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Cranberry Pistachio Bread

Cranberry pistachio bread with a tender crumb studded with jewel-like cranberries and chopped pistachios, finished with a simple orange glaze drizzle. Baked in a 9x5-inch loaf pan at 350°F for a clean toothpick and evenly set crumb.
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Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour
Total Time 1 hour 15 minutes
Servings: 10 servings
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Calories: 290
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

Dry ingredients
  • 2 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1.5 tsp baking powder
  • 0.5 tsp baking soda
  • 0.5 tsp salt
Wet ingredients
  • 0.75 cup sugar
  • 1 tbsp orange zest
  • 2 eggs
  • 0.75 cup plain yogurt or sour cream
  • 0.5 cup butter, melted
  • 0.25 cup orange juice
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
Add-ins
  • 1 cup fresh or frozen cranberries, halved
  • 0.75 cup shelled pistachios, chopped
Orange glaze
  • 1 cup powdered sugar
  • 2 tbsp orange juice for glaze

Equipment

  • 1 sheet pan
  • 1 Dutch oven

Method
 

Prep & preheat
  1. Preheat the oven to 350°F, then grease and line a 9x5-inch loaf pan.
  2. Rub the sugar and orange zest together until fragrant, then whisk in the eggs, yogurt (or sour cream), melted butter, orange juice, and vanilla extract until smooth.
Mix & fold
  1. Whisk the all-purpose flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a separate bowl.
  2. Fold the dry mixture into the wet mixture just until combined, then fold in the halved cranberries and 1/2 cup of the chopped pistachios.
Bake
  1. Spread the batter evenly into the prepared loaf pan.
  2. Bake at 350°F for 55-60 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
  3. Cool the loaf completely before glazing.
Glaze & finish
  1. Whisk the powdered sugar with the 2 tablespoons orange juice until smooth.
  2. Drizzle the glaze over the cooled loaf and sprinkle with the remaining pistachios.

Notes

For the best tender crumb, stop mixing as soon as the flour disappears—overmixing can make the loaf tough. Store in an airtight container at room temperature up to 3 days or in the refrigerator up to 5 days; freeze slices up to 2 months (thaw overnight in the fridge). For a lighter option, use plain low-fat yogurt in place of sour cream/yogurt without changing the bake time.