This 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 mid afternoon snack with a cup of coffee.
Baking is one of my favorite pastimes and I love making my own bread, however, you don’t always have time to allow it to rise and that’s where quick breads like this come in. Made with cranberry and orange it’s the perfect seasonal treat!
How to Make Glazed Lemon Cranberry Bread
FOR THE BREAD:
Toss the cranberries in flour and set aside, then in a bowl whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt. In an electric mixture cream together the butter and sugar before adding the egg. Slowly add the flour mixture to the cream and butter, add in the milk and fold in the cranberries and lemon zest.
FOR THE LEMON GLAZE:
Combine the sugar and lemon juice in a pan over a medium heat, then brush over the cooled cranberry lemon bread.
A sweet quick bread recipe
Because there is no yeast in this bread recipe, you don’t need to allow time to let it rise, so it’s a great recipe to try if you are short on time. The bread is sweet and tangy and the lemon glaze is so easy to make but really finishes this loaf perfectly.
How long does Glazed Lemon Cranberry Bread keep?
Once the bread has cooled, it will keep at room temperature in an airtight container for 2 to 3 days. To lengthen the life of the bread, keep it in a container or wrapped in plastic wrap in the fridge and it will keep for around a week. You can also freeze the baked bread and thaw it at room temperature.
Glazed Lemon Cranberry Bread makes a great holiday gift!
Because quick sweet breads are so easy to make, I often make a couple at a time to gift as gifts to friends and neighbours during the festive season. Simply wrap the cooled bread in parchment and tie with a ribbon, or place in a large cellophane bag and gift wrap.
They make for a really personal gift that really doesn’t take much effort at all!
Top tips to make Glazed Lemon Cranberry Bread
- 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.
For more delicious bread recipes:
- Oatmeal Pumpkin Bread with Apple Cider Sauce
- Homemade Sandwich Bread Recipe (No Knead Bread!)
- Orange Almond Sweet Bread
- Cinnamon Roll Bread
- Strawberry Bread
- No Knead Dutch Oven Bread Recipe (Rosemary Bread)
Glazed Lemon Cranberry Bread Recipe
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Ingredients
For the Bread
- 1 cup fresh cranberries 116 grams
- 1⅔ cups all-purpose flour 200 grams (plus 1 tablespoon (8 grams) for dredging cranberries)
- 1½ teaspoons baking powder 6 grams
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ cup unsalted butter 113 grams, room temperature (1 stick)
- 1 cup granulated sugar 200 grams
- 2 large eggs 100 grams, room temperature
- ½ cup milk 114 grams, at least 2%
- 1 tablespoon grated lemon zest from 1 lemon
For the Glaze
- ¼ cup granulated sugar 50 grams
- ¼ cup freshly squeezed lemon juice 57 grams, from 2 lemons
Recommended Equipment
- Kitchen Scale (optional)
Instructions
For the Bread
- Preheat oven to 350°F and spray a 9x5-inch loaf pan with nonstick baking spray.
- Toss the cranberries with 1 tablespoon of flour; set aside.1 cup fresh cranberries, 1⅔ cups all-purpose flour
- In a medium bowl, whisk the rest of the flour, baking powder, and salt together.1½ teaspoons baking powder, ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter and sugar together on medium-high speed until fluffy and creamy, about 1-2 minutes.½ cup unsalted butter, 1 cup granulated sugar
- Add the eggs and beat an additional 1 minute.2 large eggs
- Add half of the flour mixture; mix on low speed just until incorporated.
- Add ¼ cup (half) of the milk and mix on low for 15 seconds.½ cup milk
- Add the 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.1 tablespoon grated lemon zest
- Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan and bake, at 350°F, 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.
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.¼ cup granulated sugar, ¼ cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 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.
Last step! Don’t forget to show me a pic of what you made! Upload an image or tag me @thecookierookie on Instagram!
Becky’s tips
- 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 best 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.
Nutrition Information
Wasn’t convinced I would like cranberry lemon as well as I like cranberry orange combination but this bread is DELICIOUS! Tangy and sweet, moist. Yum!
Thanks for stopping by, Sue!
This has become such a staple at our house. I’ve already made 5 or 6 this fall, and right now I have it in the oven in jumbo muffin tins. I even accidentally made scones out of it once, because I wasn’t paying attention and added an extra cup of flour. (You can’t go wrong with a recipe this good.) When there are no fresh cranberries later in the winter, I use this to make what my husband has dubbed “sprite cake” by adding a tablespoon of lime zest in place of the cranberries. (And adding lime juice to the glaze.)
This might be my favorite recipe in the world. :P
Thanks for sharing with us, Annelise!
Followed the instructions exactly (except I left off the glaze) and the recipe turned out great. It was delicious and I’d definitely make again!
That is great to hear, Chrissy!
Thank you for this recipe! Turned out beautifully as mini loaves. Followed recipe exactly, just adjusted cook time to 30-ish minutes for the mini loaves. Definitely saving this recipe to make again
Yay!! Thanks for sahring, Carmen!
I made two of these. Recipe doubles perfectly and tastes amazing! Mine turned out more like a cake and the flavours were reminiscent of cherry pie. So good! Will definitely make again! Thanks!
That sounds so delicious!!
Perfect and moist! I doubled the lemon zest because I like it lemony and it was perfect! Definitely going into my regular rotation, the loaf was nice and moist compared to previous recipes I’ve tried.
Awesome, thanks for sharing Rebecca!
I have fresh cranberries that I put in the freezer. Can I thaw these and use for the recipe?
Yes, absolutely!
Delicious and I loved the tangy glaze!
I’m so glad you loved it!!
Our bread turned out moist and delicious! Everyone loved it! Thanks for the recipe. The lemon zest adds the perfect complement to the cranberries!
I’m so happy to hear that!!
I love quick bread and this one looks fantastic!! :) Thank you so much for sharing. :)
I can’t wait for you to try it!