Grandmother's Famous Cranberry Bread

I too remember this recipe and i searched for a long time to try and locate it. This is the best cranberry bread that i have ever tasted and my best friend begs me to bake her a loaf all the time. the only thing i change is that i omit the rasins and add more cranberries : )

This bread is a fall-season tradition in my family... we've been making it since we read the book "Cranberry Thanksgiving" 25 years ago. I've made it fat-free by using non-fat plain yogurt instead of butter. I also use whole wheat pastry flour and instead of orange peel, 1 tsp of orange extract. I always use the fresh cranberries, and I use dried cranberries in place of raisins. My neighbor has asked me to bring this bread to her holiday open house - it's fantastic!

AMAZING! I never rate recipes...but THIS ONE WAS WORTH THE TIME! I doubled the recipe and put it into 3 foil pans for gifts. I also substituted chopped dried apricots for the raisins...really good! Thanks for sharing a great family "secret". This one goes in the "Tried and True" file! Thank you thank you thank you! JennBinAK

After reading the reviews, I wanted to make sure my bread didn't crumble, so the only changes I made were in procedure and not ingredients. I heated the OJ and then put my cranberries and golden raisins in this to let them soften. I then added the butter and beaten egg to this mixture (the butter was already soft and melted in this warm mixture) and mixed well. I added this mixture to the dry ingredients and poured into 2 pans and baked for 40-45 mins (must check, but they came out perfectly baked in my oven in 44-45 mins). Smelled fabulous and tasted even better. No crumbling at all. This procedural change is from a different recipe on this site, and worked very well here (and I don't like cutting butter into dry ingredients, anyway). Thanks for a wonderful recipe!

Very good flavor. The first loaf I made fell apart though when I flipped it over to cool onto the rack. The second time, I really greased the pan well and decreased the temp about 10 degrees and cooked it 10 minutes less. Came out perfectly brown & moist and didn't fall apart!!!

I substitute all cranberries for the raisins and the result is a moist, delicious bread.

Wow! What an amazing mix of tastes! The loaf was gone quick at Thanksgiving dinner. Best when it's had time to sit for a few days.

I agree with some of the other reviewers on this...cooked on the outside, not done on the inside even tho' a toothpick came out clean. And it fell apart. There was too much stuff...maybe only a cup each of raisins and cranberries would work. I was very disappointed.

I never thought of making a cranberry bread before, until a friend requested I make one. I gave this one a try and she LOVED it. I make alot of breads and don't enjoy "cutting" in butter. I creamed the butter & sugar until light, added egg & orange zest & OJ until well combined then added dry ingredients. Quick breads are like muffins you do not want to mix too long, just until combined. I stirred in cranberries and walnuts (some family members have issues with raisins) by hand. Mine baked up in about 55 minutes. Very moist, very flavorful bread.

I made it without the raisins. It is delicious!

I have been looking for a dense and intensely cranberry bread reminiscent of one my mom made. I doubled the flour; sugar; butter; juice and zest and eggs; coarsely chopped a bag of fresh cranberries. I filled a 4 loaf stoneware pan sprayed with Pam 3/4 full and had great results. The texture turned out great and the taste is wonderful. It will make a great gift as it holds together well and slices beautifully.

This recipe has been a Thanksgiving family tradition since my mom and I found it in a children's book 35 years ago. Young kids might also like the book (Cranberry Thanksgiving.) The recipe is easy and quick, at least if you have a food processor or blender for the cranberries. 1/2 cup of chopped walnuts makes a nice addition to a loaf. Cooking times vary widely based on the juiciness of the fruit; use the cooking time as a starting point, then test with a toothpick inserted into the center of each loaf. (If it comes out clean, the loaf is done.)

I used cake flour instead of all-purpose flour...made it lighter and really moist. Used craisins and put a dash of cinnamon in it, as well. Delicious!

I had trouble with this recipie---done on the outside, un-cooked on the inside. The flavor was good, but I wouldn't make it again.

Love this recipe - a family staple since childhood. Our family (like others) omits the raisins and uses 2cups cranberries instead. Because the bread does tend to be crumbly I now make them as mini-muffins (makes about 3.5 dozen) baked at 350 for 17 minutes - bite sized and delish.

What a great way to use leftover frozen cranberries. I made muffins instead, added 1/2 of the zested orange (sliced) to the cranberries and blended in a blender with about an extra 1/8 cup of OJ. Muffins came out very moist, great flavor. Will definitely make again!

Not too sweet with lots of flavor. The bread is moist and slightly crusty on top. Yummy.

