Dried Cranberry Walnut Bread (Dutch Oven)
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 for making turkey & cream cheese sandwiches or delicious French toast.
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!!
Nutrition
Serving: 1 slice (of 12)Calories: 221kcalCarbohydrates: 39gProtein: 6gFat: 5gSaturated Fat: 1gPolyunsaturated Fat: 4gMonounsaturated Fat: 1gSodium: 294mgPotassium: 110mgFiber: 3gSugar: 6gVitamin A: 4IUVitamin C: 0.1mgCalcium: 20mgIron: 2mg
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