Yeasted bread has never been easier. This simple method produces the most beautiful and crusty cranberry nut no-knead bread with very little hands-on work! If you’re new to working with yeast, reference my Baking with Yeast Guide for answers to common yeast FAQs.
I originally published this recipe in 2017 and have since added new photos and a few more success tips.
“Homemade bread” and “easy” are terms that don’t typically go hand-in-hand. When you think of homemade bread, you think difficult, right? This recipe, however, will completely change that thought. I realize that’s a pretty big promise, but I’m confident your perception of homemade bread will switch from “nope! too much work” to “wow, I CAN do this.”
One reader, Kris, commented: “This is an excellent recipe—bread made easy. Delicious bites full of flavor from the cranberries and walnuts. Will keep this forever. ★★★★★”
Another reader, Linda, commented: “This recipe is fantastic. The bread had a wonderful crust and great flavor. The instructions were super thorough at explaining everything for a novice bread maker. ★★★★★”
Why You’ll Love This Cranberry Nut No-Knead Bread:
- Just 7 simple ingredients
- Hardly any hands-on time
- Variety of textures: crispy crusty exterior, soft and chewy interior, and plenty of dried cranberries and nuts in every slice
- An egg-free baking recipe and dairy-free recipe
- Tastes incredible warm with a swipe of honey butter.
This bread, like my homemade artisan bread, seeded oat bread, pizza bread, asiago-crusted skillet bread, and olive bread, has all the bells and whistles of a fresh-from-the-bakery cranberry nut bread, and takes very little effort. If you are new to working with yeast, or simply feeling a little lazy, this recipe is for you.
Making this loaf will leave you plenty of time to loaf around. 😉
Just 7 Ingredients for This Cranberry Nut Bread
You don’t need a lot of ingredients to make homemade bread, and you might already know that if you’ve tried this sandwich bread recipe. You only need 7 ingredients to make this bread:
- Flour: Flour gives the bread its structure. You can use all-purpose or bread flour. I typically reach for bread flour because it yields a slightly chewier bread.
- Salt: Pick up some coarse sea salt; I find the flavor is lacking with regular table salt.
- Yeast: You can use instant or active dry yeast, but I highly recommend an instant (aka “rapid rise” or “quick rise” yeast). I always use Platinum Yeast by Red Star, which is an instant yeast with dough improvers. You don’t need much here—only 1/2 teaspoon—because of the long rise time.
- Nuts: Walnuts or pecans—baker’s choice!
- Dried Cranberries: I love the chewy texture of dried cranberries here. Don’t use fresh or frozen cranberries, because this dough is too wet. Raisins would work too, or try chopping up dried apricots or dates.
- Water: I normally encourage you to use warm liquid with yeast because it helps the yeast work faster. For this recipe, you want the water to be about 95ºF (35ºC), because we’re encouraging a nice slow rise to build flavor. An instant-read thermometer takes the guesswork out of this.
- Honey: Honey adds flavor and helps give the bread its springy, sponge-like texture.
By the way, if you enjoy honey in your homemade bread, you’ll love this no-knead honey oat bread because the flavor really stands out. The process is also very similar to today’s easy bread recipe. And both breads are delicious warm or toasted and topped with this easy homemade honey butter.
Overview: 5 Steps to Make No-Knead Bread
This no-work, no-knead, professional-bread-at-home concept originated with Jim Lahey of Sullivan Street Bakery in NYC. It’s all very basic ingredients, but his method is unique, which includes an 18-hour rise time. 18 hours?! Yes! Don’t be nervous, this 18 hours gives the dough a chance to ferment. And the fermentation time requires absolutely nothing from you. Just set it on your counter and forget about it until the next day. We use this same method for homemade English muffins. In both recipes, the magic happens when you’re not looking!
Step 1: Stir ingredients together. Don’t even break out your mixer.
This will be a super sticky dough. Remember, do NOT be tempted to add more flour. It will stick to your hands. That’s nothing a quick wash can’t fix!
Step 2: Cover the dough and ignore it.
Let the dough rise at room temperature for 12–18 hours. This recipe is very forgiving. Any normal-ish room temperature is fine. You’ll know that the dough is finished rising when it has about doubled in size and air bubbles have formed on top. Like this:
Step 3: The dough will still be super sticky after rising. That’s ok! Using lightly floured hands, form the sticky dough into a ball and place on a large piece of parchment paper. Score the top with a sharp knife, kitchen shears, or bread lame, then allow to rest for 30 minutes.
