Sourdough Cranberry Orange Bread
Sourdough cranberry orange bread is a delicious sourdough discard recipe to make when you are short on time. You will surely impress your friends and family with this cranberry sourdough bread. This sweet orange bread is bursting with tart cranberries and balanced by a creamy orange glaze to top the loaf.
This easy quick bread recipe is a great addition to your breakfast or brunch, especially during the holiday season. Serve this sweet bread for Christmas breakfast or make it to use up your extra cranberries from thanksgiving. Use up your extra sourdough starter with a sweet sourdough recipe you will want to make again and again.
Ingredients and Substitutions
- Flour: I recommend all purpose flour but you can also use bread flour if that is what you have on hand. I do not recommend whole wheat flour in this recipe unless it is only 25% of the total flour used.
- Baking Powder
- Salt
- Orange Juice: One orange should be adequate for the amount of juice needed in this recipe.
- Milk: Feel free to use cow’s milk or any non-dairy milk substitute. I recommend oat milk or Ripple milk for best results, but any vegan milk substitute will work.
- Vegetable Oil: You can use any neutral flavored oil in this recipe. You can also use olive oil, which pairs very nicely with the orange flavor in this recipe.
- Sourdough Discard: You can use active starter or sourdough discard that has been in the fridge.
- Brown Sugar: You can use light or dark brown sugar in this recipe.
- Granulated Sugar
- Egg
- Vanilla Extract: You can use imitation vanilla but I do recommend pure vanilla extract.
- Orange Zest: Use the zest from one whole orange. Reserve 1/2 teaspoon for the glaze.
- Cranberries: You can use fresh or frozen cranberries in this recipe. If you use frozen cranberries, stir them into the flour mixture before adding them to the wet ingredients. This will prevent the cranberries from turning the bread red.
For the Glaze
- Powdered Sugar
- Orange Juice
- Orange Zest: Reserve 1/2 teaspoon of the orange zest from the zest used in the bread part of the recipe. If you accidentally add all of the orange zest to the bread, you can skip it in the glaze.
- Butter: You can use salted or unsalted butter. If you do use unsalted butter, add a dash of salt to the glaze to enhance the flavor.
How to Make Sourdough Cranberry Orange Bread
Step 1: Preheat the oven to 350F and prep the loaf pan. Line a 9×5 inch baking pan with parchment paper. Spray with cooking spray and set aside.
Step 2: Whisk together the dry ingredients in a medium mixing bowl. Set aside.
Step 3: Whisk together all of the wet ingredients in a medium-large bowl.
Step 4: Using a rubber spatula or wooden spoon to stir in the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients until almost combined.
Step 5: Stir in the cranberries to the batter.
Step 6: Scoop the batter into the prepared baking pan. Bake in the oven for 55 minutes.
Step 7: Allow the bread to cool in the baking pan for 20 minutes, then transfer the bread to a wire rack to cool completely. Use the overhanging edges of the parchment paper to remove the bread from the baking pan.
Step 8: Make the glaze. Whisk together all the glaze ingredients in a small bowl. Place a sheet of parchment paper under the wire rack to catch excess glaze. Pour the glaze over the top of the bread. Allow the glaze to set completely before serving.
How to Make Vegan
To make this sourdough discard cranberry bread vegan, use your favorite vegan milk. Substitute any vegan butter such as Earth Balance for the glaze.
To substitute the egg, use a vegan substitute. I use Bob’s Red Mill vegan egg substitute but you can also make a flax egg by mixing 1 tablespoon ground flax seed and combining it with 3 tablespoons water.
How to Store
Store this cranberry orange sourdough bread in the refrigerator for up to 1 week. Wrap the bread in plastic wrap or store in a gallon size storage ziplock bag.
How to Freeze
You can also freeze the bread once it is baked. For best results, slice the bread and wrap it in individual slices with plastic wrap. Then, place the slices in a freezer bag and freeze for up to 3 months. You can also freeze the entire loaf and defrost in the fridge for 24 hours before serving.
Sourdough Cranberry Orange Bread
Ingredients
- 1½ cups all purpose flour
- 1½ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ cup orange juice
- ¼ cup milk
- ½ cup sourdough discard
- ⅓ cup vegetable oil or other neutral tasting oil
- ½ cup brown sugar packed
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- 1 egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- zest from 1 large orange reserve 1 teaspoon of zest for glaze
- 1½ cup fresh cranberries
For the Orange Glaze
- 1 cup + 2 tablespoons powdered sugar
- 1 tablespoon butter, melted salted or unsalted + a pinch of salt
- ½ teaspoon orange zest
- 2 tablespoons orange juice
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350℉.
- Line a 9×5 inch loaf pan with parchment paper along the long ends of the pan. Spray with cooking spray. Set aside.
- In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
- In a separate medium bowl, whisk together the orange juice, milk, sourdough discard, vegetable oil, sugars, egg, vanilla extract, and orange zest.
- Use a rubber spatula or wooden spoon to stir in the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients until almost combined. Add the cranberries and stir until just combined.
- Scoop the batter into the prepared baking pan. Use the spoon or spatula to gently smooth the top.
- Bake in preheated oven for 55 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the bread comes out clean.
- Allow to cool in pan for 20 minutes. Then, remove the loaf from the pan and transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
Make the Glaze
- Whisk together the powdered sugar, orange juice, orange zest, and melted butter until smooth.
- Place a sheet of parchment paper under your wire rack. Pour the glaze over the loaf, allowing it to run over the edges of the loaf. Let set for 30 minutes before serving.
