Homestead on Lakeside

Cranberry and orange is one of my favorite flavor combinations. So, putting cranberry and orange together in a sourdough just made perfect sense. This cranberry orange sourdough loaf makes a perfect breakfast bread with a lovely combination of sweet and tart. Toasting this bread and adding it a bit of butter makes it even better.

We recently went orange picking for a homeschool field trip. We picked delicious pineapple orange citrus from a citrus farm here in Central Florida. See my post from our recent trip here. Pineapple oranges are juicy and sweet, and don’t taste anything like pineapple.

Use your favorite sourdough bread recipe and simply adapt it by adding fresh, squeezed orange juice in place of water. Then add chopped cranberries just before you give your loaf a final shape, right before long fermentation.

Here is my quick sourdough recipe. This is my favorite sourdough loaf. It’s ready in only 4.5 hours. If you’re new to sourdough and are interested in creating your own sourdough starter, here is my step by step guide to creating your own starter. I’ve had my sourdough starter for 5 years now and am so thankful I took that first step in our sourdough journey.

Cranberry Orange Sourdough Ingredients:

See my recipe for a basic sourdough loaf here. Substitute 1 cup of fresh squeezed orange juice for 1 cup of water in the very beginning of the recipe. Then, add the cranberries and sugar just before the bulk fermentation

8 oz of orange juice

1 cup of chopped fresh cranberries

1 tsp of sugar, plus extra for sprinkling on top

Cranberry Orange Sourdough Recipe:

Step 1:

Start by substituting equal parts orange juice for the amount of water needed to mix your sourdough. The recipe I use calls for 1 cup of water, so I substitute that for 1 cup of orange juice.

Slice and chop your fresh cranberries about 1 cup. I like to save some pretty sliced cranberries for the top of the bread and do a rough chop of the cranberries that will be incorporated into the bread.

Step 2:

Once your series of stretch and folds are done and you’re ready for the shaping and bulk fermentation step, press the dough into a rectangular shape, approximately 8 inches by 14 inches.

Cover the pressed rectangular bread with the chopped cranberries and then sprinkle with 1 tsp of sugar.

Step 3:

Starting at the 8 inch end, tightly roll the bread and place in parchment lined Pyrex bread loaf pan, seam side down.

Place the shaped dough in the loaf pan and place it in a warm spot covered to rise. I like to place my dough on the back of the stove top while my baking pan and oven preheat.

I use the Eurita terracotta clay bread loaf pan and lid for great loaf shaped breads. Place the terracotta pan in the cold oven and preheat to 450F.

Step 4:

Just before baking, use a bread lame to make a long slice across the top of the dough. Hold the lame at a 30-degree angle for best results. Scatter your reserved cranberry slices on top of the dough and sprinkle with a pinch of sugar.

After 45 to 60 minutes and your oven is fully preheated. Remove the hot pan from the oven and place the dough lined with parchment paper in the hot pan. Place the lid on and bake for 30 minutes.

Then, remove the lid and bake for another 5 to 7 minutes or until the top is golden brown.

Allow the bread to cool before slicing. I can never usually wait this long. Hot bread straight out of the oven is delicious. But if you wait to slice your bread, you will have a nicer crumb that isn’t smashed down.

This is a perfect breakfast bread. Slice it and serve with butter, jam, or honey.

I hope you enjoy this orange cranberry sourdough. Stop by @homesteadonlakeside for more homemade family recipes and inspiration!

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