This No-Knead Cranberry Honey Walnut Artisan Bread is a delicious sweet bakery-style bread that’s perfect for the holidays! Make it perfect with my easy pro tips for homemade bakery-style bread!
NEVER MISS A POST! FOLLOW ME ON:
FACEBOOK | PINTEREST | INSTAGRAM | TWITTER
If you’ve been following thebusybaker.ca for awhile now you’ll already know how obsessed I am with no knead artisan-style bread recipes! Way back when I first started my blog I shared this Easy No Knead Artisan Bread recipe with you and it’s a recipe I’ve made more than a hundred times I’m sure, with countless flavour variations. My favourite variation yet is this No-Knead Cranberry Honey Walnut Artisan Bread! It’s delicious for breakfast or with a cup of tea in the afternoon, and it is a simply gorgeous loaf of bread that everyone will love, especially for the holidays! And with my pro tips, you’ll be able to make it too!
Pro tip#1: Pre-heat your Dutch Oven pot before baking. This bread is baked in an oven-safe Dutch Oven pot which traps in steam, making the crust of the loaf extra crispy. Pre-heating the pot before baking helps make the crust even more crispy and golden brown!
If you’re looking for a great Dutch Oven pot for making bread recipes like this No-Knead Cranberry Honey Walnut Artisan Bread, I will tell you that it’s one of the best investments you can ever make for your kitchen. Mine is a total beauty from Le Creuset (affiliate link) and I use it almost ever day throughout the year for soups, stews, sauces, curries, and of course for baking bread (if you want my original Dutch Oven Crusty Bread recipe, grab it HERE!). A pot like this one is definitely a financial investment, but considering how much I use mine and considering its high quality, it’s definitely a worthy investment since it will last for 10, 20 or even more years. I’ve also used similar cast iron pots from other brands, like THIS ONE from KitchenAid and THIS ONE from Lodge Cast Iron (both affiliate links) if you’re looking for something a little less expensive but still high quality that’ll do the job well.
Pro Tip #2: Shape your loaf firmly but gently and dust the top of the loaf with flour. Creating a round shape will help the loaf bake evenly and dusting the top with flour will create that gorgeous, bakery-style appearance that everyone loves!
Pro Tip #3: Let the No-Knead Cranberry Honey Walnut Artisan Bread loaf cool completely before cutting into it!! Resist the urge to slice the bread while it’s hot. Did you know that after removing a loaf of bread from the oven it continues to bake inside as it cools?? Slicing into this gorgeous loaf too early will cause the inside of the loaf to be under-cooked and gummy. Letting the loaf cool completely before slicing ensures the perfect fluffy texture when you slice into it!
NEVER MISS A POST! FOLLOW ME ON:
FACEBOOK | PINTEREST | INSTAGRAM | TWITTER
I hope you love this No-Knead Cranberry Honey Walnut Artisan Bread recipe as much as we do! Let me know in the comments below, what’s your favourite bakery-style bread to make at home? I’d love to know!
KITCHEN PRODUCTS I RECOMMEND:
Looking for even more delicious bread recipes? You’ll LOVE these:
-
Garlic Butter Dinner Rolls
-
Healthier Cornbread
-
Pumpkin Cornbread Muffins
-
Easy No Knead Artisan Bread
-
Easy No Knead Cinnamon Raisin Artisan Bread
No-Knead Cranberry Honey Walnut Artisan Bread
This No-Knead Cranberry Honey Walnut Artisan Bread is a delicious sweet bakery-style bread that's perfect for the holidays! Make it perfect with my easy pro tips for homemade bakery-style bread!
Ingredients
- 3 cups all purpose flour, plus 3 tablespoons
- 1/2 teaspoon instant yeast
- 2 teaspoons sea salt
- 1/2 cup chopped walnuts
- 1 cup dried cranberries
- 1 1/2 cups water at room temperature
- 1/4 cup liquid honey, plus more for brushing on after baking
Instructions
-
Start with a large bowl and a wooden spoon, and add your flour to the bowl. Measure the yeast and add it to one side of the bowl. Measure the salt and add it to the other side.
-
Using a wooden spoon, stir the yeast into the flour on its side of the bowl first and then stir the salt into the flour on its side of the bowl. This will prevent the salt mixing directly with the yeast. Give the whole mixture a few good stirs to make sure everything is combined.
-
Add the cranberries and walnuts to the flour mixture and toss well to coat, and to make sure they're distributed evenly throughout.
-
Measure the water. Make sure the water is at room temperature; water that is too warm or too cold can kill the yeast and prevent the bread from rising at all. Add the honey to the water and stir with a fork to combine.
