There’s nothing like the smell of cranberry orange sourdough bread baking in the oven, especially during the holiday season! This sourdough cranberry orange bread is a staple in our home for both Thanksgiving and Christmas.
Be sure to check out my cranberry orange sourdough muffins for a delicious breakfast throughout the Winter!
My family absolutely loves this cranberry orange sourdough bread! It’s the perfect balance of sweet, tangy, and that tangy sourdough flavor. It’s the kind of bread we can't stop snacking on! It's so good toasted with a bit of butter or just straight from the oven.
If you love sourdough baking, be sure to join our sourdough Facebook community where we share lots of recipes and tips for perfecting sourdough bread!
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Ingredients in Cranberry Orange Sourdough Bread
You only need a few simple ingredients to make this delicious bread!
- Active sourdough starter. You can either make your own sourdough starter, buy one, or get one from a friend like I did. Make sure it is active and bubbly.
- Water. It should be room temperature. If it is too cold it will take a really long time to rise, and if it is too hot it could kill the yeast.
- Flour. Bread flour or all purpose flour will work in this recipe.
- Salt. Salt helps control the yeast but it also adds flavor to the bread.
- Fresh or dried cranberries.
- Orange zest. The zest from 1 large orange plus the juice
- Honey. For added sweetness
Be sure to check out the printable recipe card for full recipe information on ingredients and quantities.
Variations
- Add in some chopped pecans or walnuts when you are mixing all the ingredients together.
- Substitute honey with maple syrup for a vegan loaf or if it's all you have in the house.
- Change the craisins if you prefer other fruit. Raisins, prunes, dried apricots, or you favorite dried fruit will all work in this recipe.
- Feel free to play with different types of flour. Use a combination of whole wheat flour and bread flour for a more nutty flavor. When wondering about all purpose flour vs bread flour, they can be used interchangeable in this recipe.
How To Make Cranberry Orange Sourdough Bread
Step 1: In a large bowl, mix the sourdough starter with water. Stir until the starter is dissolved. Add the bread flour, salt, honey, cranberries, orange juice, and orange zest. Mix until a shaggy dough forms. Cover with a damp towel and let it rest for 1 hour.
Step 2: After 1 hour, perform your first set of stretch and folds. Take one side of the dough and lift it into the center of the dough. Continue doing that until the bowl is entirely turned and the dough is smooth.
Step 3: Cover the dough and let it rise at room temperature for 4-5 hours, performing 3-4 sets of stretch and folds every 30 minutes during the first two hours. The dough should increase in volume but not necessarily double.
Step 4: Once the bulk fermentation is complete, shape the dough into a round or oval loaf. Check out how to shape a boule for step by step instructions.
Step 5: If you are not baking the loaf now, place the dough seam-side up into a floured banneton (proofing basket) or a large bowl. Cover the dough and place it in the refrigerator for up to 24 hours.
Step 6: Preheat your oven to 450°F with a Dutch oven inside. Once heated, carefully transfer your loaf into the hot Dutch oven, score the top, and cover with the lid. Bake for 30 minutes with the lid on, then remove the lid and bake for an additional 30 minutes until golden brown.
Lynn's Tip!
Preheating the Dutch oven in the oven before baking will help get a nice crust on the bread.
Tips and Tricks
- Dried cranberries will work perfectly in this bread! If you have fresh cranberries that you would like to use, they can be used as well in this recipe. Fresh berries are great in bread, I especially love blueberry sourdough bread which is loaded with blueberries.
- If you are new to sourdough and haven't checked out my sourdough glossary, now is a great time to do that! We are doing stretch and folds in this bread. This technique helps strengthen the dough and evenly distribute ingredients without overmixing.
- When zesting the orange, avoid the white pith, as it can be bitter. You want just the orange part of the orange.
Storage Info
Store the bread in a paper bag or a bread box to maintain its crust for up to 3 days.
This is a great bread to freeze too! Slice the bread and freeze it in an airtight bag or gallon sized Ziploc bag for up to 3 months. You can toast slices directly from frozen.
Refresh the whole loaf of bread by warming it in a 300°F oven for 10 minutes. Then turn leftover bread into sourdough bread pudding!
