Orange Cranberry Soft Bread – Fluffy, Fragrant & Moist
Orange Cranberry Soft Bread – A Fragrant, Fluffy Treat with Yudane Magic
If you're seeking a soft, aromatic bread that combines the bright zest of oranges with the tartness of cranberries, this Orange Cranberry Soft Bread is your perfect match. Utilizing the Yudane method, this bread achieves a tender crumb and stays moist for days.
What Makes This Bread Special
Stays Fresh Longer
Thanks to the Yudane method, this bread retains moisture exceptionally well. The result is a soft, tender crumb that stays fresh for several days without drying out—no need for additives or preservatives.
Bright, Balanced Flavor
Every bite offers a burst of fresh citrus from orange zest and juice, beautifully complemented by the sweet-tart chewiness of dried cranberries. It's a naturally fragrant loaf that awakens your senses.
Ideal for Any Occasion
Whether you're serving it as a wholesome breakfast, pairing it with tea in the afternoon, or wrapping it up as a homemade gift during the festive season, this bread fits seamlessly into any moment worth savoring.
What is the Yudane Method?
The Yudane method is a traditional Japanese bread-making technique where a portion of bread flour is mixed with boiling water to pre-gelatinize the starches. This process transforms the texture of the dough, making it more elastic, resulting in bread that is softer, moister, and stays fresh longer.
Yudane not only enhances the shelf life of your bread but also improves its structure, yielding a finer, fluffier crumb without the need for chemical additives.
🧑🍳 Want to learn more?
Visit my Bread Making Method page to explore:
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Step-by-step guidance on using Yudane in your baking
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The difference between Yudane and Tangzhong methods
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Tips for choosing the right method for your recipe
How To Make Orange Cranberry Soft Bread
Ingredients: (Yields: 1 Loaf)
Step-By-Step Instructions
- Yudane Dough:
- Add bread flour in a bowl, pour the boiling water and mix well with spatula or spoon.
- Cling film and place in the fridge for at least 4 hours or overnight.
- Use directly from the fridge.
- Kneading Main Dough:
- Put all ingredients together (except butter) and including yudane dough (tear into pieces) into the bowl of a stand mixer. Using the dough hook, knead for 3 - 5 minutes until the dough comes together.
- Add in butter and continue kneading for another 10 - 13 minutes until the dough comes together, become elastic, tacky but not sticky and reaches window pane stage. Once achieved window pane stage, add in dried cranberries and knead for another minute to incorporate the berries evenly into the dough. I noticed that it is harder to achieve a very thin window pane with Yudane method dough. It could be due to the gelatinization of its starch. It is fine if your window pane is not very thin as long as you have kneaded the dough long enough. During the whole kneading process, I stopped few times to scrape down the dough from the hook to be sure it is evenly kneaded and also to prevent the motor from overheating.
- 1st Proofing:
- Let the dough rise in a warm place for 45 - 60 minutes or until doubled in size. I usually left it in the same mixing bowl and covered.
- Shaping:
- Punch down the dough to release the air. Transfer the dough to a clean floured surface then divide into 2 equal portions. Please use a kitchen scale if you want to be exact.
- Form each portion to a ball. Flatten with rolling pin. Fold right to centre and fold left overlap it. Roll out with rolling pin into long rectangle shape. Roll up the dough like Swiss Roll until a small log is formed.
- Place all dough in the prepared loaf pan.
- Final Proofing:
- Let it rise for another 30 - 45minutes or until dough rises slightly above the rim of the pan.
- Baking:
- Preheat the oven to 190C (top and bottom heat) or 170 (fan-forced mode) 10 - 15 minutes before baking.
- Brush with egg wash and bake in a preheated oven for 25 - 30 minutes, or until golden brown.
- Remove bread from oven and let the bread cool completely on a rack before slicing.
