Festive Fresh Cranberry Quick Bread

November 27, 2025

This Festive Cranberry Bread is the perfect holiday loaf—soft, moist, and bursting with bright, tart cranberries in every bite. Made with simple pantry ingredients, this easy quick bread comes together in minutes and bakes up beautifully golden. The flavor is perfectly balanced: sweet brown sugar, rich melted butter, and a hint of vanilla (or almond!) paired with juicy cranberries that pop as they bake.

Whether you use all-purpose flour or fresh-milled flour, this recipe delivers a tender, flavorful loaf that’s perfect for Christmas morning, holiday brunch, and gifting to neighbors. It’s a thick batter by design, ensuring the cranberries stay suspended throughout for a gorgeous slice every time.

If you’re looking for a festive, cozy, and foolproof cranberry bread that celebrates the best flavors of the season, this is the one you’ll make again and again.

Robyn on the Farm’s

Festive Fresh Cranberry Bread

Ingredients

4 tablespoons (56 g) melted butter
2 cups (240 g) all-purpose flour
1 cup (200 g) packed light brown sugar
1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 large egg
½ cup + 2 Tbs (150 g) milk
¼ cup (60 g) sour cream
1 teaspoon vanilla OR ½ teaspoon vanilla + ¼ teaspoon almond extract
12 ounces (340 g) cranberries
Optional topping: 1 tablespoon turbinado sugar

Fresh-Milled Flour Option Use 240 g fresh-milled soft white wheat OR 120 g soft white + 120 g hard white. Increase baking powder to 2 teaspoons. Add 1–2 tablespoons milk if needed.

Directions

Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease and flour an 8.5x4.5 or 9×5 loaf pan.
In a large bowl, whisk flour, brown sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
In a separate bowl, mix melted butter, egg, milk, sour cream, and extract.
Add wet ingredients to dry and mix just until combined. Add splash of milk if too thick—but this is a thick batter! Fold in cranberries.
Add the optional topping.
Pour into prepared pan and bake 1 hour–1 hour 15 minutes, or until a toothpick tests clean.
Cool 20 minutes in the pan, then remove and cool completely.

Click Here for the Printable Recipe!

*If you're looking for an alternative to plastic bread bags, our beeswax bread bags are a healthy way to store your bread! They are reusable, made of 100% cotton, infused with organic beeswax and coconut oil, naturally antibacterial to keep your bread from molding, and handmade by me and my daughters on our family farm!