Step 4: Preheat a 5- to 6-quart Dutch oven. You’ll bake the bread in a pre-heated (super-hot!) Dutch oven, which helps form a crusty exterior. If you don’t have a Dutch oven, you can use any oven-safe heavy-duty pot with a lid.
Step 5: Bake for about 35 minutes. For an accurate doneness test, the bread is done when an instant-read thermometer reads the center of the loaf as 195°F (90°C).
FAQ: Why Bake No-Knead Bread in a Dutch Oven?
Baking the bread with the lid on traps steam inside the pot, creating that perfectly crisp crust. A lid is the secret to this bread recipe’s success! You won’t regret picking up a Dutch oven.
No Dutch oven? No problem.
While baking the bread in a Dutch oven is key to this bread’s texture, you can get around it. Instead, place the rounded dough on a parchment paper-lined or generously floured nonstick baking pan. No need to pre-heat the pan like you do the Dutch oven. While the oven preheats and the scored loaf is resting, boil a kettle of water. After the oven is preheated, place scored dough/baking pan on the center rack. Then place a shallow metal baking/roasting pan or cast-iron skillet (I usually use a metal 9×13-inch baking pan; do not use glass) on the bottom oven rack. Carefully and quickly pour 3–4 cups of boiling water into it, and then quickly shut the oven door to trap the steam inside. The steam helps create a crispier crust. This is exactly how I bake 4-ingredient artisan bread.
Step 6: Enjoy a slice of warm, fresh bread you won’t believe you made from scratch.
This lightly honey-sweetened cranberry nut bread is fabulous for breakfast, toasted with butter or honey butter. Or serve it alongside a charcuterie board with a soft cheese like brie or goat cheese, or this white cheddar cranberry pecan cheese ball (yum!).
This recipe is brought to you in partnership with Red Star Yeast.
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Crusty Cranberry Nut No Knead Bread
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 35 minutes
- Total Time: 20 hours
- Yield: 1 loaf; 10-12 servings
- Category: Bread
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Description
Yeasted bread has never been easier. This simple mixing method produces the most beautiful and crusty cranberry nut no-knead bread with very little hands-on work! If you’re new to working with yeast, reference my Baking with Yeast Guide for answers to common yeast FAQs.
Ingredients
- 3 cups + 2 Tablespoons (390g) bread flour or all-purpose flour (spooned & leveled), plus more as needed
- 2 teaspoons coarse sea salt (I find the flavor lacking with regular table salt)
- 1/2 teaspoon Platinum Yeast from Red Star instant yeast
- 3/4 cup (95g) chopped walnuts or pecans
- 3/4 cup (105g) dried cranberries*
- 1 Tablespoon (21g) honey
- 1 and 1/2 cups (360ml) warm water (about 95°F (35°C))
Instructions
- *No need to grease the bowl, and do not use a mixer in this step because the dough is too sticky for a mixer.* In a large bowl using a silicone spatula, stir the first 5 ingredients together. Mix the honey and water together, then pour on top. Mix to combine. (Note that in the video below, I add the honey to the dry ingredients instead of mixing first with water, but you can do it either way.) The dough will be very sticky; don’t be tempted to add more flour, you want a sticky dough. Gently shape into a ball as best you can.
- Cover tightly. Set on the counter at room temperature (honestly any normal room temperature is fine) and allow to rise for 12–18 hours. The dough will double in size, stick to the sides of the bowl, and may have air bubbles on the surface.
- Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface and, using lightly floured hands, shape into a ball as best you can. It doesn’t have to be perfect. Transfer the dough to a large piece of parchment paper. (Large enough to fit inside your pot and one that is safe for high heat. I use this parchment and it’s never been an issue.) Using a very sharp knife, kitchen shears, or a bread lame, gently score an X into the top. Place the ball of dough + parchment inside a bowl so the dough doesn’t spread out as it rests. Cover dough lightly with plastic wrap or a clean kitchen towel and let it rest for 30 minutes.
- During this rest, preheat the oven to 475°F (246°C). (Yes, very hot!) Place your Dutch oven (with the lid) or heavy-duty pot in the oven for 30 minutes so that it’s extremely hot before the dough is placed inside. After 30 minutes, remove the Dutch oven and carefully place the dough inside by lifting it up with the parchment paper and placing it all—the parchment paper included—inside the pot. Cover with the lid.