Pro Tips for Successful Bread Baking
- Gluten Development
- Gluten is key to creating soft, airy bread. It forms when flour is hydrated, giving the dough strength and structure. To encourage proper gluten development, use techniques like autolyse or kneading. You can check if the dough is ready with the windowpane test — the dough should stretch thin without tearing. In my experience, high-hydration doughs with a generous amount of fat are easier to stretch and can achieve an almost paper-thin windowpane stage.
- Kneading:
- Please regard the timing provided as an indication only. It is only meant as a guide. Times vary by flour and mixer type. For higher fat dough, knead longer (18–20 minutes).
- Flour & Hydration:
- Use high-gluten flour for optimal texture. Always reserve some liquid to adjust dough consistency for best results. If dough is too dry, add the reserve liquid one tablespoon at a time until the right consistency.
- Dough Temperature:
- Maintaining the right dough temperature during kneading is crucial for a fine crumb. If the dough becomes too warm, the crumb will become too big and uneven. To prevent this, use cold water, milk, or eggs, and chill your mixing bowl or hook attachment in the freezer. Knead at low speeds, and if your kitchen is warm, rest the dough in a cooler spot. Proper dough temperature ensures a soft, fluffy bread with a fine, even crumb.
- Proofing:
- Proofing time depends on your environment. Use the finger poke test to gauge readiness. To check dough readiness, lightly press the side with your finger:
- If it bounces back instantly, it’s under-proofed and needs more time.
- If the indentation stays, it’s over-proofed.
- If the indentation slowly bounces back, it’s ready to bake.
- There’s also a final rise called oven spring when the dough bakes, which adds to the bread’s height.
- Wrinkle Top or Shrinking:
- If your bread collapses or develops wrinkles on top after baking, it might be over-proofed during the second rise. Aim for the dough to rise to 80-90% of its final size or just below the rim of the pan to prevent this. Over-proofing leads to weaker structure, causing the bread to lose shape.
- Baking & Oven Temperarate:
- Do also note that the baking temperature and timing provided are what works for my oven and should also be regarded as a guide only. Every oven behaves a little differently, so please adjust accordingly for your oven.
- Gluten Development
- Gluten is key to creating soft, airy bread. It forms when flour is hydrated, giving the dough strength and structure. To encourage proper gluten development, use techniques like autolyse or kneading. You can check if the dough is ready with the windowpane test — the dough should stretch thin without tearing. In my experience, high-hydration doughs with a generous amount of fat are easier to stretch and can achieve an almost paper-thin windowpane stage.
- Kneading:
- Please regard the timing provided as an indication only. It is only meant as a guide. Times vary by flour and mixer type. For higher fat dough, knead longer (18–20 minutes).
- Flour & Hydration:
- Use high-gluten flour for optimal texture. Always reserve some liquid to adjust dough consistency for best results. If dough is too dry, add the reserve liquid one tablespoon at a time until the right consistency.
- Dough Temperature:
- Maintaining the right dough temperature during kneading is crucial for a fine crumb. If the dough becomes too warm, the crumb will become too big and uneven. To prevent this, use cold water, milk, or eggs, and chill your mixing bowl or hook attachment in the freezer. Knead at low speeds, and if your kitchen is warm, rest the dough in a cooler spot. Proper dough temperature ensures a soft, fluffy bread with a fine, even crumb.
- Proofing:
- Proofing time depends on your environment. Use the finger poke test to gauge readiness. To check dough readiness, lightly press the side with your finger:
- If it bounces back instantly, it’s under-proofed and needs more time.
- If the indentation stays, it’s over-proofed.
- If the indentation slowly bounces back, it’s ready to bake.
- There’s also a final rise called oven spring when the dough bakes, which adds to the bread’s height.
- Wrinkle Top or Shrinking:
- If your bread collapses or develops wrinkles on top after baking, it might be over-proofed during the second rise. Aim for the dough to rise to 80-90% of its final size or just below the rim of the pan to prevent this. Over-proofing leads to weaker structure, causing the bread to lose shape.
- Baking & Oven Temperarate:
- Do also note that the baking temperature and timing provided are what works for my oven and should also be regarded as a guide only. Every oven behaves a little differently, so please adjust accordingly for your oven.
