Preheat your oven to 350° F. Grease and flour two 9 x 5-inch loaf pans to prevent the bread from sticking and to ensure easy removal after baking.

In a large bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, pumpkin pie spice blend, baking soda, and salt until they are thoroughly combined. This ensures even distribution of the leavening and spices in your bread.

In a separate large mixer bowl, combine the white sugar, pumpkin purée, eggs, neutral oil, and orange juice (or cold water). Beat the mixture until just blended and smooth. I like to use orange juice here for a hint of citrus flavor, but water works fine too.

Pour the pumpkin mixture from Step 3 into the bowl with the dry ingredients from Step 2. Stir gently with a spatula or wooden spoon just until moistened; do not overmix. Fold in the cranberries until evenly distributed throughout the batter.

Spoon the batter evenly into the prepared loaf pans from Step 1. Bake in the preheated oven for 60 to 65 minutes, or until a wooden pick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool the loaves in the pans on wire racks for 10 minutes, then remove from the pans and allow to cool completely on wire racks. For moister bread, I sometimes wrap the slightly warm loaves in plastic wrap and let them rest overnight before slicing.