Mine turned out so good. I used 2/3 cup of cranberry sauce instead of the orange juice, and only 1 1/2 cups of chopped cranberries. Wowsa! My family ate and ate and complimented and complimented me. I made some mini muffins and drizzled them with white chocolate.These I put in the freezer for Thanksgiving. Great. My plan is to have a lot of different goodies ready in the freezer for Thanksgiving. The variety is what my family loves. This is a keeper.

Wonderful! Whenever I make it, lots of people want the recipe. One co-worker said it is the best cranberry bread he's ever eaten. And one woman was overheard telling another, "You gotta try this cranberry bread; it has orange in it!" A very consistent and dependable recipe. Very easy to make if you have a food processor for the cranberries.

We found this recipe at the end of a children's book and my kids and I have made it every year since then. We like to substitute dark chocolate chips for the raisins. Delicious!

Amazingly I followed the recipe as written except I did not chop my cranberries. I would never have thought to combine raisins and cranberries but they work well together both for taste and appearance. I must assume all those who complained about the bread crumbling did not cut the butter into the flour sugar mixture sufficiently. Both the baking time and temperature worked for me, although I did put a piece of foil over the top at about the halfway point of baking so the top didn't over-brown. All in all, this is a lovely holiday treat that I will include with my other homemade gifts. Thank you Mim Harris!

This is a very tasty, moist bread. I used dried cranraisins in place of the regular raisins. Next time I will decrease the amount of cranraisins to 1 1/2 cup, as I thought a total of 3 cups was way too much.

This is one of my favorites. I have used it many times. My whole family loves it. This recipe also works great for muffins which is great if you're in a hurry and don't have a whole hour to sit around waiting for loaves to bake. I have several friends who are midwives and I have made these muffins for them to take to births. They have always been a hit w/the new mommies. I do extra orange zest if I have it on hand and usually use concentrated o.j. mixed it so its twice as thick as standard o.j. This adds extra orangey goodness! Yum!

I didn't want to use raisins and was going to use blueberries but didn't have any. I ended up slicing up an orange into small pieces and letting the juice drain a bit then mixed them in with the cranberries. It was wonderful! I've saved this recipe so I can easily have it on hand to make again.

I've been making this cranberry bread since I read the book "Cranberry Thanksgiving" almost twenty years ago. It has become a family favorite and is perfect for breakfast. I use dried cranberries (like Craisins) instead of fresh ones. They're not so tart and I don't have to mess with chopping them, I just pour them in! I've also spread the batter in a 9x12 cake pan once and it came out kind of like a bar cookie.

This recipe isn't bad, just isn't anything to get really excited about. I use to have another recipe for cranberry brad that was fantastic, and thought this might be as good, but it's not. I also use dried cranberries when I don't have fresh ones on hand.

With so many raisins and cranberrries, this remided me of a fruit cake. It was dense, but tasted ok. Although, I wouldn't make it again.

I thought this was wonderful. Made just as written, mine baked around the 70 min. every oven is different by a few degrees.

Loved this. I used 1/2 wheat 1/2 white flour, Earth Balance instead of butter, and boiled the raisins (2 cups 1 cup currants) in the OJ. I added some extra juice (I used whole foods OJ w/peach and mango) in order make the batter pour and used extract instead of zest. I cooked this at 375 (by accident) and it was done in about 55 minutes with a nice browned crust. The flavor is really good and it's a very moist bread.

This is a wonderfuly delicious recipe. Easy too! I make 6 loaves at a time and its perfect every time. Yummy!!!

Just delicious! I had purchased several packages of cranberries during the holidays and this is my favorite recipe to make with them. The golden raisins add just the right balance. I substitute 1/2 whole-wheat flour to make it a bit healthier and it comes out fine this way.

perfect for tea time,breakfast on the go, or as a snack for kids.I made it with a bit of adjustments,added half cup sugar instead of 1 and 1 tbsp of honey.turned out sweet enough for me.added a pinch of cinnamon,gave it a nice kick and took 50 min to bake to perfection,20 lower rack then 30 upper rack.turned out awesomeee.crunchy on the outside,soft on the inside,thnx for sharing!

This is a fantastic recipe. I used dark rasins, and half whole wheat flour. It is so much like a fruit cake that it is not funny. Really great, I will make it again

It was very easy to make. However, I felt there was something missing. It had a sponge-like texture. I won't make it again.

