Peter Reinhart, a baking instructor at the California Culinary Academy, says, "Ever since I was a kid, the cranberry relish has been just about my favorite part of the holiday dinner. I love how its juices run in every direction to blend with everything on the plate. Of course, it has to be good cranberry relish, with coarsely chopped berries and walnuts and plenty of orange flavor. The cranberry-walnut braid captures those flavors, and the shape makes a beautiful presentation, too.
Ingredients
Makes 1 loaf
Step 1
Stir 3 cups flour, sugar, yeast and salt in large bowl to blend. Add buttermilk, 2 eggs, melted butter and orange extract and stir vigorously until well blended. Gradually stir in enough hot water to form soft, slightly sticky dough. Transfer dough to floured work surface. Knead dough until smooth and slightly tacky but not sticky, adding more flour if necessary, about 7 minutes. Knead in dried cranberries 1/3 cup at a time; then knead in walnuts. Form dough into ball.
Step 2
Oil large bowl. Add dough to bowl, turning to coat with oil. Cover bowl with plastic wrap, then towel. Let dough rise in warm draft-free area until doubled in volume, about 1 1/2 hours.
Step 3
Lightly oil heavy large baking sheet. Punch down dough. Turn dough out onto floured surface. Divide dough into 4 equal pieces; then divide 1 dough piece into 3 equal pieces and reserve. Using palms of hands, roll out each of remaining 3 large pieces on work surface to 13-inch-long ropes. Braid ropes together. Tuck ends under and pinch together. Transfer braid to prepared baking sheet. Roll out each of reserved 3 small dough pieces to 10-inch-long ropes. Braid ropes together. Tuck ends under and pinch together. Brush large braid with some of egg glaze. Place small braid atop center of large braid. Brush small braid with some of egg glaze. Let rise uncovered in warm area until almost doubled in volume, about 1 hour 15 minutes.
Step 4
Preheat oven to 325°F. Brush loaf again with egg glaze. Bake until loaf is deep golden brown and sounds hollow when tapped on bottom, about 45 minutes. Transfer loaf to rack and cool at least 45 minutes before slicing. (Can be prepared ahead. Cool completely. Wrap tightly in foil and freeze up to 2 weeks. Uncover and thaw at room temperature.)
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Reviews (45)
Back to TopYum yum! Made just as directed and it came out beautiful and delicious. I used the scale to weigh the rope strands so made it easier to get them even
Mamie
Chicago
10/3/2022
I cut the recipe in half and made in my bread machine and it came out great, but I used 2 cups of flour---the dough was too thin with only 1.5 cups (half) the flour.
karengr
Boston, MA
11/21/2013
I love this bread!
jellybean32710
12/13/2011
I make this every Thanksgiving and Christmas holiday. My family always asks for it!
coffey7
Atlanta, GA
11/23/2010
Can this be baked in advance and frozen? Instructions? Thanks!
lauriev53
SF
11/11/2010
This is fabulous. To make it a bit healthier, I used 1/2 whole wheat flour instead of all white flour. The only other changes I made were to use orange zest in lieu of the extract (didn't have any on hand) and to shape it into three round boules instead of braiding it. Everyone loved it! The flavor and texture are perfect. I will make this many more times!
anaisfern
Atlanta, GA
2/14/2010
I accidentally bought cherries instead of cranberries but still made the bread. It was very good and looked beautiful for Thanksgiving dinner! Will definitely do this one again with the right dried berries!
meggliz
Northern VA
2/7/2010
Unfortunately, this bread turned out raw in the middle. Perhaps if one makes two smaller breads instead of one high bread, it might get cooked through. It may be that extra braid on top that causes the height and thickness, which results in a beautiful, yet uncooked in the middle bread. The outside crust of this bread, which was fully cooked, was a winner though.
Francesca2
Scottsdale, AZ
9/19/2009
This bread is truly exceptional. I made a few slight changes as follows: I used Saco's cultured buttermilk powder (which is basically the same as buttermilk since you reconstitute it) and instead of orange extract (I've never been a fan of the flavor) I added about 1.5 tsp. of vanilla extract. The vanilla added just the right note of richness to the bread. It happened that my dried cranberries were a bit dried out (Thanksgiving leftovers) so I re-hydrated them a bit with a quick blanching. I added a little extra flour as needed given the extra water in the berries and it worked out just fine. I decided to make two boule-shaped loaves so that I could give one away (although I wasn't eager to once I tasted it!). Taking the advice of other reviewers, I baked my boules for exactly 30 minutes. They came out perfectly done and beautifully golden. I plan on making this for next Thanksgiving.
akalish
New York, NY
12/30/2008
This was probably only the 2nd or 3rd time I had ever made bread from scratch. I accidentally used regular yeast instead of quick-acting yeast. And despite all that, the bread still turned out great. It is so nice to be able to present a fresh bread that also looks beautiful! I can't wait to make it again with the right yeast- I think it will be incredible.
Anonymous
Raleigh, NC
12/1/2008
Baking has been my hobby for many years, and I can say that this is the most beautiful bread I've ever made. Not only that, the flavor is wonderful, too. I didn't have orange extract, so I substituted concentrated frozen orange juice for the water and added the finely grated rind from one orange. It was perfect. The second time I made it I put the dry ingredients and eggs in my breadmaker. I heated the buttermilk, butter and orange concentrate to lukewarm and added that. When the dough was finished I pressed it out on a board and added 1/3 of the nuts/fruit and rolled up. repeated twice more. The breadmaker version was fast and easy and turned out just as perfectly as the long method.
Anonymous
San Diego
2/7/2008
这是我第一个面包。我跟随ed this recipe verbatim except cooking time where I had to pull the bread out at 30 minutes because it was much too brown and clearly cooked through. Next time I will tent after 15 minutes and again pull it out at 30 minutes. The orange flavor was a bit too strong for me; next time I'm going to use only 1T of orange extract. Otherwise, the flavor & consistency were both good. Though this recipe demands that you be in-and-out of the kitchen over the course of hours, it is not a huge time commitment of actual work time. I found it easy to start the bread and take on another project while it was rising. P.S. My husband keeps raving about the great flavor.
sforchid
Berkeley, CA
1/8/2008
This is a dense bread with a wonderful taste and beautiful presentation. I will definately make it again.
DKteachr7
Mapleville RI
12/30/2007
A delicious and beautiful bread. Will definitely make again.
Anonymous
Culver City, CA
11/25/2006
This bread was one of the best homemade breads I have ever made. I loved the taste and texture of the bread. Great served with poultry or toasted for breakfast. I can't wait to make this again.
Anonymous
Canton, MI
3/8/2006