- Bake for 25 minutes with the lid on. Carefully remove the lid and continue baking for 8–10 more minutes until the bread is golden brown. How to test for doneness: Give the warm bread a light tap. If it sounds hollow, it’s done. For a more accurate test, the bread is done when an instant-read thermometer reads the center of the loaf as 195°F (90°C).
- Remove pot from the oven, carefully remove the bread from the pot, and allow to cool on a wire rack for at least 20 minutes before slicing.
- Cover and store leftover bread at room temperature for up to 1 week.
Notes
- Make Ahead & Freezing Instructions: The dough takes up to 18 hours to rise, so this is a wonderful recipe to begin 1 day ahead of time. To freeze, bake and cool the bread, wrap in a layer of plastic wrap, then a layer of aluminum foil, and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw in the refrigerator, and then allow to come to room temperature before serving. You can also freeze the dough. Mix the dough together as instructed in step 1. Wrap the sticky dough in lightly oiled plastic wrap and place in a freezer-friendly container. Thaw at room temperature, then let it rest/rise as instructed in step 2. Proceed with step 3 and the rest of the recipe.
- Special Tools (affiliate links): Glass Mixing Bowl | Lodge Cast Iron Dutch Oven or Le Creuset Dutch Oven | Parchment Paper | Bread Lame | Instant-Read Thermometer | Cooling Rack
- Dutch Oven: Use a 5- to 6-quart (or larger) Dutch oven or any large oven-safe pot with an oven-safe lid. If your Dutch oven is smaller than 5 quarts, you can halve the recipe (instructions remain the same, just halve each ingredient) or make the dough as instructed in step 1, shape the dough into 2 balls instead of 1 ball, and bake them one at a time in your smaller Dutch oven. While the 2nd dough waits, lightly cover and keep at room temperature. The bake times in the recipe above (25 mins and then 8–10 mins) will both be a little shorter for the smaller loaves.
- No Dutch oven? See post above for alternative.
- Flour: You can use either bread flour or all-purpose flour here. Bread flour will produce a slightly chewier bread. Feel free to substitute up to 1 cup (around 130g) of the flour for whole-wheat flour. Do not use all whole-wheat flour, as the bread will taste quite dense and heavy.
- Yeast: If you don’t have instant yeast, you can use active dry. I’ve never had a problem using active dry yeast in this recipe, and with no other changes needed. Works wonderfully!
- Cranberries: Dried cranberries (or raisins) are best for this wet dough. I do not recommend frozen or fresh cranberries.
- Parchment Paper: If your parchment paper has a maximum temperature that’s lower than the temperature called for in the recipe, bake the bread at that temperature. Bake the bread a little longer to compensate for the lower temperature.
- Reference my Baking with Yeast Guide for answers to common yeast FAQs.
- Recipe adapted from Red Star Yeast, method originally from Jim Lahey.
Reader Comments and Reviews
This recipe is fantastic and foolproof! I make 4 loaves at Thanksgiving because friends and family beg me for it. I have 3 batches rising right now that I plan on dividing into 6 small loaves as gifts! It’s absolutely delicious warmed slightly in the microwave or toasted with butter!!
What happened to your original no knead yeast bread favorite recipe that got me hooked on your site a few years ago??? I can’t find it any where and your other recipes are very different – refrigerating the dough or leaving out for 18 hrs. Very disappointed – my husband wanted me to make it for friends tonight. I’m winging it but sooooo disappointed that it is no longer searchable on your site.
Hi Mazzy, this is the 1st no knead recipe I ever published on my website. (Though here is a honey oat one too.) A couple years later, I published this artisan bread which is similar. I wonder if you’re thinking about another website?
This turned out so perfect! Texture was crispy on the outside, tender on the inside. I’ll never buy this at the store again!!
Turned out great! Thank you so much for the recipe!
I make a similar recipe but put in 2 teaspoons of cardamom to give it a Norwegian twist like Jule Lage. Especially good for Christmas Holiday season.
I read your instructions carefully and decided I couldn’t make this in my Le Creuset Dutch Oven as it is so old and my parchment paper can’t be used above 220C. So I made it the alternative way using a parchment paper covered baking sheet in a 220C fan assisted oven. Well the bread didn’t really rise but spread outwards instead. It cooked in about 33 minutes and was absolutely delicious. It didn’t look like your photo, nice and rounded, but who cares when it tasted this good. I will definitely make it again and maybe try bread flour instead of plain flour. Thank you, I just lived it.
I love this recipe. I make it almost weekly and share with friends.
I have family in Europe and they would like me to convert this recipe in German. Do you have something like this available? Please let me know.
