Cranberry Almond Yeast Bread is made from fresh cranberries, crushed almonds, orange zest and cardamom, risen and baked into a beautiful bread!
Cranberry Almond Yeast Bread – A Real Loaf to Impress Any Bread Lover
If you’re searching for a cranberry bread that rises tall, slices beautifully, and carries that unmistakable aroma of real, homemade bread, welcome.
This isn’t a quick bread or cake disguised as “cranberry loaf.” This is real bread, made with yeast, warm spices, fresh cranberries, and a whisper of almond that makes every bite feel special.
Why This Recipe Deserves a Spot on Your Bread-Baking List
I know a lot of talented cooks shy away from yeast dough but honestly? The yeast does most of the work. Give it something wet, something dry, a little warmth, and it will reward you with a dough that puffs up confidently and bakes into a golden, crusty loaf.
This Cranberry Almond Yeast Bread is everything a seasonal loaf of bread should be, tart, nutty, fragrant with orange and cardamom, and hearty enough to slice for toast, breakfast sandwiches, or even a festive cheese board.
Not Your Typical Cranberry Bread
Let me guess, you thought this was going to be another cranberry quick bread. I grew up making those too, the recipe from the back of the cranberry bag, with baking powder and baking soda. Delicious, but more like a cake or muffin.
Then October arrived, and with it, the craving for real bread, chewy crumbs, crisp crust, and pockets of cranberries and toasted nuts in every slice.
So I took the cozy flavors of fall and turned them into a yeast bread, and let me tell you… it’s spectacular. Go ahead, tell me you thought this was going to be yet another cake-like cranberry bread.
Nothing wrong with that, except this is bread… puffed up tall, bakes till it’s crunchy golden, and slices beautifully like so many of my other yeast bread recipes.
Both the flavors of this bread and its nutritional benefits, make it worth your while to try this easy yeast bread.
The Almond Element – Four and Crunch
Almond Flour
Did you know almond flour is simply raw almonds ground finely into soft flour? It doesn’t replace the gluten in all-purpose flour, but it does elevate texture and flavor. It adds a subtle nuttiness and a tender crumb that all-purpose flour alone can’t offer.
Chopped Almonds
Toasted almonds folded into the dough give the bread irresistible crunch and rustic charm, plus that gorgeous speckled look when sliced.
How To Use Almond Flour In Baking
For sure, all-purpose flour has all the gluten needed to make cakes and breads rise tall, and makes cookies and pie crusts stick together. But let’s face it, all-purpose flour really has no taste.
If a recipe calls for 2 cups of flour, try eliminating 1/2 cup in place of almond flour, or other nut flours.
The texture is a little more rustic and the flavor… well, it actually has flavor, and that’s what this homemade cranberry nut bread is all about!
Food Processor
If there is only one kitchen toy I could afford myself to have, it would be, and always will be a food processor!
A good quality, powerful, generous size bowl food processor costs less than one hundred dollars and lasts for years.
True story. I recently filmed in a new food series with PBS that aired in the summer of 2022. The trick to being successful, was to make the studio kitchen feel and function like my own.
The food processors became the demise of several of us. Subsequently, causing many swear words to be bleeped out before release.
Yeast Bread Takes Matters Into Your Own Hands!
One evening, after the studio food processor and I became enemies, I decided to go out from the studio (with permission, of course), and buy my own, the night before a huge cook. What was I thinking!
The food processor I purchased was a brand name, cost under eighty dollars, medium size, but I wanted something I could rely on for this important meal.
I named her Mabel. Brought her into the studio kitchen the next morning, introduced her to the judges.
She pulled through for me and when the show was finished filming, I brought Mabel home with me!
Good tools are great aids, cheap tools could possible create a new dictionary of swear words we’ve yet to use.
Fresh Cranberries Fresh Flavor
No dried cranberries here, this fresh cranberry bread recipe uses fresh cranberries that burst into the dough as it bakes, creating sweet-tart pops of flavor.
Their juice mingles with orange zest and cardamom, giving the bread a fruity fragrance you’ll want in your kitchen all season long.
How To Make Yeast Bread With Cranberries and Almonds
First… that’s right, get out your food processor! Grind and puree just about everything.
Crush the almonds. Then throw in the cranberries and puree. Toss in the sugar, orange zest and juice, an egg and some olive oil.
In a large bowl, proof the yeast.
Proof? Simply put 1 tablespoon of yeast, 1 tablespoon of sugar and 1-2 tablespoons of warm water (80-115 degrees), into the bowl, let them wake up together.
Toss in the pureed mix, slowly stir in the flour and in minutes you have dough.
Dough, because it works so hard, just needs a nap. It needs to rest under a blanket for about an hour.
Then when it is wide awake and ready for show time, it gets reshaped and baked to perfection. Now, what is so hard about that!
Cranberry Compote
With this cranberry yeast bread, for a celebration breakfast, brunch or afternoon tea, I can’t think of anything more scrumptious to go on top than a spread of Homemade Cranberry Compote!
Cranberry compote is slightly tart, a little sweet and has all the beautiful spices to wake up the taste buds.
Cinnamon, ginger, cloves, orange rinds or even orange blossom water embellishes with a holiday flavor.
Cranberry Compote is an easy mix to simmer and puree. It goes alongside turkey dishes.