I made the 12 servings amount into 6 jumbo muffins (texas muffin pan). I greased the pan before hand, and I used whole wheat pastry flour instead. I used unsalted butter. They came out great, but maybe a little dry, probably because of my choice of flour. Next time I will add a little more orange juice or some apple sauce. I used cran-raisins or craisins instead of whole cranberries, since that's what I had, but I want to try the recipe with the whole cranberries. I will definitely make these again!!

Amazing!!!!!!!!! First cranberry bread and my fiancee and kids love it!!!!! I did 3 cups of fresh cranberries that's it and everything else to the T.. And for sure will make again.. Thank you for such a great recipe

Thank you, Grandma! I love cranberry and orange together, but usually the orange flavor gets lost. Not with this recipe. It will definitely go in my repeat file. My cranberries were frozen, so I processed them, which distributed the bits throughout the loaf. Some pieces were larger, which just makes some bites even better.

This is excellent. I've made this twice; once as written and once adding toasted walnuts instead of raisins. Both were delicious. I also increased the cranberries to 2 cups and did not chop them. This is such a pretty bread when cut. Thanks for posting this lovely recipe.

this is an interesting combination of flavors that would be perfect with your afternoon cup of tea. it's a colorful loaf and would look perfect with a few Christmas cookies. i think this would make a beautiful loaf of fruit bread to bring to Christmas dinner. Thank you for sharing! What a nice change from the traditional pumpkin or banana breads I always make!!

This recipe is from the book "Cranberries Thanksgiving" it was out of print for a few years so very expensive, but has now been reprinted. If you read the story with your kids, then make the bread it is so much more special! I agree with some that it is better after it "sits". My kids are a little older now and help me make it for friends and teachers before the Christmas cookies start. I sometimes throw in some chocolate chips for a variety. My husband describes it as more of a "fruitcake" so maybe that is why some are looking for a bread consistency and don't get that. I am NOT a fan of fruit cake, but like this bread.

I have been making this exact recipe for about 18 years. The first time I made was when my daughter was in grade two. This recipes was given to us by her teacher after a field trip to a cranberry farm. The kids picked their own cranberries and brought them back to school. The next day with parent help all 20 kids made this recipe using their fresh picked cranberries. I can still remember all those smiling little faces when they finally got to eat it. I have been making it ever since, have never and would never change a thing....Yummy!

Terrific recipe, easy to make and absolutely scrumptious if you like fruit. I used no orange extract and black rather than golden raisins, only a cup rather than one and one half. Had a feeling a cup and a half would be too much. My oven runs fast, so after I noticed the loaf firming up, I began checking it every five minutes with a clean knife. Sure enough, after sixty minutes rather than seventy, it was done. If there's a better cranberry bread anywhere, I've never tasted it.

I *love* cranberries so I was very happy to find this recipe! I made the recipe exactly as written and it turned out wonderfully. Two days later, it was still moist and delicious. Next time I will substitute dried cranberries for the golden raisins and see how it turns out! Just a note: the 70 min. baking time was too long for me. I took the bread out at 65 mins., and even then the loaf was a little dark. Thanks for a fantastic recipe!

I had this recipe as a child, but we lost it in a house fire. It was so nice to surprise my family with it this Christmas! I make it all cranberry, and it is fantastic...the orange really adds a special zing.

Used another reviewer suggestion -"I heated the OJ and then put my cranberries and golden raisins in this to let them soften. I then added the butter and beaten egg to this mixture (the butter was already soft and melted in this warm mixture) and mixed well. I added this mixture to the dry ingredients and poured into 2 pans and baked for 40-45 mins (must check, but they came out perfectly baked in my oven in 44-45 mins). I used fresh cranberries, I didn't use raisins, and baked for 45 mins. Loaves were not too sweet and did not fall apart when sliced.

i just tried this recipe and the taste was amazing, not to mention the aroma! it filled my kitchen and house like a cozy blanket:) too good, only problem is the bread crumbles ALOT when i cut it. any tips on how to improve that???

My daughter doesn't like raisins so I had to omit them. I baked mini muffins for her 1st grade class. I baked them for 17 min. at 350 and lightly glazed them. THEY LOVED them! GLAZE: 1 tsp light corn syrup, 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract, 11/4 cup powder sugar, 2Tblspn milk. I will be baking a batch for our Thankgiving gathering this year. These are so good!!!!

This is a very heavy thick bread, but very very good. It will become one of my holiday regulars.

I also made the substitution of all cranberries (I used whole/uncut) and no raisins. It seemed slightly undercooked and fell apart when it came out of the pan. Tasted pretty good, but didn't hold together well. Would probably cut cranberries next time as recipe suggests!

