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
So I just made this and it amazing. However, the cranberries sort of fermented? They almost taste like wine lol. Any idea why?
Hi Toni, have you baked the bread yet? That fermented smell should bake off. Are you accidentally using more yeast than the recipe calls for? We’ve had it smell a bit like alcohol before, but it’s never tasted as such.
Alternative to walnuts? Can I just leave them out or should I do anything different? Nut allergy so can’t use any nuts. Maybe pumpkin seeds?
Hi Tracey, you can simply leave them out. Enjoy the bread!
Can I use a bread cloche instead of a Dutch oven? If, do I need to preheat it?
Thank you so much.
Hi Kate, you sure can! Yes, you should still preheat the bread cloche.
THANK YOU!
I am going to try this recipe tomorrow and can’t wait! Can I substitute the honey with agave or sugar? (Honey allergy)
Hi Annie, you can substitute maple syrup for the honey. Enjoy!
This is the best recipe. I’ve made it so many times. I made two loaves this time. One with dried cherries and walnuts. Another with blueberry flavored dried cranberries and pecans. They look amazing (if I do do say so myself). As before, I’m sure my family will gobble them up in no time. I had no idea making bread could be so easy. Thank you!
5 Stars, super easy and absolutely delicious. Thank you. I now add lots of other fruits and nuts and it’s a family favorite. Thank you
So happy to have foubnd this recipe! Thank you! I’ve made it a dozen times now & it comes out great!
Perfect even without nuts!
I wonder if you could add cheddar cheese?
Hi Mindy, Sure can! And here is another flavor we love: No Knead Jalapeño Cheddar Bread.
This is a MUST for everyone to try! Turned out perfect! I had to substitute golden raisin for the cranberry, and extra honey for the maple syrup, and table salt for sea salt…simply because I didn’t have the others. It made no negative impact on this bread. My husband loves it! Perfectly moist and tender on the inside and beautifully crusted on the outside. Mine was over doubled in size in 13 hrs so I went ahead and followed the baking steps at that point. Can’t wait to try with the cranberries.
Can’t wait to try this one’. I want to use chocolate pieces instead of nuts. Any direction on that! Also is there a way to keep can you tell me how to keep the finished bread with that top crunch for a few days? I love the crunch
Hi Des! We haven’t tested chocolate here, let us know how it goes! Storing the bread loosely covered (not totally sealed) will help keep some of the crunch.
This cranberry walnut bread is amazing. Could it be adapted for a bread machine? I don’t have an oven right now.
Hi Michele! This style of no-knead bread is not suitable for a bread machine. Hope you love it!
Can I use a bread cloche instead of a Dutch oven. And if so, would I need to preheat it?
Thanks so much!
Hi Kate, you sure can! Yes, you should still preheat the bread cloche.
This is one of my favorite new recipes that I’ve tried this year! I made a few changes in the ingredients (cashews vs walnuts) and cooking (I don’t have a dutch oven:o( ) but was overall so pleased with the results! It was worth the overnight dough rest! Thanks!
Very easy bread recipe! My bread didn’t have much flavor except for the cranberries and walnuts. Is there something I can add to the dough to give the bread a bit more flavor?
Hi Dorothy, did you use coarse sea salt? You can try adding a little more next time. And for this particular recipe, the long and slow rise time gives the dough a chance to ferment which is where the unique flavor and texture comes from, so make sure you let the dough rest for the full amount of time for the best flavor. Hope this helps for next time! It also tastes great with the added flavor and sweetness of honey butter or cinnamon butter, for serving.
I’ve been looking for this recipe. I can’t what to bake it. What happens if it proofs longer than 18 hours? Also, can I bake it on a stone with a tray below with hot water for steaming? Thanks
Hi Bev, the dough could over proof and collapse when baked if left for longer. You can use that baking method – see the section of the blog post titled “No Dutch oven? No problem.”
Saw this recipe 30 min ago. Got up to make, and the bread is now rising. I’ll let ya know tomorrow how it turns out. Chuck… 76 & baking.
How did it go Chuck?? You slay, 76 and baking, way to go!!
I want to make this for a couple elderly neighbors—can I divide the dough into two smaller loaves? What would you suggest for the bake time?
Hi Erin! You definitely can make two smaller loaves. We’re unsure of the exact bake time, so keep an eye on them in the oven and look for an internal temperature of 195°F.
Could this be made in a cast iron dutch oven?
Hi Steph, absolutely. Double check to see what temperature your particular Dutch oven can withstand. If needed, you can use a lower temperature and bake for longer.
I have recently purchased a grain mill so I start using fresh milled flour for the nutritional benefits. If I use fresh milled flour – can I sub the same amount as the bread flour? Is there anything different I should do? Thanks for your help.
Hi Reena, we haven’t tested this recipe with fresh milled flour, so we’re unsure of any changes needed. Let us know if you do try anything.
This is my absolute favorite bread! I have one problem though, the bread sticks to the parchment and it burns. Any ideas on how to keep this from happening?
Hi Blanca, make sure you are using parchment paper that can handle high heat. If you try this again, lightly flour the parchment paper or lightly flour the bottom of the dough before placing on the parchment. You could also use cornmeal for this too. You could also try lowering the temperature, too, and adjusting the bake time accordingly. Hope this helps!
My family loves this bread! It feels like such a treat to have for an afternoon snack or breakfast. I followed the recipe exactly except that I added just a little candied orange peel pieces. The flavor was delicious!
I have not found Platinum Yeast in my local store. (Kroger) They do have Rapid Rise, Dry Yeast, and bread machine rapid rise yeast. But nothing labeled Platinum. Which of these varieties would work best? I am new to baking – so any advice is appreciated! Thank you!
Hi Iris, the rapid rise or dry yeast would be best.
Safeway sells it in Phoenix area, check the expiration dates! I order mine from them directly they started selling directly to consumers. Like Sally I love their yeast, you can freeze it too and will last a long time per King Arthur baker.
Can’t wait to make this bread, I’ve had such great luck with your recipes. The master scone recipe is the very best.
If I want to bake two batches back to back, do I have to heat the dutch oven again for 30 minutes after the first batch but before the second?
Hi Eliana! No need to re-heat the dutch oven before baking the second bread. It will already be hot. Happy baking!
The crumb is delicious and moist. However, I hate the hard crust. Can this dough be baked in an open pan to get a softer crust? If so, what temp and for how long ?
Hi Josie! See the post above for alternative baking instructions.
I love your recipes but this bread was a flop! It was very dense, a real hockey puck. The bottom and top were overcooked. There is nothing wrong with my oven and my yeast was Not outdated. I always look forward to your recipes but this one didn’t make the cut.
I have making this recipe for years now, nonstop!! it always was a big hit in our home. However, the last few times I made them, the loaf was pretty flat and dense. I don’t know why, because I made the same I always make it. maybe it needs more yeast?
Hi Eliana, this bread is a bit denser than a kneaded bread, but how have you been measuring your flour? Make sure to spoon and level instead of scooping to prevent too much flour in your dough. This could result in dense bread that doesn’t rise. Referencing this Baking with Yeast Guide may be helpful in the future as well. Hope this helps!
Would this work with GF bread flour?
Hi Joy, 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!
Best bread for the Autumn and Winter. Delicious and so easy. Served with blue cheese, sliced apples and dried fruit
While this bread is tasty, mine was so wet that we couldn’t eat it. The thermometer read 192 degrees. I proofed it for 16 hours at a cool room temp but I’m thinking it was overproofed. Could that make it soggy?