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.
King Arthur is wonderful flour! Won’t bake with anything else.
I’ve never been good at baking anything with yeast. I’ve resigned myself to using the bread machine. Maybe one of these recipes will finally work for me.
Need a roll recipe for T-day. I’m thinking I’m in the right place. Oh yeah, and the giveaway looks great, too!
I have used King Arthur products for years and your bread dough is ALWAYS in my fridge.
This looks utterly delicious! I’d love to have a piece right now!
Love Cranberries, Love to bake in my cast iron, love KAF and AB in5 I’m in!
So many great items in one giveaway! And what a great looking bread. I never thought to combine corn and cranberries….
What a great idea! Thanks for sharing
Looks awesome! King Arthur is great, and I would love to try this!
I love cornbread. I love cranberries. It doesn’t get much better than this.
I would love to try out a Danish whisk … love King Arthur!
that bread looks delicious – and such a nice giveaway from King Arthur Flour – just in time for the holidays….
What a fun contest!
Love KAF! Thanks for the opportunity for a wonderful book and products!
this looks like a great set. thanks for sharing your recipes.
I’m always looking for ways to work cranberries into more than the traditional cranberry sauce–and I’m planning a Thanksgiving Day bread basket with unusual flavored breads and homemade crackers this year. This one will top the pile!
That recipe looks wonderful. I’m going to make some for Thanksgiving morning. A little honey and butter will make it a great breakfast on a morning where the only thing I’ll e thinking about is dinner!
Would love this set!
Cross my fingers. I know my husband will love the orange cranberry combo.
What a great set! I hope I win 🙂
Pick me! I’ve always wanted to try this method but shyed away because I did not have the proper tools.
Can’t wait to try this recipe! Yum.
I have been wanting that dough rising container and the dough whisk looks like I need to try it. Thanks.
This looks great! Thanks!
The illustrations with the recipe is very helpful. I really like the idea of using a microzester for the orange–much better than the zester I usually use. I can’t wait to get started on this recipe.
The recipe sounds great– will have to try for the holidays. The giveaway looks great– I’d love to have a copy of the book and try the dough hook.
I really could use the rising bucket!
Nice gift, would love to win it. I am making some of your wonderful quinoa bread, yum!!
Thanks for the recipe, it sounds wonderful! This is a great giveaway!
We love the books. We make bread every day (mostly).
this book is on my wish list and i love kaf. what a great giveaway!
We would love to win! Gonna have to try this delicious bread, yummy!
that gift package looks wonderful! Ideal combination. I’m the bread provider at holidays, so I’m in the mood!
That’s a cool set of goodies! I really like King Arthur flour for breads and this is a neat recipe. Pick me, pick me ! 🙂
I’m so excited…..I’m going to make bread this weekend and I’d just about given up on that because of the amount of labor and time….and then the cleanup. I would love to win this gift so I can become a full part of this revolution!
Hi! I came across your website from another food blog, and I’m sold! I can’t wait to start my own 5-minute bread… Hard part will be which bread to make first!
Thanks for making bread-making so easy!
I love making bread and this recipe looks wonderful! I’ll make it for Thanksgiving. YUM!
I want to be able to make bread for myself that is low sugar and fat and for our guest!! I really, really do!
I am a huge fan of all things KA and cranberry! Can’t wait to try the cornbread.
I saw this in the sunday paper and had to look it up. My grandmother made the most wonderful bread and she taught me but I just don’t have the time. I am looking forward to trying this for Thanksgiving, when I have some time
This looks so yummy! I love the flavors of cranberries & oranges. Everything made with King Arthur Flour turns out great!
Great! I’ve been interested in the bread book for awhile now and I love King Arthur products.
I always look at your recipies – and have done a few of them. Always good
Oh, those Pumpkin Pie Brioches look tasty! I may have to try those, next week. (And would love to stir the dough up with a new Danish dough whisk.) 😉
Thanks for the great resource!
MMMmm… looks good!
looks like a great gift!
Judging by all the comments this recipe is a real winner and I hope I will be,too!
I was just getting ready to mix up some bread for Thanksgiving and this new one will be it. Also, don’t want to miss a chance to win a prize from King Arthur!
This sounds great for the holidays
Pumpkin pie brioche? I’m all over that stuff!
Thanks for the giveaway!