I followed the recipe pretty closely. I added pecans and also reduced cooking time to 50 min. I put the butter in hard and cut it into the flour. The bread came out perfect. Nice and moist with a slight crust to the outside. It was delicious and moist to the last slice.

Very crumbly.Flavor was great.

This was so delicious! I made it less than 24 hours ago and it's all gone. I had left over cranberries (whole) from a cranberry sauce that my husband made for Thanksgiving. I cut them in half and also added some chopped up dried apricot because I didn't have any raisins. I used about 3/4 cup of sugar and thought it was plenty sweet since the cranberries I used were already cooked in orange juice and honey.

Delicious. I made it for Thanksgiving and had many requests for the recipe. Very fruity and flavorful. I might try it next time with just slightly fewer raisins. It was loaded with fruit, came out of the pan easily and was very pretty.

Too crumbly. I didn't love it.

I always love cranberry bread this time of year and will definitely use this recipe again. The bread is delicious! I followed a previous reviewers recommendation of heating the orange juice, mixing the wet ingredients and soaking the chopped cranberries and raisins before mixing with the flour mixture. One change I will make next time is decreasing the raisins to 1/2 cup - 1 1/2 cups was too much and made the bread a little too sweet. I do like the combination of raisins and cranberries, its an interesting and surprising twist on classic cranberry bread. I did split the bread into 2 dark loaf pans, cooked them for 40 minutes and they came out perfect. I may experiment with some chopped pecans and coconut for a little nuttiness. I will be making this bread to my family's Thanksgiving dinner for sure!

Wonderful recipe, great taste, a real keeper!

This was a great bread to make and give as gifts - I received thank-you's from all, AND my 4-year old loved it too!!

The bread was thick and heavy and just a little bit dry-but has a delicious blend of flavors and it is a perfect accompaniment with tea -my friends loved it

This was very good. It seemed like a lot of cranberries/raisins for the amount of batter, but it turned out great. It seemed susceptible to crumble, so I was careful with it when moving it.

I made 4 loaves to give as Christmas gifts and it was a huge hit! It is moist, and very flavorful. This is a keeper!

Amazing! I'll be making this one alot.

I followed recipe except for raisins omitted and added a streusel topping. Also made muffins rather than bread. Good recipe, like orange and cranberry tastes together.

I have made this several times and it always comes out moist, flavorful and simply perfect. It keeps well and stays moist to the last slice. Grandma's famous cranberry bread is becoming a holiday tradition in our family.

I just made this Cranberry Bread for Thanksgiving - it's delicious!!! I only used a cup of cranberries and no raisins and cooked for 70 minutes. It's not too crumbly and it tastes divine. :)

This has become a family tradition and we have been baking this for about 40 years.

Made this a couple days ago for Christmas brunch and everyone raved about it. I used fresh oj (took about 5 oranges). I followed the suggestion to blend the sugar and softened butter together, then added the egg and blended again, then added the OJ and zest. I increased the zest to 1 tablespoon because I love the flavor. I decreased the raisins to about 3/4 cup but kept the cranberries at a cup and a half. I baked in a glass 9x5x3 and the bread came out perfectly. It was not dry or crumbly and I felt it had a nice cranberry flavor. My dad said it was the best he'd had (not that he's biased or anything). I'm saving this and will make it again.

I made this last night and followed the suggestions laid out by another cook to soak the fruit in the OJ then mix in the butter and egg, then add it all to the dry ingredients. The problem is, I left out a whole cup of flour (whoops) but it was still great!! In fact it was moist (no surprise there) and buttery and luscious. I'll try it again using the proper amount of flour, but just know that if you leave out half the flour, it's not the end of the world!

Oh. My. Goodness. I just told my mother that I think this is the best bread I have ever baked! The flavors of the orange and cranberry blend really well. I was scared when I was mixing it together because the only seasoning you add is the orange peel. It really does not need any other flavoring! The orange juice and the peel give it plenty. Very yummy - moist on the inside and crunchy on the outside!

This recipe is special to us, not only because we love the delicious Cranberry Bread (everyone in the family gobbles it up), but because it takes us back to reading the lovely book, Cranberry Thanksgiving, that introduced us to the recipe in the first place. It is a Thanksgiving tradition for us to prepare the bread together, read the book and fondly remember the generation that began this tradition for us!

I liked the taste but found it much too dry. Was disappointed. Won't make again.

I made this in my 5th grade class and lived it! I copied the recipe and used it ever since. I lost the recipe and just found it here ! I was so excited! The only thing I changed in the recipe was that I omitted the raisins. It still turns out good in my own opinion! An awesome sweet and tart combination that leaves your taste buds wanting more!! :-)

Really moist, fresh flavored bread. Popular with our tasters, scores ranged from 3-5, but many compliments across the group.

