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
My bread turned out so delicious. Thank you
Looking forward to making this! Any suggestions for a substitute for nuts when making for those with allergies
You can simply omit the nuts with no other changes needed. Enjoy!
Made my second one!
Love the ease of it!
I live at 10,000 feet above sea level. Do I need to adjust recipe for the elevatoon
I wish we could help, but have no experience baking at high altitude. Some readers have found this chart helpful: https://www.kingarthurflour.com/learn/high-altitude-baking.html
Can you use whole wheat flour instead of all-purpose flour?
Hi Kim, we don’t recommend using all whole wheat flour, but you can try substituting some of the all-purpose with whole wheat. The bread will be denser.
My fourth loaf in five weeks is baking as I write. This is the easiest and most consistent bread recipe I’ve come across. My wife and I love it. I’m in a cold climate so my dough rises on the counter while sitting on a heated grow mat, which provides a consistent low temperature for the rise. Thank you!
My husband loves this bread. I especially love seeing
I love the simplicity of making no knead bread but this recipe is the best one ever. Leaving the bread on the counter for 12 to 18 hours to rise creates a perfect loaf every time
Can you add orange zest?
Hi Peggy, The zest from 1 medium or large orange would be great!
I made 3 loaves so far! I love these recipes – easy for the beginner bread maker (me!) I do have a question though…. Do I absolutely have to put in fridge to rise? I did that once and the artisan – standard white loaf came out way to dense. 🙁 is it ok to always normal temp rise? I tend to use the active yeast. Dying to make sourdough but struggle with finding a simple starter recipe… help if you can?
Hi Lupe, We’re so glad you love this recipe! Set on the counter at room temperature (honestly any normal room temperature is fine!) for your 12-18 hour rise.
Made it for the first time and it’s perfect! Now I have a use for my French oven! 🙂 Thanks so much for sharing this great recipe!
Do you think I could use half all purpose flour and half whole wheat flour in this recipe? Also I am using Active Dry Yeast, should I increase the amount of yeast?
Hi Kathy, You can try substituting some of the all-purpose with whole wheat but keep in mind that the bread will be denser.
I have used this recipe more than once. Even when I weigh out the components, my dough turns out very wet and can’t be shaped into a ball. Still tastes great. Any advice?
Hi Paul, this is a very different type of dough than a traditional yeasted bread. It’s wet and sticky and that’s completely normal–it’s a very hands-off bread making experience! If it’s completely unworkable, feel free to add more flour on your hands and work surface. Thank you so much for giving it a try!
Pretty good recipe! Mine turned out rather strongly alcoholic, but I think that is because I substituted 25% rye flour. The internet tells me that rye flour ferments faster than wheat, so that could explain it. I was a bit concerned when I took the wrap off the dough after 18 hours of rising and it smelled like brandy. The texture of the bread is very good though, if perhaps a little dense, and the taste beyond the alcohol is outstanding. I also substituted Swedish dark syrup, which is like a light molasses, for the honey, and about 1/3 dried chopped figs for the cranberries because I ran out. I did not use any nuts. I had to add a little extra water to achieve the proper dough consistency because I was using rye flour. I think I will make this again and either let it rise only 6-8 hours, or put it in the refrigerator for the rest of the time to slow down the fermentation. I might also use active dry yeast instead of instant. I’m very surprised that the texture of the bread was so good because the yeast definitely had too much time to do its thing.
This looks great! I checked your faqs but still have a question. My usual no knead bread for this size loaf uses one tsp instant yeast and ferments in the refrigerator. Is 1/4 tsp yeast really enough? Can I use the fridge to ferment this recipe without any changes? Thanks
Hi Denise, thank you for checking. Yes, this is enough yeast. The dough rises at room temperature, and has a very slow/long ferment which gives the small amount of yeast enough time. (And develops amazing flavor in the process!)
Sally, this bread was so easy to make! It baked a beautifully crusted bread. Delicious and gone in 2 days ! Thank you for the recipe!
Question, can I use a sourdough starter instead of instant yeast or both and replace some of the AP flour with rye flour (1/4 +/- cup) to try and duplicate the Costco cranberry walnut bread?
We haven’t tested using sourdough starter but would love to hear how it goes if you do! Rye flour could be a delicious addition as well – let us know if you give it a try.
Sally, this is the first time I ever attempted to make this bread. Outrageously delicious! Thank you for having the link to follow! So easy to follow recipe!
This is amazing!!! This flavor is off the chart! It’s the easiest bread and it so delicious! This is the loaf you’ll make on a regular basis. Incredible!! This is 10 STARS
This is amazing!!! This flavor is off the chart! It’s the easiest bread and it so delicious! This is the loaf you’ll make on a regular basis. Incredible!!
Looks fantastic — I love hearty bread. I would like to try baking in loaf pan(s) to use for turkey sandwiches. Any suggestions?
Hi Marna. You could certainly try a loaf pan or two. The bake time may vary depending on its size.
Looking for advice — the bottom burns in the Dutch oven. Second time I raised it significantly and lowered the temperature to 450 and it still burned. It also seems to come out a little wet – but I know I’m getting super close, it tastes so fantastic.
Hi Howard! You can try reducing the oven temperature further and baking for longer. Do you have an instant read thermometer? You’ll know for sure that the bread is done when an instant read thermometer reads the center of the loaf as 195°F (90°C).
First time making bread and I was nervous, but this worked really well, I didn’t add cranberries or the nuts.
The hard part is waiting for it to cool down before finishing it and I can see myself having to make another one before the week is over.
This bread came out perfect. Could use a little sugar. The loaf is small tho, but next time I’ll make 2. Thank you.
Used dried cherries and not only was it amazing it was so, so easy! Cannot believe I’ve made it twice now with no issues. Thank you!
This bread is delicious and so easy to make! I have made it 3 times in the last 1 1/2 weeks! I always had disasters before with yeast! With your recommendations, no problem! Thank you so much!
I tried this recipe feeling it might not be good but as I am a Sally addict I gave it a go. It is amazing. Turned out perfect and so much cheaper than shop bought artisan bread. Give it a go.
Love this recipe! I use 1/2 cup of cranberries and 1/4 cup of golden raisins. Yummy!
I really loved this recipe, so easy and very tasty. I’m just wondering if I have both all purpose flour and bread flour on hand, would you still recommend the AP flour for this recipe? Thank you!
So glad you love it! You can use the same amount of bread flour here with no other changes to the recipe for a chewier bread texture.
I have made this bread many times with great results. But today, the parchment paper stuck to the bottom of the loaf and I had to peel it off. That hasn’t happened before. I think I’ve used the same paper each time. Do you know what might have caused this issue? Thank you.
Hi Barry, it’s odd that it happened to parchment paper you’ve used before with this very same dough. My advice would be to lightly flour the parchment paper or lightly flour the bottom of the dough before placing on the parchment.
Made this amazing bread this morning, following your directions to the “T”. Conclusion: I no longer have to wait for special holidays when Costo puts their cranberry walnut bread on the shelves at nearly $9.00 @ loaf. I am happier than a little pig in manure! Your website is on my speed dial!
Can this recipe be made with gluten free flour
Hi Maria, we haven’t tested this recipe with gluten-free flour, so we’re unsure of the results. Let us know if you give it a try!
I cant bake at 18 hrs of proofing. Can I proof for 24 hrs?
Hi Anne, 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.