Cranberry Orange Bread With Freshly Milled Flour

Sliced cranberry orange quick bread with freshly milled flour and orange glaze on a white serving platter with fresh orange slices and cranberries.

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Cranberry Orange Bread With Freshly Milled Flour

This cranberry orange quick bread is made with a 60/40 blend of freshly milled hard white and soft white wheat flour, fresh orange juice and zest, and tart cranberries. Finished with a simple orange glaze, it has a tender crumb with enough structure to hold the cranberries beautifully.

Prep Time20

Cook Time1

Rest Time15

Total Time1 35

Course: Bread, Breakfast, Desserts, Freshly Milled Flour

Cuisine: American

Servings: slices

Calories: 307kcal

Author: Emily Rider

Equipment

9x5 inch loaf pan

Ingredients

For the Cranberry Orange Bread

Hard white wheat berries – 161 grams
Soft white wheat berries – 108 grams (mix the two flours after milling and reserve 9 grams for cranberries)
Granulated sugar – ¾ cup 150 grams
Fresh orange zest – Zest of 2 medium oranges approximately 8 grams, divided. Reserve 1 tablespoon for the batter and 1 teaspoon for the glaze.
Unsalted butter melted and slightly cooled – ½ cup, 113 grams
Large eggs room temperature – 2 eggs, approximately 100 grams without shells
Fresh orange juice – ½ cup 120 grams
Buttermilk room temperature – ¼ cup, 60 grams
Vanilla extract – 1 teaspoon approximately 4 grams
Baking powder – 2 teaspoons approximately 8 grams
Baking soda – ½ teaspoon approximately 2.5 grams
Salt – ½ teaspoon approximately 3 grams
Fresh or frozen cranberries halved or roughly chopped – 1½ cups, 150 grams. If frozen, do not thaw. (coat with 9 grams of the reserved flour blend)

For the Orange Glaze

Powdered sugar – 1 cup 120 grams
Fresh orange juice – 1½ to 2 tablespoons approximately 22 to 30 grams
Reserved fresh orange zest – 1 teaspoon approximately 2 grams

Instructions

Preheat and mill the flour – Preheat the oven to 325°F (165°C). Grease a 9×5-inch loaf pan, line it with parchment paper, and lightly grease the parchment. Mill 161 grams of hard white wheat berries and 108 grams of soft white wheat berries on the finest setting.
Prepare the dry ingredients – In a separate mixing bowl, combine the freshly milled hard white and soft white wheat flours. Reserve 9 grams of the flour for coating the cranberries. Add the baking powder, baking soda, and salt to the remaining 260 grams of flour. Whisk until evenly combined.
Make the orange base – Before mixing, reserve 1 teaspoon of orange zest for the glaze. In a large mixing bowl, rub the remaining 1 tablespoon of orange zest into the granulated sugar with your fingertips until fragrant. Whisk in the melted and slightly cooled butter, eggs, orange juice, buttermilk, and vanilla until smooth.
Mix the batter – Add the prepared dry ingredients to the orange base in the large mixing bowl. Gently stir with a spatula just until no dry streaks remain. Avoid overmixing.
Rest the batter – Let the batter rest for 10–15 minutes so the freshly milled flour can absorb the liquid. The batter will thicken noticeably during this time.
Fold in the cranberries – Toss the halved or roughly chopped cranberries with the reserved 9 grams of freshly milled flour. Gently fold them into the rested batter with a few strokes. Spread the batter evenly in the prepared loaf pan.
Bake – Bake for 60–70 minutes, until the top is golden and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs. If the top browns too quickly, loosely tent it with foil for the last 20 minutes. Frozen cranberries may need a few extra minutes.
Cool and glaze – Let the loaf cool in the pan for 15 minutes, then lift it out using the parchment and transfer it to a wire rack to cool completely. Stir together the powdered sugar, fresh orange juice, and reserved teaspoon of orange zest until thick but pourable. Drizzle over the cooled loaf.

Notes

Flour preparation – Mill both wheat varieties on the finest setting. Use the freshly milled flour without sifting.

Cranberries – Fresh or frozen cranberries can be used. Halve or roughly chop them before adding. If using frozen cranberries, do not thaw before folding them into the batter.

Batter rest – Allow the full 10 to 15 minutes for the freshly milled flour to hydrate. This helps the batter thicken before adding the cranberries.

Nutrition