Storage
Store the bread in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days. For longer storage, slice and freeze the bread, then toast slices as needed.
Final Thoughts
I hope you enjoy baking and tasting this fragrant, fluffy Orange Cranberry Soft Bread as much as I do. It's a beautiful loaf with a bright citrus aroma, soft texture, and just the right hint of tartness from the cranberries — perfect for any time of day.
If you give this recipe a try, I’d love to see your results!
Tag me on Instagram @bakewithpaws so I can share your beautiful bakes.
Have any questions or feedback? Feel free to leave a comment below — I'm always happy to help or chat about bread!
Happy baking!
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- First Proofing:
- Lightly flour or oil your finger or knuckle, gently poke in the centre of the dough then remove your finger. If it bounces back immediately without any indentation then it needs more time.
- If the indentation stays and it doesn’t bounce back or if the dough collapses, then the it is over proved.
- If it bounces back just a little, then the dough is ready to be punched down and shaping.
- Second Proofing:
- Lightly press the side of the proved dough with your finger. If it bounces back immediately without any indentation, it means the dough is under proved and needs more time before baking.
- If the indentation stays and it doesn’t bounce back, it means it has been over proved.
- If the indentation slowly bounces back and leave a small indentation, it is ready to bake.
- There will be a final burst of rising once the bread is placed to bake in the oven and it is called oven spring.
Thanks for the lovely must do recipe, just a question if i want to back 2 loafs should i just double the amount?? Or is there any ingredient i should be careful with??
ReplyDeleteHi, you are most welcome. Do you mean that bake in 2 loaf pans? If you bake in 2 loaf pans, then pls double up the recipe. But, provided you have a heavy duty mixer that can handle 700g of flour at one time.
DeleteI tried before other recipe, when I doubled up, the bread texture come not so soft. It could be my mixer.
Cheers :)
Thank you for sharing
ReplyDeleteMay I know what speed you use for KA? Thank you
Actually, I just got my KA and this is the first bread using this machine. I used no. 2 as advised by the sale person. The machine will wobble if go higher than 2 according to her.
DeleteCheers :)
Thank you very much :)
DeleteMost welcome :)
DeleteHi Yeanley. The recipe is excellent. I just baked it and we couldn't resist eating it with butter after letting it cool down for only 30 minutes. Great texture and it smells heavenly. Thank you for sharing! :)
ReplyDeleteHi, thank you for trying this recipe and your kind feedback. I am so happy to hear that you like it. You are most welcome :)
DeleteHi, can I check after proofing can I oil my hands heavily to handle the dough? Instead of using flour
ReplyDeleteHi, Thank you for asking. Yes, should be ok. But, not too much as your bread will become too oily. Cheers :)
DeleteHi, May i know if i could substitute instant yeast to starter instead? if yes, how much starter do i need. Thanks so much
ReplyDeleteHi, Are you referring to sourdough starter? I have this recipe in sourdough. Please click the below link:
Deletehttps://www.bakewithpaws.com/2019/07/orange-cranberry-soft-sourdough-bread.html
Cheers :)
Thanks much! will give it a try soon.
DeleteHi, I baked this using 200g bread flour and 80g whole meal flour thinking this could be healthier. Unfortunately the bread turned out very soggy and soft. May I know what was the cause of the problem.. thank you!
ReplyDeleteHi, thank you for trying this recipe. I think too much percentage of wholemeal flour. I think wholemeal flour doesn't work in this recipe.
DeleteCheers :)
Hi, can we hand knead the dough instead of using the mixer?
ReplyDeleteHi there, Thank you for asking. Yes, of course you can.
DeleteCheers :)
Thank you for the nice recipe. I succeeded by using raisins which I had in hand instead of cranberries The texture is soft and fluffy. The aroma of orange is beautiful. It took a while before the windowpane stage which by that time all the raisins had been smashed. Next time I will put dried fruit afterwards.
ReplyDeleteWill try other recipes and give you feedback. Thank you.
