This Sourdough Cranberry Orange Breakfast Loaf is soft, zesty, and naturally tangy, with bright orange flavor and juicy cranberries in every bite. Inspired by Gramma’s classic holiday bread but made lighter and better-for-you, it’s the perfect morning loaf to pair with your first cup of the day.
“Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18
Since I started my journey to a more nourishing life over a decade ago, transforming all my favorite recipes to sourdough has been one of my goals.
This cranberry orange breakfast bread is a family favorite that I would make for my Italian Gramma every year around Thanksgiving. She was a lover of all things sweet and it made me proud to make her something she loved.
With my Italian side, one way we celebrated Thanksgiving was by everyone making homemade treats and/or goods. My dad was the oldest of 10, so we would make 11 goody bags and every family made enough of their chosen item to put one of each into every bag. It’s a tradition that I grew up looking forward to every year. Thanksgiving was bigger than Christmas for our family.
When I was old enough this Cranberry Orange Bread was my contribution to the ever growing number of family goody bags. What’s not to love about the soft chunks of cranberry, the bright flavors from the orange zest topped with the sweetness of the sugary orange glaze.
Spread with soft butter or cream cheese, I hope this Sourdough Cranberry Orange Breakfast Bread is loved in your home as much as it is in mine.
Tips for Sourdough Cranberry Orange Breakfast Loaf
- My favorite way to zest citrus is by using a vegetable peeler and gently peel the entire orange. Then I mince it as finely as I can. Even if I dont need all of the zest, I can freeze it or dry it for later use. Peeling gives me the most zest out of the orange.
- This a sligtly tart bread. Add 1/2 cup additional sugar for a sweeter bread.
- The batter will be thick. The sourdough version is even thicker than my other version.
- This bread takes a full hour to bake, sometimes 1hr and 10 minutes are necessary. To check for doneness, insert a toothpick into the center. When the toothpick comes out mostly clean, it is ready.
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Ingredients for Sourdough Cranberry Orange Loaf
All Purpose Flour
Grated Orange Zest– I like to use a vegetable peeler to get the most zest off of the oranges, then I chop it finely. Whatever I dont use, I freeze or dehydrate for later use. I also recommend buying organic since the outside of conventional oranges are typically sprayed with preservative and ripening chemicals, not to mention pesticides. For More information on what’s on your food, visit What’s on My Food?.
Fresh or Frozen Cranberries– These are much harder to find organic but Azure Standard has them if you buy them in bulk.
Pecans fall low on the list of contamination because of the thick shell they grow in.
Orange Juice ( I use the juice from the zested oranges)
Butter
Egg
Sugar
Baking Powder
Baking Soda
Salt
Tools you may need
- Handheld Mixer
- Spatula
- Mixing Bowls of various sizes
- 9.5×5″ Bread Pan these bread pans are amazon basics and although they offer a nonstick surface, they are free of PFA’s. I also use cast iron bread pans but they are a bit small for this recipe and would require 2 pans verses one.
Instruction for Sourdough Cranberry Orange Breakfast Loaf
The night before, add sourdough, all purpose flour, orange juice, zest, and softened butter to a bowl. Mix the ingredients together, cover and set aside for 6-12 hours on the counter or up to 24 hours in the fridge. This batter will be very thick.
The next morning, preheat the oven while you grease and flour your loaf pan.
Prepare your breakfast bread.
Whisk your egg, buttermilk, and sugar and add it to your batter, mix till combined.
In a small bowl, mix together the salt, baking soda, and baking powder. Mix into the batter
Lastly, gently fold the cranberries and pecans into the batter.
Pour (or spoon and spread) the batter into your prepared Loaf Pan
Finally, bake for one hour in preheated oven or until the loaf springs back gently when touched. Let stand 10 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack to cool. Wrap with eco-friendly beeswax wraps or plastic wrap to keep fresh.
Additionaly, For a bit more sweetness, top with an orange sugar glaze. Mix orange juice with powdered sugar and drizzle over the top. For a thicker, bakery style glaze, cut back on the orange juice.
Other Recipes from our Farmhouse Kitchen
Easy New York Style Cheesecake
Sourdough Cranberry Orange Breakfast Bread
Sourdough Cranberry Orange Breakfast Loaf is sweet and citrusy with the well known tang from sourdough. A healthier version of my Grammas favorite holiday bread, this breakfast bread is a great start with your morning cup!
