This easy cranberry walnut bread is packed with tart dried cranberries, chopped walnuts, and warm spices. Baked in a Dutch oven, it has the perfect crispy crust and chewy interior!
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This is the Kind of Bread That Feels Like a Cozy Hug
I'm so excited for you to try my easy cranberry walnut loaf, because it's got all the cozy Autumn flavors in the form of homemade artisan bread. Dried cranberries become plump pockets of tart, fruity flavor, while chopped walnuts add a delicious nutty crunch. And warmth from cinnamon & cloves makes a toasted slice slathered in butter feel like curling up under a knitted blanket with your current book obsession. Of course, I also love it in a sliced turkey & cream cheese sandwich, or as a delicious French toast breakfast!
Behind the Scenes of this Cranberry Walnut Bread
I tested this dough with both a no-knead method and by kneading it, and I prefer the more even distribution of the cranberries & walnuts by kneading it. This also cuts the rising time way down, which means I can munch on the bread much sooner! However, if you prefer a more hands-off, no-knead method, follow my recipe for no knead walnut raisin bread and swap in cranberries.
As for the flour, I used a little less whole wheat than my walnut raisin bread, for a slightly lighter flavor and texture, since cranberries are pretty flavorful on their own. And if you don't like nuts, definitely check out my Dutch oven cinnamon raisin bread.
Ingredients You'll Need: all purpose flour, wheat flour, active dry yeast, salt, cinnamon, cloves, water, walnuts, and dried cranberries.
Let's Bake Bread Together!
For the full step-by-step directions and ingredient quantities, scroll down to the recipe card at the bottom of this post.
1. Mix the ingredients for the dough.
2. Mix in the cranberries & walnuts.
3. Knead the dough.
5. Shape and proof the dough.
7. Bake covered for 30 min then uncovered for 10 min.
4. Let the dough rise.
6. Transfer to a hot Dutch oven.
8. Allow your loaf to cool for at least one hour before slicing.
Tips for Baking with Cranberries
- Skip the Soak: I tested soaking the cranberries beforehand compared to adding them right in, and I found that it didn't make much difference, so we can skip that step. The two hour rise time allows them to absorb moisture from the dough, which also prevents it from being too sticky.
- Prevent Burnt Cranberries: The biggest trick to avoid burnt cranberries (ick) is to make sure there aren't any on the outside surface of your dough when it goes into the oven. When I'm shaping my dough before proofing, I gently push any exposed dried fruit down the edges towards the bottom of the loaf.
- Less is More: I tried increasing the amount of walnuts and cranberries to 1 cup each to be able to add more in each bite, but it made it really hard to keep them in the dough, so stick with ¾ cup.
Dried Cranberry Walnut Bread (Dutch Oven)
Equipment
Ingredients
- 3 cups all purpose flour
- 1 cups whole wheat flour
- 1 teaspoon active dry yeast
- 1½ teaspoons salt (use table salt or fine sea salt)
- 1½ teaspoons ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon ground cloves (optional)
- 1½ cups warm water (between 105°F to 115°F)
- ¾ cup walnuts, chopped
- ¾ cup dried cranberries
- ¼ teaspoon cornmeal or flour (to prevent the loaf from sticking)
Instructions
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk the bread flour, whole wheat flour, yeast, salt, cinnamon, and cloves.
- Add the warm water and mix with a large spoon until it forms a dry, shaggy dough. It's okay if there's a little bit of dry flour visible; that'll get absorbed into the dough as we knead it.
- Add the chopped walnuts and cranberries. Mix with a large spoon or your hands as best as possible in the bowl to distribute the nuts and dried fruit - the dough will be dense at this point.
- On a clean work surface, knead the dough by hand for 5 minutes until it's smooth. If any of the walnuts or cranberries fall out of the dough, just push them back in as you knead it.
- Shape the dough into a ball and place it back in the same mixing bowl. Cover the bowl with a kitchen towel. Set aside at room temperature or in a warm draft-free spot to rise for about 2 hours, until the dough has doubled in size.
- Sprinkle a proofing basket with flour, or line a wide, shallow bowl with a kitchen towel & sprinkle with flour. Set aside.
- On a clean work surface, shape the dough into a ball. Use your hands to gently push the top of the dough down the sides and underneath to create tension. Push any exposed cranberries down the sides towards the bottom of the loaf, so they don't burn on the surface.
- Place the dough seam-side-up in the proofing basket or shallow bowl lined with a kitchen towel. Cover the dough with a towel and allow it to proof at room temperature for about 30 minutes. The dough is done proofing once an indent made by your finger into the dough springs back after 2-3 seconds.
- While the dough is proofing, place a Dutch oven with the lid in your oven, and preheat the oven to 450°F. Allow the oven to preheat for at least 20 minutes, to ensure your Dutch oven is really hot.
- Sprinkle a little cornmeal or flour on a large piece of parchment paper. Place the dough ball seam-side-down on the parchment paper.
- Carefully remove the hot Dutch oven from the oven. Pick up your dough by the corners of the parchment paper and carefully place it inside the Dutch oven. Cover with the lid and bake for 30 minutes. Remove the lid and bake for another 10 minutes, until the crust is golden brown and crispy.
- Carefully lift the bread out of the Dutch oven by the corners of the parchment paper, and allow it to cool on a wire cooling rack for at least 1 hour before slicing. Enjoy!!
I'm eggcited to hear from you :)