer the mixture to a loaf pan. Sprinkle crunchy turbinado sugar on top before baking, if you like—it’s the only topping this delicious loaf cake needs.

Fresh, Frozen, and Dried Cranberries

This recipe was developed for fresh cranberries, which are in season in the fall and available in stores from September through January. You can use frozen cranberries instead without thawing them first. Dried cranberries cannot be substituted directly for the fresh ones in this recipe.

Quick Bread Tips

Keep these basic baking tips in mind when making quick breads:

Use the correct measuring cups. You need dry measuring cups for dry ingredients, like flour and sugar; use a wet measuring cup for liquid ingredients, like milk.
Measure flour using the spoon and level method. If you don't, you'll add too much flour to the quick bread and it will be dry.
Ensure that your baking powder is fresh.
Use an oven thermometer to make sure that your oven is at the correct temperature.

Toppings

Our cranberry bread is perfect as is; we often add crunchy turbinado sugar as outlined in the recipe for an easy contrast topping. If you want to dress up this simple quick bread even more, try:

Lemon glaze (or make an orange glaze by swapping the lemon for orange in this recipe)
Crumb topping
Cream cheese frosting

Ingredients

4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted, plus more for pan
2 cups all-purpose flour (spooned and leveled), plus more for pan
1 cup packed light-brown sugar
1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 large egg, lightly beaten
¾ cup whole milk
1 bag (12 ounces) cranberries
1 tablespoon turbinado sugar, for topping (optional)

Directions

Cranberry Bread ingredients in bowls — Emily Laurae

Preheat oven, prep pan, and combine dry ingredients:

Preheat oven to 350°F. Butter and flour a 9-by-5-inch loaf pan (8-cup capacity), and set aside. In a large bowl, whisk together flour, brown sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt; set aside.

Emily Laurae
Combine wet ingredients and add wet to dry:

In a medium bowl, combine butter, egg, and milk. Add wet mixture to dry mixture, and whisk to combine; fold in cranberries.

Emily Laurae

Do not over-mix the batter; whisk the wet and dry ingredients together until just combined.
Transfer batter to prepared pan:

Pour batter into prepared pan; sprinkle top with turbinado sugar, if desired.

Emily Laurae
Bake:

Bake until a toothpick inserted in center of loaf comes out clean, about 1 hour and 15 minutes. Transfer pan to a wire rack; let bread cool 30 minutes. Invert onto rack, then immediately turn right side up to cool completely.

Emily Laurae

How to Store Cranberry Bread

Let the cranberry bread cool completely before storing. Store it in an air airtight container or wrap in plastic wrap. It will keep for up to three days.

How to Freeze Cranberry Bread

Freeze a whole cooled loaf or slice the loaf so you can defrost as much (or as little) as you want. Frozen cranberry bread will last up to three months. Thaw in the refrigerator or at room temperature.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do cranberries need to be refrigerated?

Fresh cranberries should be stored in the refrigerator in their original plastic bag for up to one month. Cranberries also freeze well and will last for up to a year.

Do you need to cook fresh cranberries before baking?

While cranberries should not be eaten as is (they are unpleasantly tart), they do not need to be cooked before they are used in baked goods. Cranberries are used raw in salads and uncooked sauces, but these dishes always include sweeteners and/or sweet ingredients to balance the tartness.