Beautiful on top of a baked brie which would be perfect to serve with Cranberry bread.
Try adding a few chili peppers to Cranberry Compote and baste a pork loin, chicken wings or a duck breast with it and roast!
Plan to make this bread for the holiday season and before you know it, it will become a tradition you will make every year. Now, lets make this fabulous bread!
I would absolutely LOVE it if you sent me pics of your bread after you make it! xoxo
Other Cranberry Goodies
Fresh cranberries only come into season for a short time in the year, October through December.
For this reason, I have made it a practice to buy many bags and freeze them for other recipes. Here are just a few you may love as much as I do:
- Cranberry Compote – both sweet and savory with a kick of chilies.
- Cranberry Orange Blossom Muffins – tart, floral oh so healthy muffins with crushed pecans.
- Mediterranean Cranberry Pie with Almond and Coconut Crust – gluten-free and quite exotic.
Ingredients Needed and What They Bring To The Bread
- Fresh Cranberries – Juicy, tart bursts of flavor that balance the richness of the dough. Fresh cranberries soften in the oven, releasing beautiful ruby streaks and just the right amount of acidity to make each slice come alive.
- Almonds – Chopped almonds give the loaf a rustic crunch and nutty flavor, while almond flour (if you use it), lends a tender crumb and subtle sweetness. They create texture and contrast against the soft bread.
- Sugar – A touch of sugar feeds the yeast to help the dough rise, but it also balances the tartness of the cranberries and enhances the warm spices and citrus.
- Yeast – The backbone of this recipe, yeast creates the rise that makes this a true loaf of bread, not a cake. It gives the bread a chewy structure, airy interior, and classic bakery-style aroma.
- Salt – A small but essential ingredient. Salt strengthens the dough, balances the sweetness, and brings out the flavors of cranberries, almonds, and spices.
- Egg – Egg enriches the dough, adding a beautiful golden crumb, tenderness, and extra moisture. It also helps bind the ingredients together.
- Olive oil – Adds moisture and richness without overpowering flavor. It creates a softer crumb and helps keep the bread fresh longer.
- Milk – Milk tenderizes the dough and adds richness, while the natural sugars promote browning, giving you that gorgeous golden crust.
- Orange juice and zest – The zest adds bright, fragrant citrus oils, while the juice adds moisture and a slight tang. Together, they enhance the cranberries and make the loaf taste unmistakably “holiday.”
- Cardamom – A cozy, floral spice that pairs beautifully with citrus and berries. It adds depth and a warm, slightly exotic flavor that sets this bread apart from ordinary cranberry loaves.
- Flour (all-purpose or bread flour) – Provides the structure for the dough. The gluten in the flour traps air from the yeast, creating a tall, well-shaped loaf that slices beautifully.
Equipment Needed
- Food Processor or blender to aid in crushing the fresh cranberries and almonds to prepare for the bread dough.
- Large mixing bowl to comfortably work the dough in.
- Wooden spoon is a wonderful aid in working with dough until it comes together enough to work it with your hands.
- Measuring cup and measuring spoons for precision baking.
- Basting brush to brush an egg-wash across the top of the loaf before baking.
- Baking sheet pan with parchment paper to keep the dough from sticking to the pan.
- Oven for baking this lovely cranberry yeast bread.
Cranberry Almond Yeast Bread
Equipment
- Food processor or blender
- Large mixing bowl
- Basting brush
Ingredients
- 2 cups Fresh Cranberries
- 1 cup Almonds
- 1/2 cup Sugar
- 1 Yeast packet quick rise instant yeast
- 2 tbsp Warm water
- 2 tsp Salt
- 2 Eggs
- 1/4 cup Olive oil more to oil the bowl
- 1/4 cup Milk
- 1/4 cup Fresh Orange juice about one orange
- 1 tbsp Orange zest
- 1 tsp Cardamom
- 4-5 cups All Purpose Flour more for dusting
Instructions
- In a large mixing bowl, place the yeast, 1 tablespoon sugar and 2 tablespoons of warm water. Let it sit a few minutes while preparing the cranberries and almonds.
- In a food processor, crush the almonds and cranberries to a puree. Add the remaining sugar, milk, olive oil, 1 egg, orange juice, salt, cardamom and zest. Pulse again to mix well.
- Pour the mixture from the food processor into the bowl with the yeast mixture. Stir.
- Slowly stir in the flour until it is too sticky to stir. Add more flour and begin to work the dough with your hands in a simple – fold-press-fold method – adding flour as needed until the dough is no longer sticky.
- Brush a little olive oil in a clean large bowl, transfer the dough to the bowl, cover and it let sit in a warm place (not hot), for an hour to 90 minutes until it doubles in size.
- Preheat oven to 400
- Press dough to deflate. Sprinkle a little flour on all sizes and shape the dough into a log, or shape you desire.
- Score the dough making shallow slits across with a sharp knife.
- In a small cup, whisk the remaining egg with 1 teaspoon of water to make an egg wash, and brush across the top of the bread. Let it sit 30 minutes as the oven heats up.
- Bake 25-30 minutes until golden brown.
Notes
I believe the table... that place that draws people to gather, is the most powerful symbol of togetherness. All that happens before the table is set, the planning, the gathering, the preparing, are all an intricate part of the dance that create the mood of celebration to share with friends and loved ones.