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.
Have ABin5 and the dough whisk already…but they’d be a great Christmas present for someone special! Crossing my fingers…
I’ve never seen making corn bread like that. But I’ll definitely be trying it!!
I actually do only have 5 minutes and I really want artisan bread! Even I can do that.
Two of my favorite things – bread and cranberries! YUM!!! 🙂
Wow. I’ve been wanting this book for a while. It’d be a great Christmas present 😉
That recipe looks wonderful!! I think I found a new Thanksgiving bread!
Nothing’s better than King Arthur flour and making breads!
This bread looks great! I was looking for something different to make for Thanksgiving.
This recipe looks great! And you can’t go wrong with King Arthur…
Looks like it will be fun to try
I’d completely love this package — king arthur is amazing!
This looks like a great gift and I love the rising buckets .. I picked up a couple at Gordon Food Service and and to get a couple more for storing flours 🙂
I love King Arthur Flour and would love to win the giveaway.
Looks delicious!
Love King Arthur flour and have been interested in the book since I read about it this summer!
Wouldn’t you know it, I gave away my cast iron pan when we moved two weeks ago and now I see in your post a perfectly lovely way to use it. I found your blog through Lake Mary Musings in a post about your Artisan bread in five minutes.
Awesome. Totally need that bucket. 🙂
I would love to get those prizes. It’s my birthday coming up, please pick me;)
What a great giveaway! I’d love to win that dough bucket.
Looks delicious !
The recipe looks great and i am loving the giveaway!
I have been wanting this book for a while, but no one buys off my gift lists. Looks amazing.
What an awesome giveaway! So glad for the chance to win this book.
Looks delicious!
I made this last Thanksgiving. It was great. I think I will make it again.
Looks like a delicious recipie. Have printed and will try it ASAP!!!
Looks good! I hope I win!
Looks delicious! I might have to try it for Thanksgiving!
My first time to your site and I’m looking forward to learning more!
love abin5 and kaf. have the soft whole wheat sandwich dough in the fridge at the moment from hbin5!
Looks Yummy….. I can’t wait to try it. It will make my kitchen smell so good. King Arthur products are a awesome give away…… 😉
I will definitely try this recipe, probably tomorrow.
Yum, looks good.
thanks for the super idea!
I just dug out my cast iron pan, dusted it off and will do a trial run of this recipe over the weekend! Looks wonderful! Would love to win the book too! 🙂
Have this book it is wonderful wanted to try this bread, will be doing it this weekend
Oh, my, what a wonderful giveaway! That recipe, I am swooning. Thank you for the chance to win!
I love making the bread you post. I would love the giveaway too!! I have been busy baking bread and I love it!
Just did the basic loaf and it was great! Love the idea for the cranberry loaf may try it. Have a great Thanksgiving all.
mmmmmmmm…. this looks yummy! I keep checking that book out from the Library! But I NEED the bucket! 🙂
AB in 5 is my favorite book right now! I can’t stop. 😉 I have a new cast iron pan and feel compelled to test this cranberry bread recipe. Yum!
Love KAF! I use it all the time in my breadmaker & for 5 minute bread. Never heard of a Danish dough hook-sounds like a fun new kitchen tool!
thanks.
Well, this type of recipe is completely foreign to me, but looks like it will be interesting to try.
Yum! Cranberry corn bread! Who knew there was such a thing? Can’t wait to try it.
This looks so good. I love King Arthur Flour. I use it all the time!! Happy Thanksgiving!
I loved your book and am so happy to have found your site. Crossing my fingers that I win the give-away!
Wow! KAF rocks! I’ve made the Broa before, but not this version. Looks tastey.
Pick me and I promise to teach someone else to make his/her own bread with it.
(I’ve already converted several people, and am determined to show anyone near me who wants to do it, how to.)
I’m a total KAF devotee. Pick me, please! And happy Thanksgiving!