Cranberry Eggnog Bread – this soft and flavorful bread is loaded with dried cranberries and topped with eggnog glaze. A perfect holiday bread recipe!
I like baking yeast breads occasionally throughout the year, but during the holiday months, they make frequent appearances on our menu.
When we’re having soup, I often whip up a batch of easy soft pretzels. On special occasions I’ll make sweet breads like this loaf, or a batch of cinnamon rolls. Heavenly!
Anybody else spend a lot more time in the kitchen during Christmas season? I know I sure do. I love baking goodies for my family and for our friends and neighbors.
Every year I have at least a dozen new recipes I want to try. But we also have a few family favorites that I make every single year. This Cranberry Eggnog Yeast Bread is one of them.
Eggnog is only available during the holiday season, so I make sure to stock up and freeze some for later. I’m not a huge fan of drinking eggnog, but I sure love recipes with eggnog!!
This bread is soft and tender and has a wonderful eggnog flavor. The nutmeg in the bread and the glaze really make it yummy!
I have a few boys that aren’t fond of Craisins, but they still love this bread! We can finish off both loaves in one day. I hope you’ll give it a try.
HOW TO MAKE CRANBERRY EGGNOG BRAID
Ingredients needed:
- instant yeast (I use SAF brand)
- warm water
- sugar
- salt
- nutmeg
- eggnog
- butter
- all purpose flour
- powdered sugar
- vanilla extract
- Dissolve yeast in the warm water. Add sugar, salt, nutmeg, eggnog, oil, and 1 1/2 cups of the flour and beat till smooth. Add Craisins and enough flour to make a soft dough. Knead till smooth. Cover and let rest for 15-20 minutes.
- Divide dough in half and shape each half into a braid. Place on greased baking sheets. Let braids raise till doubled, about an hour.
- Bake at 350° for 20-25 minutes or till lightly browned. Let cool for a few minutes, then drizzle with glaze.
HOW TO STORE CRANBERRY EGGNOG BREAD
This bread will keep at room temperature for up to 3 days. I like to store it in a large tupperware container so that the icing stays intact. We like leftovers warmed in the microwave for a few seconds.
Can I make mini braids instead?
Yes, you can make smaller loaves. Just shape your braids whatever size you like. The raising time will be about the same, but you will need to adjust the time. Smaller loaves will bake faster, so watch them closely.
Mini loaves make great Christmas gifts for neighbors and coworkers!
Here are a few more favorite yeast bread recipes. I hope you’ll give ’em a try!
- One Hour Cinnamon Rolls
- Lime Sweet Rolls
- Cinnamon Swirl Bread
- Caramel Sweet Potato Rolls
- Lemon Sweet Rolls
Cranberry Eggnog Yeast Bread
Ingredients
Dough:
- 1 Tbsp instant yeast I use SAF brand
- ¼ cup warm water
- ¼ cup sugar
- ½ tsp salt
- ½ tsp nutmeg
- 1 ¼ cups eggnog
- ¼ cup oil or melted butter
- 3- 3 ½ cups flour
- ½ cup Craisins
Glaze:
- ¾ cup powdered sugar
- 1-2 Tbsp eggnog
- ¼ tsp vanilla
- dash of nutmeg
Instructions
- Dissolve yeast in the warm water in a large bowl. Add sugar, salt, nutmeg, eggnog, oil, and 1 1/2 cups of the flour. Beat on medium speed for 2-3 minutes.
- Add Craisins and enough flour to make a soft dough. Knead till smooth. Cover and let rest for 15-20 minutes.
- Divide dough in half. (I find it easiest to cut it with a knife.) Take half of the dough and divide it into three equal pieces. Roll each piece into a 16" rope. Braid the three ropes together and tuck ends under. Place on a large baking sheet that has been sprayed with non stick cooking spray.
- Repeat for the other half of the dough. Let braids raise till doubled, about an hour.
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Bake braids for for 20-25 minutes or till lightly browned. Let cool for a few minutes.
- For glaze: Combine all ingredients together till smooth. Drizzle over warm braids.
Notes
- Yields 2 braided loaves about 12 inches long.
Nutrition
See all of my CHRISTMAS RECIPES.
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Is the recipe about for the flour 12 cups of flour?
You should need 3 – 3 1/2 cups of flour for this bread, definitely not 12.
Thanks for sharing, I’ve been making this recipe for over 15 years and couldn’t find it this year. It’s a favourite in our house at Christmas.
So glad you found the recipe! It’s a must make at our house every Christmas as well. 🙂
Just made this bread. Easy and FABULOUS!!! Thank you for sharing this recipe!
So glad you liked it Susan! I haven’t made it yet this season. Time to pick up some eggnog!
Made these into mini braided wreaths and the familia (and myself) loved them! Will definitely make again and may add some walnuts for some extra crunch
I bet they were so pretty as wreaths! Great idea to add a bit of walnuts, I bet it would be tasty.
I made this bread twice! Two loaves for our Christmas Eve family gathering, and two loaves for ourselves for Christmas Day. The first set of braids turned out delicious, but a little dense (not sure if it was due to over kneading?). Our second set turned out nice and soft just like the description (kneaded less and cooked to the 20 minute mark). I love this recipe and plan on making it every year!
So glad you liked it Jenna! And I’m glad you gave it a second try even though it was a little dense the first time. Sometimes I’m in a hurry and don’t let mine raise long enough, and then we get loaves that aren’t quite as soft and fluffy either. But we still eat it! 🙂
I just made this and I don’t know why, but my dough did not rise at ALL! So mine came out very dry and almost like biscotti. What did I do wrong?
Dang, I hate it when that happens! It is almost always a yeast problem. If your dough isn’t in a warm enough space, it will take forever to rise. If your water is too hot, it can kill the yeast, and it won’t rise at all. Also, if yeast gets old, it looses its effectiveness. To test your test, put about a teaspoon of yeast and a half teaspoon of sugar in a small bowl of warm water. If after a few minutes it isn’t bubbly, your yeast has probably expired. I like to keep mine in the freezer to extend the shelf life.
Hopefully that helps!
Delicious!!! Made it for my husband, myself and our biker friend (we all ride motorcycles) and agreed no one in our club can ever know how freaked out we just got over how good this bread is! Amazing recipe. Thank you!!!
Oh my, this is right up my alley! I just bought some soy nog and cranberries this week! This bread is officially on my “must make ASAP” list.
this looks so good, I can’t wait to try it. Thank you for the post!
This looks delicious – thanks for sharing.