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.
I love your books. I just gave a copy of both of them to my nephew. Now he does not have to check them out of the library. I plan to make the Mini Brioche a Tête for Thanksgiving. Thanks to King Arthur Flour for this “contest.”
Thanks for the chance to win some great stuff!
I don’t have the book yet. Love to make homemade bread. This looks great…will have to try it for Thanksgiving.
This recipe looks great.
I just baked the last of my broa dough! Time to make some more…. 🙂
I couldn’t find it, but somewhere I seem to remember someone recommended an easy way to add fiber to your bread is to simply incorporate wheat bran into the flour when making the dough. That it is actually easier to get a significant fiber boost with wheat bran than with whole grain flour. Was that on this site? I wonder how it affects the water ratio?
Bill: We have a recipe that addresses this in our first book (at https://bit.ly/cNtfJI), look for “Bran-Enriched White Bread” in the index of that one. Jeff
Wow, another use for my cast-iron skillet! Would love to be put in the drawing for the giveaway, too.
Always enjoy all of your recipes I make.
I adore King Arthur Flour!
Ooh, I’ve had my eye on that container for the dough for a long time!
Oh wow I cant wait to try the new bread. They are how I learned to bake bread I watched a video and made beautiful bread Thanks to them!!!! Thanks for the contest
thanks for the recipe! Plan on making a batch today.
fun giveaway!
I have so many things to be thankful for this Thanksgiving. Among them is this website and the support you give to those of us who love to bake bread. Thanks!
The Cranberry bread looks delicious! I haven’t tried that one yet, I will definately make it soon. I have enjoyed making the breads from your books using the no-knead method. Thanks for the chance to win the wonderful bread-making basket from King Arthur Flour!!
Great giveaway!! I need a dough container and had hoped to get one before the holidays. 🙂
Good luck everyone!
Zoe, I’m a little embarrassed to say that I just found your blog recently. I am loving it. I had no idea that you live in Mpls. I live in St. Paul. Are you getting ready for the cold snap next week? Ugh! Would love to win your giveaway… Take care 🙂
what a great prize package! Thanks for the website and for being so diligent in answering comments.
Ooh! This recipe looks yummy! Thanks!
Now I’m motivated to season my cast iron pan. Yum!
Just in time for fall bread baking!
Thanks for a wonderful prize package, just in time for the holidays. I have just gotten into making bread, make it about 2 to 3 times a week and that bucket riser has been on my wish list.
I would love to win this! I really want to try that Danish Dough Whisk.
What a lovely giveaway! Lucky winner (whoever it maybe!)!
this would make a great Christmas gift.
Love this giveaway! I would especially love to win the bucket!
I’ve stuck to the basic bread recipe very religiously, but this might just be my sign to branch out into new flavors and techniques!
My husband in the past worked in a bakery- he makes the best bread. I was a total failure in the bread department until I used your reciepe…WOW Now my family begs for MY bread. Thanks
love your bread recipes. My husband baked bread for a restaurant and makes the most wonderful bread. I was a bread failure until I tried your recipes now my family asks for MY bread
Dough made from King Arthur flour and baked in a cast iron skillet brings to mind wonderful smells and amazing tastes. Please bless me with the giveaway prizes.
This corn bread looks divine.
Love your blog – and King Arthur!
Looks fabulous. I am definitely improving my baking skills with the help of King Arthur Flour, love you guys. Have a healthy, happy Thanksgiving.
I am dying for this book.
Cranberries in corn bread! Why haven’t I thought of this before!? Looks great. Love KAF!
Wow, that bread looks great! Would love to try to make it sometime.
this recipe looks great – I love anything with cornmeal..gonna give it a whirl on my next day off…
Interesting shaping technique – happy to have something new to try, and it’s so pretty. Thx!
I was just getting ready to mix up some dough for cinnamon rolls. Now I think I’ll pull out my “fridge dough” and make this instead. Would love the giveaway as well!
What a great giveaway!!!
Great recipe; I’ve never seen a cranberry, or cornbread, that wasn’t a quick bread. I’ll be trying this.
Oh… this sounds good. I bet the filling would make a good addition to a breakfast bread!
Nice recipe and nice contest!! : )
Ooh, I’m a fan of King Arthur flour, and I have been coveting one of those buckets.
Wowowow! Your book is fab; King Arthur Flour is fab! It’s, well, all just plain fab!
I would love to win this set! I’ve been wanting to try your artisan bread methods but haven’t quite gotten around to it yet – and this bread looks astounding! I’m a huge KAF fan… would love to have the rising bucket in particular!
I love anything cranberry and orange. I can’t wait to try this one. I love the master recipe for pizza dough…yum!!!
Looks yummy. Might have to try making this, so far I’ve had great success with the country white bread but the fam aren’t interested with much else. this however, sounds like something they might like she loves raisins…picky 2 & 3 y/o 🙂
I think I will try to make this. Thank you!