Why does my cranberry bread fall apart?

If your cranberry bread is crumbly, it could be because there isn't enough fat or eggs in the batter, or the bread was overbaked . If the recipe you're using provides gram measurements (like mine), then I would highly recommend using them for the most accurate results.

How to prepare cranberries for baking?

If your cranberries are on the larger size, we'd cut them in half or quarters before baking . Toss them with a little flour so they won't sink in the batter, too!

How do you keep homemade bread from falling apart?

Knead the Dough Longer – It's possible that the dough just isn't forming enough gluten to support the structure of the bread. We suggested kneading the bread at a low speed for 8-10 minutes and then testing to see if it's done.

How do you keep bread from being crumbly?

Too much flour and not enough water can cause crumbly bread – people often do this if the dough is too sticky and they add more flour rather than kneading through it. Other culprits can be overproving or not kneading enough – the things you need to do to get a good structure.

How long to soak cranberries before baking?

Rehydrate the fruits: Dried fruits can be quite hard and dry, so it's often a good idea to rehydrate them before adding them to your baked goods. To do this, simply soak the dried fruits in warm water or fruit juice for 15-20 minutes until they are plump and tender.

Is it better to bake with fresh or frozen cranberries?

If cranberries are frozen then removed from the freezer then thawed, they will have a soft texture and are usable for cooking and baking . Adding frozen cranberries to recipes is often recommended.

Can I use fresh cranberries instead of dried in baking?

Fresh cranberries make a great addition to your baking, whether it's throwing them into bread or pancakes, flinging them into muffins or scones, or tossing a handful into any dry ingredients for baking to add a tart and tangy flavour.

Why does my homemade bread fall apart so easily?

Your Bread Was Not Kneaded Enough Kneading mixes the dough's ingredients and creates a good gluten structure for the bread. It is one of the trickiest parts of learning to bake bread because it's hard to tell if you've kneaded too much or not enough. Bread that is under-kneaded will have more crumbs.

How do you make bread that doesn't fall apart?

If you achieved windowpane and you're bread loaf was still crumbly, then it could be an issue of being too dry. In this instance, my recommendation is to add a little bit more fat. My favorite fat to add to my bread is melted butter. I personally love the flavor and extra richness that the butter gives the bread.

Why is my bread dough pulling apart?

The underdeveloped gluten molecules will cause your dough to flop around and tear easily . While underworked dough can simply be fixed by a little more kneading, severely overworked dough cannot be fixed. Instead, the overworked dough will result in a hard loaf that will likely not be eaten.

Why does bread break apart?

If the dough was too dry it can form a crust too early before it's had time to rise, then when it begins to rise it forms cracks which then burst in odd places when the pressure builds up . Steam is important in this stage of baking of some breads like sourdoughs so it's a good thing to try and use steam.

Betsy's Lemon-Cranberry Bread Recipe

Community Pick

Submitted by HokiesMom

"Found in a TOH magazine and clipped out to try! Boy was I ever glad I did. A lemony loaf of bread with the extra zip of dried cranberries. I've made this as a regular sized loaf and also in mini loaf sizes for gifts. I have also used walnuts and almonds in this bread and actually prefer the almonds - but use whatever nut you love. The addition of the lemon glaze just takes this bread over the top. *** Edited 11/19/09 - This recipe makes TWO 9x5x3" pans instead of one. Sorry for my error! If you want just one loaf just halve the recipe and it will work perfectly! ***"

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photo by RJ7603

Ready In:: 1hr 10mins
Ingredients:: 13
Yields:: 2 loaves
Serves:: 24

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ingredients

BREAD
²⁄₃ cup butter, softened
1 ¹⁄₂ cups sugar
3 tablespoons lemon juice
2 tablespoons lemon peel, grated
4 eggs (or can use 2 cups egg-substitute)
3 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 ¹⁄₂ teaspoons salt
1 cup low-fat milk
2 cups dried cranberries
1 cup walnuts, chopped (or almonds)
GLAZE
¹⁄₄ cup powdered sugar
¹⁄₄ cup lemon juice

