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Cranberry Pistachio Bread

Cranberry pistachio bread with tender crumb and jewel-like cranberries, finished with a white orange glaze drizzle. Baked in a loaf pan until a toothpick comes out clean, then topped with pistachios for crunch.
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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: 320
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

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

Equipment

  • 1 sheet pan

Method
 

Prep and preheat
  1. Preheat oven to 350F. Grease and line a 9x5-inch loaf pan so the loaf releases cleanly.
Mix wet ingredients
  1. Rub sugar and orange zest together until fragrant, then whisk in eggs, yogurt, melted butter, orange juice, and vanilla extract. Whisk until the mixture looks glossy and fully combined.
Combine batter
  1. Whisk flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a separate dry mix. Fold the dry mix into the wet mixture just until combined so no streaks remain.
  2. Fold in cranberries and 1/2 cup pistachios, then spread the batter into the loaf pan. The batter should be evenly distributed with visible berries.
Bake and cool
  1. Bake for 55-60 minutes at 350F until a toothpick comes out clean. The top should be golden and the loaf should pull slightly from the pan edges.
  2. Cool the loaf completely before glazing. The crumb should firm up so the glaze stays on top.
Glaze and finish
  1. Whisk powdered sugar and 2 tablespoons orange juice until smooth, then drizzle over the cooled loaf. Let the glaze set briefly so it looks white and slightly thick.
  2. Sprinkle with the remaining pistachios right after glazing. Finish with green pistachio bits over the red cranberry-studded top.

Notes

Pro tip: halve fresh cranberries and keep frozen cranberries unthawed so they don’t bleed color into the batter too much. Store the cooled loaf covered at room temperature for up to 3 days or refrigerate for up to 5 days; slice and freeze up to 2 months. For a lighter option, use plain low-fat yogurt in place of sour cream or full-fat yogurt—texture stays tender with the same bake time.