Thanksgiving Cranberry Corn Bread
It will soon be American Thanksgiving, so I thought I’d re-post our Thanksgiving Cranberry Corn bread. It’s based on the Portuguese Broa style (page 151 in the book)—it’s the regular Master Recipe, but with 1 1/2 cups of all-purpose flour taken out and replaced with an equal amount of cornmeal.
Here’s what you need to do. Take about 2 pounds of the Broa dough mentioned above and shape it into a ball; then flatten it with your hands and a rolling pin until it’s about 1/2-inch thick. Sprinkle the dough with 1/3 of a cup of dried cranberries (or 1/2 cup fresh):
Now break out your microzester, and use it to scrape the zest from half an orange…
… now sprinkle that over the cranberries, and then sprinkle a couple of tablespoons of granulated sugar over that…
Now roll it up like a jelly roll… If it sticks to the board as you’re rolling, nudge it off with a dough scraper.
Tuck the ends under to form a ball, flatten it on a work surface, and then, using your hands and a rolling pin, make a disk the right size for a 12-inch cast iron pan. It should be about an inch or inch and a half thick. If you don’t have a cast-iron pan, see below.** This instruction applies to this flattened thanksgiving bread only; you can make loaf breads this way too (freeform or in a pan).
Grease the pan well with butter, lard, bacon grease, or oil (I used olive oil today), and place the dough round in it.
Allow to rest for at least 1 hour and 20 minutes. You’ll get a more open hole structure if you wait two hours.
Put a broiler tray in the oven to dump water to make steam. 20 minutes before baking time, preheat the oven to 425 degrees F if you keep a baking stone in the oven. If you don’ t use a stone, a 5-minute pre-heat is adequate (the stone isn’t required since you’ll bake in the cast-iron).
Just before baking, heat the cast-iron pan over medium heat for 1 or 2 minutes to jump-start the baking process and promote caramelization of the bottom crust. Don’t overdo it–no more than 2 minutes. It will start to sizzle.
Place the pan on a rack near the center of the oven. Pour 1 cup of water into the broiler tray and quickly close the oven door. Depending on the thickness of your loaf and the weight of the pan, baking time will be about 25 minutes.
Carefully turn the hot loaf out of the pan onto a serving plate or cooling rack, or just cut wedges directly out of the pan once it cools. Be careful with the hot cast-iron pan!
You should get a result just like the cover photo. Happy Thanksgiving! Other Thanksgiving recipes:
Stuffing from homemade bread: https://artisanbreadinfive.com/?p=1228
Thanksgiving buns: https://artisanbreadinfive.com/?p=443
Thanksgiving Pumpkin Pie Brioche: https://artisanbreadinfive.com/?p=1209
Roasting Your Own Pumpkins: https://artisanbreadinfive.com/?p=50
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** This bread can be done as a simple free-form loaf right on a baking stone, cookie sheet, or silicone mat (about the same baking time, or in a loaf pan (longer baking time needed). Either way, it’s done at 425 degrees.
This looks like a perfect fall side dish – thanks KAF!
I’ve just recently started to experiment with ‘slow-rising’ & ‘soaking’ my doughs. This looks like a great combination of two of my favorite things…cranberries & cornbread…
This recipe sounds delicious! I’ll have to try it.
KAF is the bees knees.
I don’t think you can get more Thanksgiving-y than this recipe!
Wow, what a great giveaway! I love the book and enjoy making bread from it. I almost always use King Author white whole flour.
Looks fantastic. I should try it out.
Is there a reason you go through the process of rolling out the dough, sprinking on the ingredients, rolling it up and then re-shaping it into a disk? Why not just add the ingredients directly to the dough, or use a simpler rolling/shaping process?
Sara: You could, but the assumption here was the that dough was in the fridge without the fruit and sugar– you transform it with the roll-up method. But your way would work well too. Jeff
That looks delicious!
AB in 5 has added a new dimension to our meals!
