Crusty Cranberry Walnut Bread

Cranberry walnut bread
Diana Rattray
Prep: 25 mins
Cook: 35 mins
Rising/Resting: 105 mins
Total: 2 hrs 45 mins
Servings: 24 servings
Yield: 1 loaf

There's nothing quite like enjoying a warm homemade bread straight from the oven, and when it is studded with walnuts and cranberries, it is even better. This cranberry walnut bread recipe makes two loaves so you can share one if you'd like or keep it for later

This tasty, hearty bread is perfect for chicken or ​turkey sandwiches, and it makes fabulous toast when slathered with butter.

Delicious as it is, feel free to add a bit of orange zest to give this cranberry walnut bread a little extra zing. 

Ingredients

  • 5 teaspoons instant yeast

  • 2 1/2 cups plus 2 tablespoons water, at room temperature

  • 6 3/4 cups bread flour

  • 2 teaspoons salt

  • 3 tablespoons sugar

  • 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

  • 2 cups walnuts, coarsely chopped

  • 1 1/2 cups dried cranberries

  • Cornmeal, for dusting the baking sheets

Steps to Make It

  1. In a large mixing bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer with a dough hook attachment, combine the instant yeast and water. Let stand for 5 to 10 minutes. 

  2. Add the flour, salt, sugar, and melted butter. Mix until the dough comes together, then knead for about 10 minutes by hand on a lightly floured surface or with the dough hook of the stand mixer. If needed, add more flour, in small amounts, to keep the dough from sticking to the bowl or your hands.

  3. Add the walnuts and cranberries and knead them in until they are distributed throughout the dough. This is best done by hand unless you feel your mixer can handle the task.

  4. Oil a large bowl. Transfer the dough to the bowl and roll over to coat all sides. Cover with plastic wrap and let it rise until doubled, about 1 hour.

  5. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. Sprinkle lightly with cornmeal.

  6. Punch down and transfer the dough to a lightly floured surface. Divide into 2 portions and form each into tight rounds. Place on the prepared baking sheets. Cover the loaves with a lightweight kitchen towel and let rest for 45 minutes. 

  7. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 350 F. Position the oven rack in the center of the oven.

  8. Bake the loaves for 30 to 40 minutes, until they are nicely browned and sound hollow when tapped on the bottoms. The internal temperature will be around 195 F when done.

Other Fruit-Filled Yeast Breads

It is easy to find fruits in quick breads and muffins, such as blueberry, apple, and banana, as well as peach and pear, but yeast breads studded with fruits are a bit more difficult to come by. A delicious recipe to try is a cherry bread with chocolate chips; the tender bread is filled with fresh cherries and gets an added sweetness from honey as well as the bits of chocolate. Or make an apple cinnamon batter bread, which requires no kneading. If you like raisins, give an Eastern European egg bread a try; it is rich but only slightly sweet. Or you may like toasted slices of whole wheat raisin bread as a breakfast treat with butter or a nutritious snack. Adding banana to a yeast bread dough not only results in a pleasantly sweet finish but also a moist and tender crumb.

Nutrition Facts (per serving)
246 Calories
7g Fat
40g Carbs
6g Protein
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Nutrition Facts
Servings: 24
Amount per serving
Calories 246
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 7g 10%
Saturated Fat 1g 6%
Cholesterol 3mg 1%
Sodium 187mg 8%
Total Carbohydrate 40g 14%
Dietary Fiber 2g 8%
Total Sugars 9g
Protein 6g
Vitamin C 0mg 1%
Calcium 17mg 1%
Iron 1mg 4%
Potassium 92mg 2%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)