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.
Great post! I could use some of that delish cornbread right now!
I don’t think I’ve ever had cornbread for Thanksgiving — is that odd?
I’d love to win this!!! Count me in!
Two days ago I made my first loaf of bread and it was delicious! I definitely will try this recipe!
I love bread, I love KAF, and I love your book! I hope I win 🙂
Such generous prizes, and I must say I’d love to be to recipient!
Cheers,
*Heather*
I am not cooking Thanksgiving this year but I am cooking Christmas dinner for the extended family. This bread will be on the dinner table.
Have a loaf baking right now. Smells great! Thanks for posting the recipe
Oh, I’d love to win this. I’d give the book to my sister. She keeps copying from mine!
Thank you so much for putting recipes on here–I want the book but can’t afford it right now, so in the meantime, it’s so nice to have access to the basics! You guys are terrific!
That’s an inspiring prize package. My bread machine has been broken for a while now so my bread making has been on hold. I feel I really don’t need a machine for making bread anymore anyway.
I love the Bi5 method! Might try this recipe for our Thanksgiving dinner this year!
Cornbread in a skillet – the only way to go! Can’t wait to try this since I love cornbread and love anything with cranberries in it!
Cornbread + Cranberries = YUMMMM
This recipe looks delish! Might be a new Turkey Day tradition 🙂
I would love to win the King Arthur Prize Package.
Oh pick me. I’d love to win this!
Loks like a great recipe to try over the holidays1 Thanks!
Wow, just in time for the holidays. I would love to win this gift from King Arthur Flour, my favorite baking company,.
Wow! What a neat giveaway! I love your book but can’t afford it !
Love the site – visit it often – need the stuff – thanks for the recipes
I’d love to win this! I’ve had the book for months now – it’s time to take the leap and actually bake some bread! 🙂
What a wonderful giveaway! I have the whisk and the bucket on my wish list!
I am kinda new to baking, but I am finding out there is always going to be something new to learn which makes baking bread an adventure! God bless and enjoy the holidays everyone!!
I covet the Danish whisk! I would love to have another copy of the book to pass on. I’m finally learning how o accomplish bread without trashing the kitchen! Thanks for successful bread for a novice baker.
I made this last Thanksgiving and everyone loved it!
I want to make dinner rolls for Thanksgiving. Is there a recipe from the book that I can use for the rolls and do you have any suggestions for how shape the dough?
Hi Susan,
Here are several posts on rolls:
https://artisanbreadinfive.com/?p=536
https://artisanbreadinfive.com/?p=2451
https://artisanbreadinfive.com/?p=1730
https://artisanbreadinfive.com/?p=443
Enjoy and happy baking! Zoë
Love KA flour. It makes such a difference when I bake.
Wow! Thanks for the opportunity to win, I love baking bread!
This is a great giveaway! Love your books!
Love KAF – would love to have a new bread cookbook too!
I’m going to make that Corn Bread today. I love corn bread and cranberries.
OOOH a proper rising bucket & goodies to use w/it. That’d be really helpful!
I am banking on you guys for Thanksgiving this year. I was given the Healthy Bread in 5 book as a gift last Christmas but haven’t tried anything in it . Yesterday I mixed up a gluten free batch and a basic batch to bake and take for T-Day dinner. I sure hope it works as well as everyone says – or I am in a heap of trouble!
What a great giveaway and the Cranberry Corn Bread sounds so good.
The perfect gift for me to give to my bread-baker daughter.
i only use king arthur! made in VT is better 🙂
hmmmm, delicious aromas and all the great goodies to make it so much easier! Happy Thanksgiving!
King Arthur products are fantastic
What a fabulous giveaway!
Would love to win this!
I just received my package from Amazon today with your book in it “Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day” – and I feel like it is Christmas!!! So excited to dive into it and get started 🙂
My family doesn’t buy bread anymore, we only use HBin5. We’d love to try out ABin5! We’re bringing pumpkin brioche rolls to our Thanksgiving Feast: they were a HUGE hit last year.
Your books have made our lives so much easier and healthier! Thanks!
Been baking bread from the books since my son bought me the necessary items. I even just got me a Lodge pizza stone to bake the bread on. I like using it and my stoneware stones. My family is glad I stumbled across this website.
I made the master recipe and dairy free brioche today 🙂 Yummy. Tomorrow I will use the DF brioche dough to make maple pecan buns.
My wife and I have been making this bread for several months now. I love it for breakfeast toast with Door County tart cherry jam, mmmm, and also for all my sandwiches.
I just love your books. Whenever I share my bread with someone they can’t believe that something that good came out of a home kitchen. I try to tell them how easy it is. But the nonbakers aren’t buying it.
That’s an interesting looking cornbread … definitely worth a try.
Really interested in branching out to unique artisan breads. This is a great web site! Thanks!
Very excited to try this!