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Cranberry Eggnog Bread

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Cranberry Eggnog Bread – this soft and flavorful bread is loaded with dried cranberries and topped with eggnog glaze. A perfect holiday bread recipe!

Soft braided Cranberry Eggnog Bread- a Christmas tradition!

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 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 Cranberry Eggnog Bread is a yummy Christmas tradition that we enjoy every year!This bread is soft and tender and has a wonderful eggnog flavor. The nutmeg in the bread and the glaze really make it yummy!
Soft and tender, this cranberry eggnog bread is a must make at our house every holiday season!

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.

This Cranberry Eggnog Bread is easy to make, and so delicious! I stock up on eggnog just so we can make it!

Cranberry Eggnog Bread

Yield: 2 loaves

Cranberry Eggnog Bread

Cranberry Eggnog Bread

Soft yeast bread with Craisins and eggnog, drizzled with an eggnog glaze.

Prep Time 1 hour 30 minutes
Cook Time 25 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 55 minutes

Ingredients

  • 1 Tbsp instant yeast (I use SAF brand)
  • 1/4 cup warm water
  • 1/4 cup sugar
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1/2 tsp nutmeg
  • 1 1/4 cups eggnog
  • 1/4 cup oil or melted butter
  • 3- 3 1/2 cups flour
  • 1/2 cup Craisins
  • Glaze:
  • 3/4 cup powdered sugar
  • 1-2 Tbsp eggnog
  • 1/4 tsp vanilla
  • dash of nutmeg
  • -Makes 2 braids

Instructions

Dissolve yeast in the warm water. Add sugar, salt, nutmeg, eggnog, oil, and 1 1/2 cups of the flour. Beat 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 greased cookie sheet. Repeat for the other half of the dough. 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.

For glaze: Combine all ingredients together till smooth. Drizzle over warm braids.

© Kara

recipes with eggnog

Here are a few more favorite yeast bread recipes. I hope you’ll give ’em a try!

One Hour Cinnamon Rolls
These sinfully delicious cinnamon rolls are ready in an hour!
Lime Sweet Rolls
lime-recipe
Cinnamon Swirl Bread
cinnamon-swirl-bread-recipe
Caramel Sweet Potato Rolls
These Caramel Sweet Potato Cinnamon Rolls just scream fall!

For all my Christmas recipes, click HERE!


Reader Interactions

Comments

  2. 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

    Reply

  3. 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!

    Reply

    • 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! 🙂

  4. 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?

    Reply

    • 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!

  5. 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!!!

    Reply

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