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directions

In a mixing bowl, cream the butter, sugar, lemon juice & peel.
Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.
Combine the flour, baking powder and salt in a separate bowl; then add to creamed mixture alternately with milk.
Stir in cranberries and nuts.
Divide batter between TWO greased 9x5x3" bread pans or six greased 5.75x3x2" mini loaf pans.
Bake at 350F for 1 hour (9x5x3") or 40-45 minutes (5.75x3x2") or until pick inserted in center comes out clean.
Cool for 10 minutes before removing from pans to wire rack.
With a toothpick or skewer, poke 12 holes into each loaf.
Cool bread completely.
Combine sugar and lemon juice for the glaze and combine until the sugar is dissolved completely. Spoon glaze over loaf. Cool completely before serving.

Questions & Replies

If I were to use almonds in this recipe, what kind would I use??

zeldababy

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Reviews

Finally got around to making this bread (1/2 quantity). Always follow a recipe exactly as written before rating. Love lemon and cranberries but felt that it needed 1/2 cup butter rather than 1/3. Maybe we like a richer taste. Next time (and there definitely will be a next time) I will make this change. A suggestion re using lemon rind. You get a more potent lemon taste if the rind is grated into the sugar and rubber together with your fingers. Thanks for posting.P.S. with the changes mentioned above they are now better than our Tim Hortons (so agree with other reviewer!!!!)

waynejohn1234
Wonderful!! Great lemony taste. Doesn't really need the nuts, I liked them, but I liked the lemon and cranberry tastes best, and the glaze is great too - make with fresh squeezed lemon! I made these to take to a get together tonight, and I'm glad I made mini muffins for them and loaves for me, because when I get home I have a mini loaf for now and a mini loaf for the freezer. Thanks for a great recipe!

Buzymomof3
This was excellent -- and got lots of totally unsolicited compliments at the two Christmas parties I took them to! As suggested by several people, I let the grated lemon rind macerate (that's prolly the wrong word, ah well) in the sugar for a while before incorporating into the mix. Also, I used fresh cranberries, and dredged them in flour before folding into the batter. Turned out lovely, and the glaze was nice!

ladydae

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This was a really good bread. I think if fresh cranberries were in season, it would be even better. I tasted it with and without the glaze and definitely liked the lemon boost (it was very subtle without it). I used the almonds and added a little vanilla. When I checked (the regular loaf) at 45 minutes it was done. Thanks!

Maito
If anyone has been to Tim's (in Canada) they know how great their Lemon Cranberry muffins are. One of my and Billy's favourites. If I didn't know better Hokies, I'd swear you baked for them. Wait.....yours are better. :) These are tender and have a wonderful sweet-tartness to them. I used frozen cranberries that I chopped in the little food processor (poor kitty ran for cover). Omitted the nuts as our company has nut issues. I made the full recipe and baked one 8x4 pan and 12 muffins. On the muffins I sprinkled coarse sugar before baking (took 20 min in the toaster oven), but used the glaze on the loaf. Oh my.....make the glaze. :) I thought at first it might be overkill and might make the top sticky, but went for it anyway. Really glad I did. It was perfect. You've got a winner here HokiesLady. Honoured to make this as a "Thank You" for voting for Lawrencetown, Nova Scotia in the 2010 Kraft Hockeyville Competition.

Diana 2

see 17 more reviews

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Tweaks

I used 20 oz. fresh/frozen cranberries cut in half. And added all the zest + juice (divided) of 1 large lemon.

RJ7603
Thanks for sharing this delicious recipe! I halved the recipe, used a cup of fresh cranberries instead of dried, and omitted the nuts. I baked it for about 35-40 min. I also topped it with a simple lemon icing instead of the glaze: 3 tbsp butter, 1.5 cups icing sugar, and 1.5 tbsp lemon juice. This will be made often!

Marina K

RECIPE SUBMITTED BY

HokiesMom

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<p>I'm one of the original members of RecipeZaar and an active member in the old forums.  I loved meeting so many wonderful people from across the globe in what were truly amazing forums and during events on the site which encouraged interaction.  I miss those forums and am saddened that this is now just another recipe collection site.  I will always come back here as I have so many recipes saved of my own and tried many gems.  I hope you are able to find something you like.</p>

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ingredients

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GLAZE

directions

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