Cranberry Nut Bread recipe that is bursting with flavorful, fresh ingredients including plump cranberries, orange zest, orange juice, and chopped pecans. This is a tried and true recipe I've been enjoying for the Holidays for decades.
If you're looking for more sweet bread ideas, you might enjoy Pumpkin Cinnamon Bread, Banana Bread with Sour Cream, Moist pumpkin bread with browned butter maple icing.
If you are looking for a cranberry nut bread recipe with fresh cranberries, you do not need to look any further.
This recipe has been in my family for decades, and it consistently delivers each year during the Holiday season. As soon as I take a bite of this cranberry nut bread, I'm transported to the holiday season of my childhood. Plump fresh cranberries, orange juice and zest, and crunchy fresh pecans. SO good.
The bread smells like a basket of freshly peeled oranges.
I recently asked my Mom for THE cranberry bread recipe, so I could save it forever on my blog. The recipe card she texted me was dated 11/22/1972. This was the day she asked HER Mom for the recipe. My Grandmother obtained the recipe from her Mom. So, as you can see, this goes back, way back.
You will notice clues, like the use of wheat germ as an ingredient. My Mom was sharing with me that before flaxseed and all of the multitude of fancy seed items we have now, wheat germ was it. It added a nutty flavor to baked goods, and was used frequently.
Tips for this delicious and moist cranberry nut bread:
- Definitely use fresh cranberries. They become so juicy while cooking, and mixed with the orange flavors...so good.
- Its important to sift the dry ingredients together as this creates the perfect cranberry bread texture.
- Cut the slices of bread in half, and include in your assorted Christmas cookie tray for variety. It looks really pretty amongst the cookies.
- Wrap up a fresh loaf in plastic wrap, covered with green, red, or blue tissue paper, and tie up with a festive bow for a hostess or for a teacher's holiday gift. They will so appreciate this freshly baked, delicious smelling bread.
Hope you enjoy this treasured recipe as much as we do every year.
Recipe

Cranberry Nut Bread
Cranberry Nut Bread recipe that is bursting with flavorful fresh ingredients including plump cranberries, orange zest, orange juice, and chopped pecans.
Ingredients
- 2 cups sifted all purpose flour
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 2 tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp baking soda
- 1 1/12 tsp kosher salt
- 1 cup fresh cranberries, cut in half
- ½ cup chopped pecans
- ½ cup wheat germ
- 3 tbsp orange zest
- 1 egg, slightly beaten
- ½ cup orange juice
- ¼ cup warm water
- 2 tbsp vegetable oil
Instructions
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Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
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In a large bowl, sift together flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Add halved cranberries, pecans, wheat germ and orange zest to the dry mix and stir with a wooden spoon.
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In a small bowl, combine egg, orange juice, water and vegetable oil.
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Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients and stir just until moistened. Scoop batter into greased loaf pan (9x5x3 inches). Bake in preheated oven for 50-60 minutes, or until toothpick inserted in center of loaf comes out clean. Cool in pan for five minutes, then remove from pan, and finish cooling on a wire rack. Enjoy!
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