Cranberry Walnut Bread

$1.49 recipe / $0.12 serving
by Beth - Budget Bytes
4.70 from 10 votes
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I was at the grocery store the other day and almost got sucked into buying a small boule of cranberry walnut bread for $1.99. It just looked soooo good. My hand was literally on the bread when I thought, “DUH, I can make this, with next to no effort, using the no-knead bread recipe!” And so I did.

…And they were perfect.

…And they cost less than half the price.

…And you can do it too.

Cranberry Walnut Bread

Cranberry Walnut Bread


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Cranberry Walnut Bread

4.70 from 10 votes
This super easy cranberry walnut bread requites no kneading and bakes up to a nice chewy interior and perfectly crispy crust.
Baked cranberry walnut bread presented on baking sheet.
Servings 12
Prep 3 hours 10 minutes
Cook 30 minutes
Total 3 hours 40 minutes

Ingredients

  • 1 cup whole wheat flour ($0.16)
  • 2 1/4 cups bread flour ($0.33)
  • 1 1/4 tsp salt ($0.05)
  • 3/4 Tbsp instant yeast ($0.20)
  • 1/4 cup chopped walnuts ($0.42)
  • 1/4 cup dried cranberries ($0.30)
  • 1 1/4 cups water ($0.00)
  • 2 Tbsp cornmeal ($0.03)
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Instructions 

  • In a large bowl or pot, combine the dry ingredients (flours, salt, yeast, cranberries and walnuts. Cornmeal not included). Add the water and stir until a shaggy ball forms.
  • Let the dough sit at room temperature with a loose cover (I use the lid to the pot, slightly cocked so gasses can escape) for two hours. After two hours turn the dough out onto a floured surface and give it 3 or four turns (or kneads) just to make a coherent, smooth ball. Cut into two or leave as one large piece of dough. Shape into a round ball.
  • Place the shaped dough onto a baking sheet covered with parchment paper and sprinkled with cornmeal. Let rise for at least one hour or until double in size. At the end of the rise, preheat the oven to 450 degrees.
  • Using a sharp knife or a serrated bread knife, gently make a few slits across the top of the dough. Brush or spritz the dough with water and bake for about 30 minutes or until the crust is a deep golden brown. Remove from the oven and cool on a wire rack.

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Nutrition

Serving: 1ServingCalories: 161.92kcalCarbohydrates: 30.55gProtein: 5.21gFat: 2.43gSodium: 247.27mgFiber: 2.29g
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two loafs of cranberry walnut bread on cooling rack

Step By Step Photos

dry ingredients (flours, salt, yeast, walnuts and cranberries in a large bowl)
Combine the flours, salt, yeast, walnuts and cranberries in a large bowl or pot. Stir until evenly combined.

water added to dry ingredients to make dough ball
Add the water and stir until a shaggy dough ball forms. If it is too dry to form a sticky ball, add a water a couple Tbsp at a time until it comes together. It is better to have the dough a little too wet than too dry at this point because you can always add a little flour back when you are shaping the loaves.

fluffy dough in pot after risen
After two hours of sitting at room temperature with a loose lid, the dough will have expanded into this big, fluffy mass. Flour your hands and turn the dough out onto a floured countertop. Give the dough a couple folds/kneads (really, just 2-4 turns, no real kneading!) until it is smooth and non-sticky.

shaped boules (two balls) on parchment lined baking sheet
Shape the dough into one large or two small boules. Place the loaves on a baking sheet covered in parchment paper and sprinkled with cornmeal. Let rise for another hour or until doubled.

risen loaves (2 loaves on baking sheet)
The loaves are now risen so it’s time to preheat the oven to 450 degrees.

slashed loaves ready to bake
Just before they go in the oven, make a few slashes across the top to allow them to expand and brush the outside with water. Bake for 30 minutes or until the crust is a deep brown color.

baked cranberry walnut bread

open cranberry walnut bread (sliced)

Using 1/4 cup each of walnuts and cranberries filled the bread enough to have one of each in every bite. If you want the bread jam-packed full of goodies, try 1/3 cup of each. I know it’s hard to see it in the picture, but there’s a lot in there!

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Comments

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  1. I have tried this twice now, and I am doing something wrong – when I slash the tops, the bread deflates and I end up disks, more than round ball shapes. Any advice?

  2. I bought the healthy artisan bread in 5 minutes a day cookbook a few weeks ago, I’m assuming that this is where the base recipe came from? anyways, I LOVE all the recipes so far, it has made me a bread baker!! IF you don’t like the yeasty flavor(we love yeasty flavor) you can decrease the yeast to whatever you like just give your counter raise a lot longer…

  3. I made this today….followed the recipe….added extra cranberries & walnuts…gorgeous, delicious bread! Made chicken/brie sandwiches….will make again! Thanks for sharing!

  4. This bread is wonderful! I have shared this recipe with my family. The second time I made it, I made the dough in the bread maker and then baked it in the oven and it was perfect!

  5. My only concern is that it may have too much of a yeasty flavor if rising for only 2 hours. I love making bread with the 18 hour method, and I have noticed it has a much closer-to-authentic French baguette flavor than only letting it rise for 2 or 3 hours. I will try it again, though! =]

  6. Yikes-this was a disaster-it hardly rose and I know I followed the recipe. Oh well, it was good for the bird feeder.

    1. mine had super trouble rising too. Wonder if I need to add way more water next time. Did anyone else think it needed a bit more salt? I actually thought it was a bit bland…

  7. I was wondering if you could use pretty much any nuts in here? cause I have a stockpile of almonds…

  8. Zac – Yep, you can sub AP flour for the WW with no problem. You usually only run into a problem when you try to go the other way (all whole wheat flour).

  9. I usually do olive and sun-dried tomato bread. Cranberry and walnuts are great, I should try it out next time I make a bread! Great job!

  10. Thanks for the bread feedback! I ended up making a roasted garlic and herb loaf that was so good.

    I was wondering does whole wheat flower not rise as much or just takes longer if because i wanted to try and substitute the AP flower for wheat?

  11. let it rise for 2 hours? i thought the no-knead called for 18?! was 2 sufficient? but anyways those look great! I made a loaf using the no-knead recipe and it came out great too.

  12. Hey, you’re getting good at this bread making now, nice deep slashes and no blown out sides!!!

    Congrats!!!