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Cranberry Walnut Bread

Cranberry walnut bread with bright red cranberries and toasted walnuts, baked into tender slices with orange zest. Quick-bread style—mix dry, mix wet, stir just until moistened, then bake until golden and toothpick-clean.
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Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour
Total Time 1 hour 15 minutes
Servings: 10 servings
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Calories: 320
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

Dry ingredients
  • 2 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 1.5 tsp baking powder
  • 0.5 tsp baking soda
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1 tbsp orange zest
Wet ingredients
  • 0.75 cup orange juice
  • 1 large egg
  • 0.25 cup butter, melted
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
Mix-ins
  • 1.5 cup fresh or frozen cranberries, roughly chopped
  • 0.75 cup walnuts, toasted and chopped

Equipment

  • 1 sheet pan

Method
 

Preheat and prep the pan
  1. Preheat oven to 350F, then grease and line a 9x5-inch loaf pan with parchment if needed for easy lifting.
Mix the dry ingredients
  1. Whisk all-purpose flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and orange zest in a bowl until evenly combined and no dry streaks remain.
Mix the wet ingredients
  1. Whisk orange juice, large egg, melted butter, and vanilla extract until smooth and glossy.
Combine wet and dry
  1. Stir wet into dry just until moistened, stopping as soon as the flour is absorbed so the batter stays thick.
Fold in cranberries and walnuts
  1. Fold in roughly chopped cranberries and toasted chopped walnuts until they’re evenly distributed with bright red pockets throughout.
Bake
  1. Transfer batter to the loaf pan and spread into an even layer, then bake for 55-60 minutes at 350F until the top is golden and a toothpick comes out clean.
Cool and slice
  1. Cool the loaf in the pan for 10 minutes, then transfer to a rack to fully cool before slicing for clean, thick cuts.

Notes

For the best texture, stir the batter only until moistened—overmixing can make quick bread dense. Store sliced bread airtight at room temperature for 2-3 days or refrigerate up to 5 days; freeze wrapped slices for up to 2 months. For a lighter option, replace half the sugar with an equal amount of a 1:1 sugar substitute (follow package guidance) to reduce added sugar without changing the bake temperature.