Cranberry Walnut No-Knead Bread

Hands holding a dutch oven with no knead bread square image

5 from 2 votes

Cranberry Walnut No-Knead Bread

With just 6 ingredients and about 5 minutes of hands-on prep, this cranberry walnut no-knead bread is the easiest way to enjoy a crusty, artisan loaf at home!

Course bread, Breakfast, Side Dish

Cuisine American

Keyword cranberry walnut bread, dutch oven bread, no knead bread

Prep Time 5

Cook Time 40

Resting Time 19

Total Time 19 45

Servings loaf (about 8-10 slices)

Calories 251kcal

Author Blair Lonergan

Ingredients

3 cups bread flour
1 ½ teaspoons salt
½ teaspoon instant yeast
1 cup sweetened dried cranberries
1 cup chopped walnuts
1 ⅓ cups warm water (or more as needed)

Instructions

In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, salt, and yeast.
Add the cranberries and walnuts; toss to combine.
Stir in the warm water, adding a little bit more (if necessary) to bring the dough together just until you can't see any dry pockets of flour.
Cover the bowl and leave to rise at room temperature for about 18 hours, until the dough has doubled in size. It will spread out in the bowl and look bubbly.
Place a piece of parchment paper on the counter and dust with flour. Gently nudge the dough from the bowl onto the parchment. Shape the dough into a loose ball by gently folding under the edges.
Cover the dough with plastic wrap or a towel. Let the dough rest and continue rising for about 30-60 more minutes.
While the dough rests, place a 4-6-quart cast iron Dutch oven (with the lid on) in the cold oven. Preheat the oven to 475°F.
Once the dough has rested for 30-60 minutes, carefully remove the hot pot from the oven. Take off the lid. Pick up the parchment paper and gently place the parchment paper (with the dough on it) into the pot.
Cover the pot and put it back in the oven to bake for 30 minutes.
After 30 minutes, remove the lid and continue baking for an additional 10-15 minutes (or until the loaf has turned a deep brown color).
Allow the bread to cool on a rack for at least 1 hour before slicing and serving.

Notes

Use warm water -- not too hot and not too cold. The water should feel like warm bath water (about 110-115°F). If it's too hot you will kill the yeast; too cool and the yeast will not activate.
If your no-knead bread does not rise, it could be due to any number of reasons. For instance, your yeast may not be fresh. Even with a good expiration date, yeast has a short shelf life once a package is opened (I recommend keeping it in the freezer). It's also possible that your water was the wrong temperature (see my note above regarding water temp).
If the inside of your bread is dense and gummy, this is likely the result of two main culprits. First, the dough may not have rested long enough to give the gluten a chance to fully develop. Alternatively, the bread may not be cooked through all of the way. When the bread comes out of the oven, it's still "cooking" and steaming. That's why it's important to wait and let the bread sit for at least an hour before slicing into it.
What happens if you knead no knead bread? There's no harm in doing so. The long rising time helps to develop the gluten in the dough and gives the bread more flavor, but kneading the dough by hand may develop the gluten quicker so that you can bake it sooner.
Why is my no-knead bread tough? If the bottom of the bread is too dark or too tough to slice, it may be because the Dutch oven is too close to the heating element. Set the rack at the highest possible position that still allows the Dutch oven to fit. Also, use an oven thermometer to make sure that your oven temperature is properly calibrated. Finally, you might need to preheat the oven to 475°F, but then reduce the oven temperature slightly (to 450°F, for example) when you add the Dutch oven.

Nutrition