-
Pour the water in and stir with a wooden spoon. The dough will be rough and a bit sticky, but that's normal.
-
Stir until all the flour is combined. This is not normal bread dough (there's no kneading involved in this recipe), so you don't need to be too concerned about the appearance of the dough at this point. Just make sure the ingredients are combined well.
-
Cover the bowl with plastic wrap. It's a good idea to ensure there's adequate space left in the bowl for the dough to at least double in size. Place the bowl in a warm, draft-free place and let it rise for 12-18 hours.
-
After the dough has risen for 12-18 hours, preheat oven to 450 degrees Fahrenheit. Place your Dutch oven with the lid on in the cold oven and let it heat up with the oven.
-
Place a piece of parchment paper on the counter and dust it with flour. Rub flour on your hands and scrape the dough away from the sides of the bowl, gathering it in your hands as best you can (it may feel kind of fluid and not at all like regular bread dough) and forming it into a circular loaf on the parchment paper. Don't worry if it still looks a little rough in places. This lends to the rustic look of this loaf.
-
Once you have it shaped, the dough needs to undergo a second rise (much shorter than the first). The goal is to handle the dough as little as possible at this stage because any amount of tugging at the rough can cause it to deflate after it has undergone its second rise. The next few steps will help prevent this. But don't worry if it deflates a bit. This bread dough is pretty forgiving.
-
Sprinkle flour over the top of the loaf and loosely cover it with plastic wrap to prevent a skin from forming over the dough. The flour also prevents the plastic wrap from sticking to the dough so when you take it off at the end of the rise, it doesn't disturb the dough and wreck the rustic shape you've created. Let the dough rise for about 45 minutes. Your oven will also be preheating during this time (and so will your pot).
-
Once 45 minutes have passed remove the plastic wrap from the dough and trim the parchment paper into a circle closely around the dough. If it doesn't look like the dough has risen that much, don't worry about it. The loaf will puff up a bit when it hits the heat of the oven.
-
Remove the preheated pot from the oven and transfer the dough into the pot as carefully as possible by handling only the parchment paper. Place the lid on the pot and return it to the oven for 30 minutes. Don't open the oven during this time, and certainly don't take the lid off the pot; the crispness of the crust develops because of the steam that builds up in the pot during this 30 minutes.
-
After 30 minutes have passed, remove the lid from the pot and continue baking for another 15 minutes. After the 15 minutes have passed, remove the pot with bread from the oven and place it on a wire rack to cool. You'll probably hear it crackling as it cools - this is normal.
-
If you can, resist the urge to cut into the bread until it has pretty much cooled completely. The bread continues to bake on the inside even after it has been removed from the oven and cutting it too early could result in the inside becoming gummy or rubbery.
Demeter says
This looks fantastic and so perfect for the holiday! Thanks for all of your tips to getting this done right.
Chrissie says
I hope you enjoy it!!
Sabrina says
What a delicious flavor combination! The hardest part looks to be having the patience not to cut into right as it comes out! A true test of wills, haha!
Chrissie says
Ha ha! Thanks! 🙂
Anna says
This is one gorgeous loaf! I need to make it soon!
Chrissie says
Thanks!
Dee says
This sounds very yummy! In my family we eat bread a lot so it’s nice to bring some variety to the table
Chrissie says
I’m SO glad!
Alyssa Brantley says
This is a gorgeous loaf of artisan bread! Thanks for sharing your tips!
Chrissie says
Thanks! 🙂
Melanie Bauer says
I love everything about this! So much flavor packed into each bite, absolutely a must try!
Chrissie says
Thanks!!
Elizabeth Vlug says
I made this bread yesterday and I can say it is really, really tasty. And so easy to make. Will definitely be making this one again. Thank you for sharing yet another delicious recipe. I can hardly wait to have a slice of this bread toasted this morning for breakfast. 🙂
Chrissie says
It’s SO great toasted in the morning 🙂 Glad you loved it!
Erin | Dinners,Dishes and Dessert says
This looks so tasty! I want it so bad!
Chrissie says
Hope you enjoy it!! 🙂
Linda says
Beautiful cranberry walnut honey artisan bread. I have been looking for this perfect easy recipe for a while. I had use the Italian lady recipe, but crust is not crispy and lots of work like proofing first. Yours looks so easy. Only thing I have to get a Dutch oven. King Arthur Flour has one on sale on Black Friday . Out of stock now, but will be available December 3. Hope I can get one for same sale price.
I looked all over your recipe, no mention of SIZE of the Dutch oven. Did I miss it! What size does your bread fit in?