Hi Karin, We are so happy you love the recipe enough to share it with your family! We don’t have it translated into other languages but if their web browser can’t do it, you can try using Google Translate for them.
Made this bread for Thanksgiving and everyone loved it! It’s been requested for Christmas already. Instead of a Dutch oven, I used a terracotta bread cloche, and it worked perfectly!
Can bread flour be used in this recipe?
Hi Genny, absolutely. You can use the same amount of bread flour here with no other changes to the recipe.
This bread was delicious! It worked pretty well on my first try and I’ve never made bread in a dutch oven before. I did cut the dough in half since I only have a 2 qt dutch oven. The first loaf turned out a little too well done, and when I adjusted the timing on the second loaf, it looked much better on top, but the bottom was still quite well done and a bit blackened. Is there something I might be doing wrong that leads to a darker crust on the bottom of the loaf? Thank you as always for such wonderful recipes!!
Hi Brianna, we’re so glad you enjoyed this one! If the bottom is getting too hard/burnt, try lowering your oven temperature by 25 degrees and lower your oven rack as well. The bake time will be a bit longer since you lowered the oven temperature. You can also try sprinkling your parchment with flour or cornmeal to help prevent sticking. Thank you for giving this recipe a try!
I only have an oval dutch oven. Would this work as an oval shape?
Absolutely!
Am I able to double this recipe for one baking?
Hi Mary! We recommend making separate batches.
I haven’t made this yet, but was wondering if I could use 1/2 bread flour and 1/2 rye flour.
Hi A, we haven’t tested this recipe with rye flour but would love to hear how it goes if you give it a try!
Costco sells a loaf of cranberry walnut bread for $8.99 during the fall. I’m in love with it and thought instead of spending all that money I need to find a recipe for it. So here I am! I made the dough at 10pm last night and seventeen hours later I just put it in the oven to bake. I can’t wait to try it! Oh and a little tip: try toasted slice with apple butter! It’ll change your life!! :))
Loved this recipe! Made it yesterday and baked it today, and its easily the best bread I have ever had. My boyfriend agreed and said it too!
I got all ready to make this bread and I don’t have instant yeast. Only the regular. That probably won’t work, will it?
Claudia
Hi Claudia, If you don’t have instant yeast, you can use active-dry. See recipe notes for details!
You stated in previous question I could add dates & raisins. Would that be same amount for each added item? I saw a recipe where you could use gsmith apples if they were prepared. Thoughts?
Hi Sharon, we don’t recommend using chopped apples because the moisture will throw off the consistency of the dough. You can use dates & raisins, you’ll want to keep the total amount of add-ins the same (up to 1 1/2 cups total including nuts if you’re using them).
Let me start by saying I’m a cook-a really good cook. But baking? That can be tricky and mistakes are difficult to fix. I’m just starting my baking journey and I’m feeling fairly smug after showing up at a get-together with several loaves of this for friends and hearing all the rave reviews! . I followed the directions to a T and WOW! The loaves come out beautiful and delicious every time. Everyone was so impressed! I love all the tips and explanations. Today I’m going for your pumpkin pie! Wish me luck!
Hi Marisa, we’re so glad to hear that you tried and loved this recipe! Have fun with the pie!
Could this bread be baked in a loaf pan?
Hi Sherry, you could certainly try a loaf pan. The bake time may vary depending on its size.
A question. Can I use a romertof? It means soaking it and then putting it in a cold oven so timing is different but it does steam the bread.
Hi Nomi, we haven’t tried that method for baking this bread so we’re unsure of how it would work. Let us know if you do give it a try.
This looks absolutely fantastic and I want to make this sometime this week.. but I’m having trouble finding plain dried cranberries. Are the sweetened Craisins too sweet for this recipe? Or is that what I’m supposed to be using? Any help would be greatly appreciated!
Hi Laura, I usually use Craisins in this recipe or a similar brand. They’re usually sweetened which is fine in this bread.
I made this bread for breakfast this morning, it was awesome! Crunchy outside, moist inside. My husband gave it his thumbs up, he loved it! It’s a keeper!
Oops, the bread I made was for the hearty crunchy bread! I had the cranberry/nut bread recipe on my computer screen because it has the directions for baking the bread in a Dutch oven, which is what I did!
To me, they are essentially the same recipes, one just happens to have the cranberries and nuts!
Sorry for the confusion!
I baked this following the directions to a “T”, and it turned out great!