Very yummy if you omit the raisins!

I made two of these last night and they are by far the best cranberry bread I've had! So easy and so delicious. Cooked perfectly at 70 minutes! Thank you so much for sharing!

It has been family tradition to make this bread for Thanksgiving for more than 20 years. We don't care for the raisins so we leave them out and put in double the cranberries. So yummy! I always make extra and freeze it for a treat later on.

This recipe has been a staple in my home for decades. My notes: Double the orange zest and halve the raisins (they overpower the cranberries, in my opinion). Also, if you're complaining that it's done on the outside but not the inside, or that your bread is soggy and falling apart, you're probably thinking that golden-brown equals done. With this recipe, it doesn't. Bake until that toothpick comes out squeaky clean, and ignore the color! It'll probably end up more of a deep honey shade, and that's perfectly fine.

I added walnuts and craisins + fresh cranberries... it was good. Made me nervous because it browned so fast. I covered it with foil for the last 20 minutes so it didn't burn.

This bread is amazing!!! The best cranberry bread recipe I've had. I baked it according to directions and sprayed my pans extra heavy after reading other reviews. One pan was metal and the bread popped right out, the other was stonewear and it stuck a little in the bottom. Probably just my pan! I also used craisins in place of raisins since my boys don't like raisins. I'll try it with raisins sometime though!! Thanks for sharing this great family recipe!

Oh, My. Word. These were delicious!! I didn't have raisins, so I subbed chocolate chips--cranberry and chocolate is fantastic together anyway! Other than that, I followed the recipe exactly! Amazing!!

Just made it and it came out great. I did lower the temp to 340 based on one other review and baked for 80 minutes. Perfect and delicious. Will make this again.

Amazing yummy loaf! Thank you!

It was too dry. I had to add almond milk & reduce raisins as it was too stiff to mix otherwise.

A bit dry but otherwise very good.

I made this just as the recipe said and it turned out great! I love it and will make it again especially around the holidays.

I made the recipe as presented and followed Elsa's suggestion to heat the OJ, then add the cranberries, raisins, then butter. My bread stayed together well and it was delicious.

This was so delicious! I made it less than 24 hours ago and it's all gone. I had left over cranberries (whole) from a cranberry sauce that my husband made for Thanksgiving. I cut them in half and also added some chopped up dried apricot because I didn't have any raisins. I used about 3/4 cup of sugar and thought it was plenty sweet since the cranberries I used were already cooked in orange juice and honey.

My mom and I have been making this wonderful bread every year since (approximately) 1975. Simply delicious.

Very good! Instead of raisins, I used dried cranberries. Other than that, I didn't change a thing. I will make it again for sure. Thank you for the recipe.

Pretty tasty, but mine came out a little dry.

Yummy!

Very nice flavor! I made this for Thanksgiving with other assorted breads and these went the fastest and got great reviews! I was out of butter so I subsituted plain yogurt instead, and it still turned out great!

The bread turned out perfectly. I used. Fresh tree picked oranges and dried cranberries. Perfect recipe

I made these during a hurricane and wasn't sure the power would stay on for the full hour to bake a loaf so I used muffin cups and it made absolutely fantastic muffins!

I made this recipe to get rid of some left over cranberries from the holiday. It was amazing!! I sent it to work with my husband and they deemed it "fruitcake lite". It has a delicious fresh fruit taste and none of the yuckyness associated with fruitcake. We will make this every holiday season. The only thing I did different from the recipe was I only had regular raisins. Next time I will try the golden raisins.

The taste of this bread is wonderful. The texture is very crumbly and difficult to slice without falling apart. I recommend a small increase in the butter and OJ, and baking a day ahead to improve the ability to slice

Delicious !! I followed the recipe directions exactly as written The bread just needed to cook approximately 20 minutes longer Yummy !

I made it! I did some changes but I love the cranberries and orange flavor. I included almonds inside and on the top. I added more moisture. I will made many times again.

Very good...without raisins.

I just made this bread, so good! I used cranraisins as other have suggested, rather than just raisins. Also, thank goodness i read another suggestion not put the oven timer set for 70 minutes! I baked the bread at 55 minutes and it came out great. I let the bread cool some , even thought it was not mentioned to do so. The bread came out of the pan fine. When cutting up into slices the cranberry bread fell apart just a bit. Next time will put in an extra 2 minutes for baking. The bread was moist and any more bakeing time would make it dry. The orange juice and zest, just makes this bread so great!