CRANBERRY ORANGE QUICK BREAD

Oh, hello there, love! There's nothing quite like the smell of a freshly baked loaf wafting through the house, is there? This Cranberry & Orange Quick Bread is just the thing for a little afternoon treat or when you have friends coming over for a cuppa. It's ever so easy to make and the flavour combination is simply divine—sweet, tart, and so very comforting.

Let's get the oven on, shall we?

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Ingredients

For the Loaf:

• 300g plain flour

• 150g caster sugar

• 1½ teaspoons baking powder

• ½ teaspoon baking soda

• ½ teaspoon salt

• Zest of 1 large orange

• 1 large egg, lightly beaten

• 180ml milk

• 60g unsalted butter, melted and cooled

• 170g dried cranberries

For the Glaze (optional, but highly recommended!):

• 100g icing sugar

• 3-4 tablespoons freshly squeezed orange juice

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Method

1. First things first, preheat your oven to 180°C (160°C fan). Grease and line a 9x5-inch (or a 23x13cm) loaf tin with a little greaseproof paper—you'll want to leave a bit hanging over the sides to help you lift the loaf out later.

2. In a large bowl, whisk together the plain flour, caster sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Give it a good mix with a wire whisk to make sure it's all combined. Then, stir in that lovely orange zest.

3. In a separate bowl, lightly beat the egg, then whisk in the milk and the melted butter.

4. Pour your wet mixture into your dry mixture. Give it a good stir with a spoon or spatula until it's just about combined. Don't be tempted to overmix it—a few lumps are perfectly fine and will keep your bread nice and tender. Gently fold in the dried cranberries now.

5. Spoon the batter into your prepared loaf tin and smooth the top with your spatula. Pop it in the oven and bake for about 50-60 minutes. You'll know it's ready when the top is a beautiful golden brown and a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean.

6. Let the loaf cool in the tin for about 10 minutes before carefully lifting it out onto a wire rack. Let it cool completely.

7. Once it's cool, you can make the glaze. In a small bowl, whisk together the icing sugar and a couple of tablespoons of the orange juice. Add a little more juice if you need to, until you have a thick but pourable glaze. Give it a good drizzle all over the top of the cooled loaf.

There you have it! Slice it up and serve with a nice cup of tea. It keeps well for a few days in an airtight container, but I doubt it'll last that long!