Frequently Asked Questions
While a Dutch oven helps create a steamy environment for the perfect crust, you can use a baking stone and add steam by placing a tray of water in the bottom of the oven.
You can to rehydrate the cranberries with orange juice, but you really want the extra zest in the dough. That kicks the orange flavor up a notch.
Sure! You'll just need to add some active yeast into the dough as well.
More Cranberry Recipes
Did you make this recipe and love it?
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📖 Recipe
Cranberry Orange Sourdough Bread
Equipment
Ingredients
- 500 g All Purpose Flour or Bread Flour
- 100 g Active Sourdough Starter
- 300 g Water Room Temperature
- 10 g Salt
- 100 g Dried Cranberries
- 1 large Orange About 80 grams
- 25 g Honey
Instructions
- In a small bowl, add the cranberries, juice of one orange, and the orange zest. Mix well and set it aside, letting the cranberries rehydrate for a few minutes.
- In a large bowl, mix the sourdough starter with water. Stir until the starter is dissolved. Add the flour, salt, honey, cranberries, orange juice, and orange zest.
- Mix until a shaggy dough forms. Cover with a damp towel and let it rest for 1 hour.
- After 1 hour, perform your first set of stretch and folds. Take one side of the dough and lift it into the center of the dough. Continue doing that until the bowl is entirely turned and the dough is smooth.
- Cover the dough and let it rise at room temperature for 6-8 hours, performing 3-4 sets of stretch and folds every 30 minutes during the first two hours.
- Once the bulk fermentation is complete, shape the dough into a round boule.
- Cold Ferment time! If you are not baking the loaf now, place the dough seam-side up into a floured banneton (proofing basket) or a large bowl. Cover the dough and place it in the refrigerator for up to 24 hours.
- When you are ready to bake, Preheat your oven to 450°F with a Dutch oven inside. Once heated, carefully transfer your loaf into the hot Dutch oven, score the top, and cover with the lid. Bake for 30 minutes with the lid on, then remove the lid and bake for an additional 30 minutes until golden brown.
Notes
- Depending on how cold your kitchen is will depend on how long it will take your dough to rise. Don't rush it. You want it to almost double in size, so if your kitchen is colder, it might take 8-10 hours to rise.
- Preheating the Dutch oven in the oven before baking will help get a nice crust on the bread.
- Add chopped walnuts, chopped pecans, or more dried fruit for an even more filling bread.
- Keep the bread in a bag on the counter. Do not put it in the refrigerator or it will go stale quickly.
Carol pachniak says
Delicious, I’m wondering if all orange juice in place of water would give a more orange taste? I’m just curious. My dried cranberries soaked in orange juice and zest did a wonderful job in adding juice and all to the bread. One thing though is they did cause some burnt edges and bottom to the bread, wonder if it was cooked to long or did the cranberries cause it? Wonderful delicious bread! Will make again but will try all juice in place of water. Thanks for the recipe!
Sasha says
Making this today to bring for Thanksgiving dinner... I am starting the stretch and folds, but the dough seems much wetter than I am used to. Is that okay? Maybe my orange just was extra juicy?
Lynn Polito says
Possibly! You can always add a little more flour during shaping to help it hold it's shape better.
Mary says
When I made it, it was also very wet. Trying to add more flour but seems like it is taking a lot. Maybe the orange juice could be an exact measurement in the recipe? Maybe that would help know how much juice of the orange to add? Just a thought. I’m sure it will still taste delicious though! ☺️
Darlene says
I am making it, today was the baking day however my oven element stopped working. Hoping it survives the drive to my son's tomorrow to bake there. I found the dough sticky, maybe should have put a bit more flour. Crossing my fingers.
Suzanne says
Can I making mini boules with this recipe? Or even make 2 boules?
Lynn Polito says
Sure! You might need to adjust the bake time though, especially if you bake them without a Dutch oven.
angela says
recipe says all purpose flour, and instructions say, "bread flour" im wondering if its bread or ap that I need to use...
Lynn Polito says
Either will work!
Sam says
This was simple and tasted delicious! I'm using it as Christmas gifts for family members this year too.
Lynn Polito says
Yay! I am so happy you enjoyed it! Happy Holidays!