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Cranberry Bread with Lemon Glaze

lemoncranberryloafbreadlemonglazeThis glazed lemon and cranberry bread is the perfect quick sweet bread recipe for the holidays. Finished with a sweet and tangy lemon glaze, this bread loaf is perfect for Christmas breakfasts and brunch and wonderful as a midafternoon snack with a cup of coffee.

Bread:
1 cup fresh cranberries
1 ⅔ cups all-purpose flour + 1 Tbsp. for dredging cranberries
½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
1 cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs
1½ tsp. baking powder
¼ tsp. sea salt
½ cup whole milk
1 Tbsp. lemon zest, freshly grated (1 medium lemon)

Glaze:
¼ cup granulated sugar
¼ cup lemon juice, freshly squeezed

For the Bread:
Preheat oven to 350°F (180°C/160°C fan, Gas Mark 4). Spray a 9x5" loaf pan with nonstick baking spray.

Toss the cranberries with 1 Tbsp. flour; set aside.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the rest of the flour, baking powder and salt.

In the bowl of an electric mixer, cream together the butter and sugar on medium-high speed for 1-2 minutes or until fluffy and creamy. Add egg and beat an additional 1 minute. Add half of the flour mixture; mix on low speed just until incorporated. Add ¼ cup milk and mix on low 15 seconds.

Add remaining flour mixture and mix just until no flour is visible. Add remaining ¼ cup milk and mix until combined. Fold in the lemon zest and cranberries.

Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan and bake for 50-60 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.

Transfer the bread (in the pan) to a cooling rack and cool 15 minutes. After 15 minutes, remove the loaf from the pan, and set it upright.

Carefully pierce the top of the bread with a toothpick and use a pastry brush to evenly apply the warm lemon glaze over the top.

For the Lemon Glaze:
In a small saucepan set over medium heat, combine the sugar and lemon juice. Bring to a boil and cook 30 seconds. Remove from the heat and brush the glaze on the top of the Cranberry Lemon Bread.

Cook's Notes:

  • Be sure to grease your loaf tin before adding the batter for easy removal.
  • It's important to flour your cranberries before adding them to the mixture as this will stop them from sinking to the bottom.
  • Bake the loaf in a preheated oven for the nest results, and test that the bread is done by inserting a toothpick, if it comes out clean it's ready.
  • Let the bread cool before adding the glaze. If it's too hot it will run off.