Hi, thank you for trying this recipe and your kind feedback. Sorry to hear that all the raisins had been smashed. The dried fruit should be added in only after achieving window pane stage as I mentioned in Method 1.
DeleteLooking forward to hear more of your feedback.
Happy baking..
Cheers :)
Hi,sorry I misread. Thank you so much.
ReplyDeleteNo worry.. You also can add in the cranberry when you shape the bread.
DeletePlease refer to this recipe:
https://www.bakewithpaws.com/2019/07/orange-cranberry-soft-sourdough-bread.html
Cheers:)
Thank you for sharing this awesome recipe! If I have large pullman loaf pan (13 x 4 x 4 inches), how would you recommend that I scale the recipe?
ReplyDeleteHi, Thank you for asking. I never baked in this size of pan. However, I have baked in 600g loaf pan (12" X 3.5" X 4") with 540g total flour. You may want to try using total flour of 560g. Please increase all ingredients by 1.6 times. Probably you may also want to shape into 3 loaves instead. Anyway, it is up to you.
DeleteBut, just bear in mind that sometimes the result may be different once you increased the amount. Probably need longer kneading time too.
It's fun to experiment.
Cheers and happy baking.
May i know what kind of milk powder, whole milk or non-fat is used in this recipe?
ReplyDeleteThank you!
I used whole milk powder. Thanks for asking :)
DeleteIf I would like to make a square bread, do I need to reduce the recipe? And can I skip the powder milk? Thanks
ReplyDeleteHi, thanks for visiting my blog.
DeleteYes, please reduce to 325g (total flour) for 450g loaf pan. The above recipe is 350g total bread flour.
Yes, you can skip milk powder.
Cheers :)
Hi there, can I just know if when you state In your recipe 70gm full cream milk (whole milk) can I use fresh milk as a substitute since I don’t usually use whole milk. And if using fresh milk to make sure it’s at room temperature ? Thanks
ReplyDeleteHi,
DeleteThank you for reading this recipe. Yes, it is fine to use fresh milk. I usually use cold milk as the long kneading may warm the dough up later.
Cheers :)
I substituted cranberries with raisins and kneaded everything by hand. Bread came out perfectly (shaping not as nice as shown here ��) and the orange aroma is lovely! Gonna try your other recipes too! Thank you for this one! ��
ReplyDeleteHi, Thanks for trying this recipe and your kind feedback. Happy to hear that you like it. This is one of my favourite loaf too.
DeleteCheers and happy baking :)
YUM!!! I made this and it's HEAVENLY!! 10/10 would recommend
ReplyDeleteI made just a few adjustments
- left out milk powder
- I "made" whole milk by combining 1% and a bit of heavy cream
- I converted all the measurements to imperial as I don't have a scale
- I doubled the first proof time since it's cold
- I tripled the second proof time since it's cold and I used a 9"x5" pan which
is larger then the one called for, so it needed more time to fill the pan
results: supper yummy and fluffy bread. not as open crumb as yours but still really great. it was my first time working w/ yudane/tangzhong and it's less complicated then i thought.
tips:
- dont skip the orange zest, it makes this bread sososo much better. a little goes a long way for the flavor!
- don't skip the egg wash either if you want that dark gold, shiny crust
- i think if I make this again, I want to try shaping them as buns!
- remember that when the dough is rising, watch the dough not the clock! esp if it's cold don't be afraid to substantially extend the proof time! a trick if it's really freezing is to turn your oven to 110 degrees f, shut it off, and put your dough in the warm oven to proof so it can work faster.
thanks for this great recipe
Hi, thanks for trying and your kind feedback. Many thanks for the tips to others. Much appreciated.
DeleteCheers and stay safe :)
Hi, if i made this into buns instead of loaves would it be alright?