King Arthur Flour ROCKS!!!!! Just saw the road show in Newark, DE. Very informative.
This is so amazing!! I have wanted to get this cookbook ever since I read about it. And I LOVE your flours and website! KING ARTHUR RULES!!
Perfect timing for a Christmas present. I have a loaf in the oven right now and would love to win. Thank you for a wonderful book!
I’m a cornbread lover, but I’ve never made that you roll. Will defiantly give it a go
Mmmmmmm-I can smell it baking now! It would be a treasure to have my own copy of the book, and not have to rely on the library! I already love my round rising bucket, and a square one would be much better for the fridge!
I love KAF. They have a great selection and fast shipping. They are also very responsive and friendly when I ask questions via email or on Facebook.
This looks yummy! Can’t wait to try this one out.
Ut oh, now I have one more thing to make for our Thanksgiving dinner. Thanks to you! 🙂
Thanks for the opportunity to enter this contest!! I would love to have my own copy of AB in 5!!! All your recipes are amazing!!!
How fun! I hope I win… can’t wait to make the bread for Thanksgiving.
Thank you — what a wonderful offer.
Keeping my fingers crossed!
I just started making my own bread and wow what a difference compared to store bought. I don’t think I could ever eat store bought bread again!
Looks delightful! Lots of entries…hope I have a good shot! 🙂
This sounds like a must-try and might possibly become a new “tradition” at my Thanksgiving table…Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!
I always have dried cranberries around – throw them in everything from squash to desserts. This bread looks like a great idea.
Oooh, I’ve been wanting a dough wisk!
This is awesome! Love your bread.
Never thought to try that combination, interesting stuff!
great contest
This would be the ultimate Christmas gift to me! I love to make bread and dont have any of these supplies!
Can’t wait to try the cranberry bread. Thx for posting!
Great idea – cant wait to try it. Would it work in a closed cast iron pan like the sullivan st bakery recipes do?
I’ve never made homemade danish, but it’s on my culinary adventure list for the next year! This recipe looks delicious.
The recipes look yummy. I would like to be able to make my own bread. Much healthier, and fun.
This bread looks fantastic – can’t wait to try it!
I have loved learning this new way of baking bread.
Cool contest – looking forward to winning, and baking lots of bread!
Thanks for another great recipe – and about that square container…. I have a great place in my frig for it!
How yummy! I love this season — the most baking – filled season of the year!
(Oh, and please enter me in the contest!)
Thanks for the recipe! I just made the “Broa” cornbread from the healthy bread book, but I do prefer sweet cornbreads.
Awesome contest idea, btw…
I am making some bread for an office luncheon on Friday. Love the cranberries for Thanksgiving.
Cranberry corn bread looks delicious, and KAF flour is fabulous stuff!! I never use anything else!!!
I love baking – just got a new bread baker… and am baking up a storm… used nothing but King Author since I was a small child! Our favorite!!!
King Arthur is the BEST resource for anything baking. I have a really old KA cookbook a woman I volunteered with gave me about 7 years ago and I love it. Keep up the good work and keep posting all the great tips and recipes for us to drool over and savor! These time saving and flavorful recipes like the bread above are great for busy (or lazy) people who want good food like me!
I love the King Arthur Flour site! Thank you for all the great recipes. Best luck to all!
I’m so excited! Glad I was introduced to your books by a friend recently. I’m making my first healthy master recipe tomorrow!
Cornbread looks sooooo good.
I use several items from the King Arthur catalog when I make my own piecrusts for apple, pecan or lemon meringue pies. But, I want to learn to bake bread, like my mom.
I love your recipes and this website! Thanks so much for sharing!
Re the contest, I’m an American in Canada, but my mom lives in the States–does that count? If we win, we could bake bread together as a mother-daughter activity! =)
AMazing! Cannot wait to make this. Just got into making my own breads this week! This is how I found the article. Will look forward to more great recipies like this!