Thank you for your time.
Chrissie says
I use a large 5-quart dutch oven for this recipe. I hope you can get one – they’re GREAT to have! 🙂
Catherine says
Could I use fresh cranberries for this recipe?
Chrissie says
Yes, although I’d recommend slicing them in half or using a few less.They add moisture which can affect the consistency of the dough more than dried cranberries.
Lisa Z. says
I am trying to reduce my sugar intake. Have you ever tried it with 1 3/4 C plain water? Thank you.
Chrissie says
Yes, using 1 3/4 cups water in place of the honey is just fine. The honey is for flavour 🙂
priscilla says
is it possible to use regular yeast instead of instant yeast?
Chrissie says
Yes, it is possible 🙂
Deborah Findley says
I’ve been wanting to bake in the fall and winter months. I am making a sourdough starter then saw your no knead bread. Just made the cranberry bread and found it fit my lifestyle well. With arthritis I did not want to knead, even though it’s a much loved practice. Winter is time to rest. My bread came out beautifully tastes wonderful and a great gift idea.
Thank you for making it easier to bake again.
Chrissie says
I’m so glad you liked the recipe!! Thanks!
Ellen says
Does it really have to rise for 12-18 hours or is that minutes??
Chrissie says
It is 12-18 hours! It’s a slow rise, which is what develops the delicious flavour and texture 🙂
Ester F. says
It wasn’t quite clear whether the pan needed to be greased or if the parchment paper was to be placed in the preheated pan …. I’m afraid I didn’t do either, so I’m worried my bread may stick to the pan 🙁 too late now, it’s in the oven baking .
Chrissie says
The bread shouldn’t stick, even without the parchment. I almost always use the parchment anyway 🙂
Kimberly Smith says
This looked so good and easy! I used a 5-qt Lodge dutch oven, oven set at 425 rather than 450, and the bottom of the loaf burned black. Any suggestions?
Chrissie says
That has NEVER happened to me or anyone else I know of, and I’ve made this recipe and others like it many, many times. My guess is your oven has a hot spot or possibly uses a bottom element only. Try turning on the convection setting, if you have it, or moving up the oven rack. An oven thermometer might help too, so you can see exactly how hot your oven actually is. Good luck!
Laura Gardner says
I had an issue with the loaf spreading out (a LOT) on the second rise and baking, resulting in a much more flat and dry loaf. Any suggestions?
Chrissie says
This is likely because your dough was too wet. I’d suggest adding a little more flour next time – sometimes if our measurements are just a little off it makes a big difference.
Ann Jones says
Just buy a Lodge 8 inch cast iron trivet. Put in bottom of Dutch oven when you preheat. Insert your dough on the parchment paper. No more overbrowning or burn. Has nothing to do with hot spots, etc.
Betty Beebe says
I’m salivating at the sight of this bread. Is there any way to make it more keto-friendly? I sure hope so, I can’t wait to try it!
Sarah says
We are so happy with this recipe. It turned out beautifully. We enjoyed a slice this morning for breakfast and fighting the urge for a second piece. This recipe is a keeper!
Patricia says
I prepped this yesterday for Christmas morning today. It is gorgeous. My house smells wonderful! And I wish I could post a picture of how wonderful it looks. Thanks for this recipe. It’s my first ever Dutch oven bread. I’m super pleased!
Karen Kehorek says
In step 4 it says to mix water into flour – then in next step it says to mix honey with water, but doesn’t say what to do with it, I’m robably not reading correctly, but can you clarify please?
Chrissie says
Mix the honey and water together and then add them to the flour mixture 🙂
Vani Vijayakumar says
how long does this store good?
Chrissie says
It stores well for a few days, but it’s really great made into toast the days after 🙂
Wanda says
Making this beautiful bread today…. perfect was to bring in 2019…. thanks for sharing
Andre Laudadio says
Im confused….In step 4, you say measure the water and stir into the flour. Then in step 5 you say to add the honey to the water and stir.
Can you clarify please.
Chrissie says
Water and honey should be stirred together, and then added to the flour mixture. 🙂
Lann says
Hi, May I ask, as I do not have french oven, what is the alternative way in order to make this bread. Thks!
Chrissie says
It’s a Dutch Oven pot that the recipe requires, and it’s simply an oven-safe heavy pot with a lid. 🙂
Debbie says
Will this process reduce the amount of gluten in the bread like sourdough.
Chrissie says
I don’t think so. Even if it does reduce, it certainly wouldn’t be gluten-free 🙂
Gabi says
Absolutely fantastic and very yummy
Thanks