It is a hearty crusty bread with a bit of chewiness. I made it to go with spaghetti and salad, and it was perfect. It’s definitely a bread recipe that I will again and again!
It’s an amazing recepy, it’s great with with whole wheat flower, oats, cranberry and walnuts. I found that 1 1/2 tsp of yeast works best. Thanks a lot, I use this recipe all the time.
mine got very burnt on the bottom. not sure what i did wrong. i scrapped off the burnt as best i could. taste was great. crunchy on outside chewy on inside. if anyone has any suggestions about avoiding a burnt bottom i would appreciate
Hi Bridget, If the bottom is getting too hard/burnt, try lowering your oven temperature by 25 degrees and lower your oven rack as well. The bake time will be a bit longer since you lowered the oven temperature. You can also try sprinkling your parchment with flour or cornmeal to help prevent sticking. Thank you for giving this recipe a try!
Very good! Do you have suggestions / adjustments for cooking it at about 6500ft elevation? Mine seemed slightly burned on the bottom and not quite done in the middle. I put it back in to cook longer and it taste great if I pick off burned bits. I also cooked mine at 475 but only realized after that the parchment is good too 425. Would that cause the burning? If I put temp to 425 how long do you bake?
Hi Beth, We wish we could help, but we have no experience baking at high altitude. Some readers have found this chart helpful: https://www.kingarthurflour.com/learn/high-altitude-baking.html
We haven’t tested it ourselves but other bakers have had success with baking at 425 for 35 min with lid on, 12 with lid off.
The bread turned out great. I was wondering if I could double this recipe to make a larger loaf?
Hi Jenn! For best results, we recommend making two batches of dough. We haven’t tested baking a larger loaf, but it may be best to stick with two smaller ones. But let us know what you try!
I doubled the recipe and baked it at 475 covered for 35 and uncovered for 15-20 min. I also used a much bigger stainless steel pot and the bread turned out perfect!
Everybody loves this recipe. I’ve made the mistake of baking it for friends and family and now I’m not allowed to make it unless I’m also making a loaf for my dad, my mother-in-law and now my bestie too!
Across my counter right now are four cellophane covered glass bowls of cranberry walnut dough waiting for tomorrow.
Can you allow this bread to rise longer then 18 hours – as in the other recipe that was 18-24 hours
Hi Betty, We don’t suggest letting the dough sit for longer. If 18 hours is difficult for your schedule, you can make the bread dough when it’s convenient for you and freeze it! Complete the recipe through step 2. Wrap in plastic wrap and place in a freezer-friendly container. To bake, allow dough to thaw overnight in the refrigerator, or for 2-3 hours at room temperature. Continue with step 3 and the rest of the recipe instructions.
We were craving a hearty bread, and this was perfect! It was a little too salty for me personally because I was envisioning a sweet-ish bread, but that’s just personal preference. The saltiness is pretty good with the sweet cranberries.
Can I still knead this dough? Would it add any additional airy ness to the crumb to do so? I love the sound of this bread but I don’t actually mind kneading bread!
Hi Riah! This dough making method is not compatible with kneading. Best to stick with the recipe!
I just made this bread today. So easy for a beginner to make! I used half all-purpose flour with half wheat flour and a stainless steel pot for baking. It turned out well! It tastes so good! I am going to bake this more to share with my parents. Thanks for this great recipe!
I loved this recipe! It comes out fantastic. I’ve made it 3 times in the past three weeks. This is the first bread I have ever made that was a hit right from the start. My husband loved it ! Toasted it is even better.
Can it be made as cinnamon raisin ? Or any other variation ? If so I would love to know how much I need to add or subtract to do this.
Hi Eileen, absolutely! We’d recommend swapping the cranberries with raisins and adding two teaspoons of cinnamon. You can then adjust for more/less for future batches. Let us know how it goes!
Hi, I’ve made both bread recipes and they both came out perfect. They both have become a staple in our house now. I’m making a loaf a week and we are loving it. I can finally make a bread that comes out and tastes wonderful.
Question .. can you make individual rolls with this ? I’ve been trying to figure out how to go about this and I’m at a loss. I’m not sure what type of pan/casserole dish / muffin pan I can use to accomplish this. Any help would be appreciated. Thank you
Hi Eileen, We have never tried making rolls with this dough so we can’t offer guidance for baking them. If you try it we suggest you use the water bath method as described in the post above in the section. “No Dutch Oven? No Problem.” Let us know how they turn out!
Can you use a bread machine for the dough?