ReplyDeleteHi Lilian,
DeleteYes, it is fine. I baked into pull apart buns. Please watch out the baking time. 15 - 20 mins should be enough depend on your oven. If you are going to bake into individual buns, then less baking time around 10 - 15 mins and depend on the size of your buns. Your buns will become dry if over baked.
cheers and happy baking :)
Hi, I tried this recipe today but my bread did not rise to the rim upon second proofing (45mins). It only rose to slightly higher than half the pan and the end product was slightly lower than the rim.. What could possibly be the reason for this? My first proof was around 50mins.
ReplyDeleteHi, thanks for trying.
DeleteMay I know what type of flour that you used? Some flour don't rise a lot. I used Japan High Gluten Flour.
Did you knead until window pane stage? Did you over kneaded your dough? Over kneaded dough will break during second proofing and the bread will not rise a lot.
Cheers :)
Hi, I have tried your recipe by changing 50g bread flour to wholemeal flour. It smells so refreshing and irresistable!
ReplyDeleteHowever, it rise only 50-60% higher during second proofing and the baked bread is not as fluffy as yours.
I keep the dough rest for 15 minutes after cut the dough into 2 portion and shaped it round. Is it necessary ?
Thank you.
Hi, thanks for trying this recipe and your feedback. Wholemeal flour will not yield very tall bread. I usually don't rest the dough after dividing. But, in general baking rule this should be the way as to make the gluten relax before you do final shaping.
DeleteCheers :)
Can I use active dry yeast instead of instant yeast, understand will need to activate the dry yeast before using? If it is possible, do I use the same ratio 1 1/2 tsp active dry yeast too?
ReplyDeleteHi, Thanks for reading this post.
DeleteYes, you can. To be honest, I never used active dry yeast before and I am not sure what is the ratio. You may want to check online about this.
Cheers :)
Hi, can I use the bread machine to knead the dough then shape into buns n bake in the oven?
ReplyDeleteThanks🌷
Hi, thanks for asking. Yes, of course you can.
DeleteCheers :)
hi can I use fresh cranberry insted of dried...thank you
ReplyDeleteHi, thanks for visiting Bake with Paws. I would not recommending fresh cranberries as they could be sour and wet.
ReplyDeleteCheers :)
Hi, may I know where did you get the zester from? Thanks in advance!
ReplyDeleteHi, are you in Kuala Lumpur? You can find in Kitchen Shop in Bangsar or Mont Kiara.
DeleteCheers :)
Hi, may I know what kind of orange did you use for this recipe?
ReplyDeleteHi, thank you for your interest in this recipe. Sometimes I used Sunkist or Valencia.
ReplyDeleteCheers :)
Thank you so much for sharing your talent. I am going to make this recipe. I have a hard time finding Japanese bread flour in my area. You recommended using bread flour high protein. King Arthur Bread flour is 12.7%, would that be strong enough? Thank you.
ReplyDeleteHi, thank you for your interest in this recipe. I have not tried King Arthur Bread Flour but I think should be fine too. But, please bear in mind that the result maybe slightly different. Maybe I could be wrong.
DeleteIt is my pleasure to share.
Happy baking and I hope it will work for you too.
Cheers :)
Hi, I tried your many other bread loaf recipes and all turned out so well. Thanks for the awesome recipes. I have one question for this. Can I omit the cranberries? Will it make any difference to the overall texture? Thanks in advance
ReplyDeleteHi, thank you for following and trying my recipes. Glad to hear that all turned out well for you. Of course you can omit the cranberries. It is not going to affect the texture. Cranberries just an inclusion. You can also replace with any dried fruits that you like.
ReplyDeleteIt is my pleasure...
Happy baking:)
😊Thank you for replyingggg
DeleteMy pleasure :)
DeleteHi, can I substitute Milk Powder with Condense Milk? And what’s the proportion?
ReplyDeleteAnd if I don’t have any , can I omit the Milk Powder? And what does milk powder do to this recipe?
Hi, thank you for your interest in this recipe. You can omit the milk powder if you don't have. Milk powder will help to have a softer texture.
DeleteYou can also try replace 70g of milk with condense milk. However, I have not using condense milk and I am not sure the result.
Cheers :)