Ingredients
- 2 1/2 Cups All Purpose Flour
- 1/2 cup Sourdough Starter
- 1 Tb Grated Orange Zest
- 3/4 cup Orange Juice
- 1/4 cup Butter, softened
- 1 Egg
- 1/2 cup Buttermilk
- 1 cup Sugar
- 1 tsp Salt
- 2 tsp Baking Soda
- 1/2 tsp Baking Powder1
- 1/2 cups Fresh Cranberries (stir in right before baking)
- 1/2 cup Pecans, coarsely chopped (stir in right before baking)
- ✨ Orange Glaze Ingredients
- 1/2 cup powdered sugar
- 1-2 Tb fresh orange juice
- 1/2 Tb orange zest (finely grated)
- 1/2 tsp orange juice concentrate (optional but highly recommended)
- 1/4 tsp vanilla extract (optional)
- 1 tsp melted butter (optional for glossy richness)
- Pinch of salt (makes the orange flavor pop)
Instructions
- The night before, add sourdough discard, all purpose flour, orange juice, zest, and softened butter to a bowl. Mix the ingredients together, cover and set aside for 6-12 hours on the counter or up to 24 hours in the fridge. The Batter will be very thick at this stage.
- The next morning, preheat the oven to 350 degree Fahrenheit while you grease and flour your loaf pan.
- Whisk your egg, buttermilk, and sugar and add it to your batter, mix till combined.
- In a small bowl, mix together the salt, baking soda, and baking powder. Mix into the batter
- Lastly, gently fold the cranberries and pecans into the batter.
- Scoop the thick batter into your prepared Loaf Pan
- Bake for one hour in preheated oven or until the loaf springs back gently when touched. Let stand 10 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack to cool. Wrap with eco-friendly beeswax wraps or plastic wrap to keep fresh.
- In a bowl, whisk powdered sugar with 1 Tb orange juice.
- Add orange zest, OJ concentrate, and vanilla (if using).
- Adjust consistency: If the glaze is too thick, add a few drops of juice. If its too thin, add more powdered sugar.
- Add melted butter and a pinch of salt; whisk until smooth and shiny.
- Drizzle over the loaf while it's still slightly warm so it melts in beautifully.
✨ Instructions For the Orange Glaze
Notes
- For the biggest yield of zest from your oranges, try peeling them with a vegetable peeler and finely mincing them with a knife.
- This a sligtly tart bread. Add 1/2 cup additional sugar for a sweeter bread.
- The batter will be thick. The sourdough version is even thicker than my original version.
- This bread takes a full hour to bake, sometimes 1hr and 10 minutes are necessary. Test the middle with an instant read thermometer. It should be 200-210 F
- For a Thick Bakery style glaze, only use 1/2 the orange juice for a pipable consistency, adjust for spreadability.
- Add 1/2 tsp lemon juice to make the glaze extra tangy
- Boiled Orange Syrup Finish: Simmer ¼ cup orange juice and 2 Tb sugar. Brush it on the hot loaf before glazing for a stronger orange punch and extra moisture.
Nutrition Information
Yield 12 Serving Size 1Amount Per Serving Calories 105Total Fat 2gSaturated Fat 1gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 1gCholesterol 18mgSodium 209mgCarbohydrates 19gFiber 1gSugar 3gProtein 3g
Calculations are not always accurate.
This recipe looks great, but I don’t see any measurements. How much of each thing am I supposed to use?
Thank you so much for the heads up! I typically check my posts multiple times for mistakes and am not sure how I missed this. Must be pregnancy brain in full effect. Ive corrected it.
Followed your recipe instructions the batter was crumbly I soaked overnight from z12 midnite it’s almost noon now I checked the batter it’s still crumbly is it supposed to be crumbly?
I’m about to continue the recipe instructions kindly reply please
And Thank you,
The Batter is quite thick, until you add the eggs. It will loosen up after you add the eggs and baking powder and baking soda but it should still be a thicker batter. Let me know how it turned out.
I just put this in the oven. I’m hoping it turns out, as all the measurements weren’t included so I’m hoping all the ingredients were. Will see what happens!
which ingredients are missing measurements? I double checked after your comment and im not seeing any of the ingredient measurements missing. How was the bread?