Cranberry Orange Swirl Loaf
This lovely swirl will certainly steal the show wherever it is served. The combo or cranberry and orange with the brioche is something anyone will love.
Servings: 15 servings
Ingredients
Brioche Dough
- ½ cup warm milk
- 2 ½ teaspoons active dry yeast
- 3 eggs
- 1 teaspoons salt
- ¼ cup brown sugar
- 3-4 cups all-purpose flour
- ½ cup softened butter
- 1 cup cranberry orange sauce
Orange Sugar
- ⅓ cup granulated sugar
- 2 tablespoons orange zest
Egg wash
- 1 egg
- 2 tablespoons milk
Glaze
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 1-2 tablespoons fresh orange juice
Instructions
- Read through all instructions before starting.
- Add all ingredients for the dough into your stand mixer with the dough hook attachment. Make sure and start with 2 ½ cups all-purpose flour. You can add more later if needed. Mix for 30 seconds on medium, check and see if you need more flour. You can add up to another 1 cup or so.
- Mix for about a minute. Then start adding the softened ½ cup butter in a tablespoon at a time. This will take a while to mix all the way, so don't rush the process. It should take 10-15 minutes all together.
- Once all the butter is added and it is mixed well, it is time to chill.
- I like to store mine in a sprayed ziplock bag. If you do it this way, make sure not to take all the air out of the bag, give it room to rise. If you don't want to use bags, you can grease a large bowl and place the dough in it. Cover tightly with saran wrap.
- I like to let this have a cool rise for at least 12 hours.
- On baking day, combine the granulated sugar and orange zest to make the orange sugar. Set this aside. Then spray your pan with pan release or brush with melted or softened butter.
- When you are ready, remove the dough from the fridge. On a lightly floured surface roll the dough to 16x20 inches.
- Spread the cranberry sauce over the rectangle, leaving about 1 inch at the bottom to pinch to close the loaf.
- Then sprinkle the orange sugar over the cranberry sauce. Roll just like you would a cinnamon roll. Pinch the ends closed. Sorry, the video will probably do a better job of describing this.
- Then, slit down the middle lengthwise. Twist the 2 sides over each other to form the swirl. Tucking both ends under, then placing it in the loaf pan.
- Cover and let this rise until it is doubled. It will depend on the temp in your house as to how long this will take. Mine took a little over an hour.
- At the end of the rising time, preheat your oven to 350 degrees. When the loaf is doubled, brush it with egg wash, and place it in the preheated oven.
- I like to cover my loaf with a tinfoil tent after about 40 minutes so it doesn't get too dark. I also like to check for doneness with a thermometer. I have found this the best way to know when the bread is perfectly baked.
- Bake the brioche to 190 degrees. Once it is up to temperature, remove it from the oven and allow it to cool for just a few minutes in the pan.
- Slide a knife around the edges, then carefully invert to remove the loaf. You can eat it right away while it is hot, but I really like to let it cool just slightly.
- Mix together the powdered sugar and 1 tablespoon orange juice. Depending on how thick you want the glaze, you might want to add in another tablespoon of orange juice.
- This bread is delicious like it is, slathered in butter, or even toasted and buttered. Yum!
- Now, sit back and enjoy. You deserve it!
Video
Notes
- Chill your dough before trying to work with it. If it is too soft to work with when you first make it, place it back into the fridge. This dough is so much easier to work with the next day when the gluten has had proper time to relax.
- After adding the cranberry sauce, this dough is going to be pretty messy to work with. It’s the nature of making delicious food, sometimes it gets a little messy! Just be sure you have an adequate workspace and don’t sweat the mess too much.
- Use a kitchen thermometer to tell you when the bread is done. Visual cues can be helpful, but to ensure the bread is perfectly baked, a thermometer really takes out the guesswork.
- Make your cranberry sauce a day before, if possible. Since the dough needs 12 hours in the fridge, you can prepare the sauce on the same day you make the dough. This will allow it proper cooling time and help marry the flavors even more.