Studded with dried cranberries and brightened with lemon zest, this Cranberry Orange Soda Bread is a unique and delicious spin on Irish Soda Bread! This cranberry orange bread is so easy to make, too – ready in just about an hour, and no yeast or starter in sight!
You know, I feel a little guilty about this (shock – I’m a mom who feels guilty), but quite possibly my favorite part of the day is naptime.
I feel guilty because, you know, my favorite times should be while I’m basking in the glow of a toddler hug, or oohing and mmm-ing over a wedge of plastic pizza, or reading Rainbow Fish and answering important compound questions like “What’s fishy doing?! What’s shark doing?? What’s the water doing?!”
Those moments definitely are wonderful. But naptime … ahhhh. What a glorious, glorious time of day it is.
In lieu of soap operas and bonbons (like any stay-at-home-mom actually does this – when do we ever let ourselves sit still?!), I’ve discovered an even better naptime pleasure. In our new house, I’ve found the perfect spot at the far end of the kitchen island, where I can park myself in view of trashy TV on Hulu Plus.
I can chop onions for dinner’s recipe while watching The Bachelor (oh, that Juan Pablo). Or, say, I can watch the latest Nashville (Deacon’s new girlfriend and Teddy?!! NOO!!!) while sifting and stirring and kneading a loaf of Cranberry Orange Irish Soda Bread.
Mix. Knead. Rewind (“did they REALLY just do that?!”). Form into a loaf. Pat. Slice. Smile.
During a particularly long nap this past week, I did just that. I may have also watched the latest Nashville twice in a row while doing it. What?! When you’re multi-tasking, you miss stuff!
This Irish soda bread is pretty far from a traditional recipe, but that doesn’t make it any less delicious. This recipe results in a dense, buttery-golden-crisp loaf flavored subtly with orange and studded with dried cranberries. And there is no, I mean NO, better toast to be had.
Especially when enjoyed at naptime.
If you try and love this recipe for cranberry orange Irish soda bread, please leave a review! Even if you don’t absolutely love it, I welcome any and all feedback and I share all legit reviews. I test my recipes multiple times in my home kitchen, but I really appreciate knowing how they’re working for others; your reviews help me make tweaks until my recipes are just right! And they’re so valuable for other readers, too. Thank you! ❤️