No-Knead Cranberry Walnut Bread

Why Homemade Bread Is So Good

First of all, the smell of baking bread is one of life's little gifts. It fills the house with a feeling of well-being, and you know as soon as you pull the bread from the oven and let it cool (listen for that gorgeous crackle as hot crust meets cool air!), you'll be rewarded with fresh, homey goodness. Cranberry walnut bread is a fun way to change up a basic loaf ('course, there's absolutely nothing wrong with a simple loaf of bread!) by adding a bit of cinnamon, dried fruit, and nuts. I love it with cream cheese for a sweet-tangy snack. This recipe is:

• So easy. One of the joys of an overnight dough is that you get a lot of the aspects you'd find in a sourdough loaf without having to worry about feeding the starter and doing a bunch of folding. Just stir, rise, gently knead, and bake!
• Great for feeding a crowd. Or just yourself if you're really craving bread! This is a large-sized loaf, so you don't have to limit yourself to one slice.
• A nice meld of flavors. A classic French-style loaf is sweetened up with a little brown sugar and cinnamon, and the tart-sweet cranberries and nutty walnuts add lots of contrast.

Ingredients Needed

A handful of simple pantry staples plus water is all you'll need for this loaf of bread. I've outlined them for you below, and you will find the full ingredient amounts and detailed instructions in the recipe card at the end of this post.

• All-purpose flour - Spoon and level your flour when measuring for the best accuracy.
• Yeast - I use instant yeast in this loaf and always check the expiration date before adding it to the flour to make sure it's fresh.
• Salt - Fine sea salt or table salt works fine.
• Brown sugar - You can use either light or dark brown sugar, depending on what you have.
• Cinnamon - A little ground cinnamon adds warmth to the bread.
• Cranberries - Dried cranberries that are roughly chopped.
• Walnuts
• Water

Variation Ideas

• Try honey - If you prefer a little bit of natural sweetness, swap honey for the brown sugar.
• Or leave out the sugar - For a more savory loaf, skip the brown sugar.
• Other nuts - Want to mix up the walnuts? Try pecans or shelled, unsalted pistachios.
• Another spice - Ginger also goes well with cranberries, and I always love cardamom. You could try either one of these in place of the cinnamon.

More Bread-Baking Tips

• Keep dough in a warm place. Let the bread rise in a warm place—I admit this is not always possible for me because our house can be cool, especially in the winter. I keep it near the oven, which is a warmer spot. Or, place it in a sunny spot to encourage its rise.
• Try the fridge. If you have the time and want an even more flavorful loaf, after the initial long rise at room temperature, cover the bowl of dough with plastic and place it in the fridge for up to 3 days. The day you plan to bake, remove it from the fridge, follow the recipe instructions for the brief kneading process, and then let the bread rise and warm up at room temperature for at least 2 hours before baking it.
• Should I score my bread? Scoring is the process of making a shallow cut or cuts to the surface of bread dough before baking. You can make small decorative cuts or use a sharp knife to quickly slash down the center of the top. You can also skip scoring altogether and simply bake the bread seam-side down in the dutch oven!
• Heat the dutch oven while the oven preheats! When you are preheating the oven, let the dutch oven heat as well. This will help create that lovely, crisp crust.
• Bake on high heat. I preheat my oven at 500F and then lower it to 475F for the actual baking. For a darker crust, try 25 minutes at 500F and 20 minutes at 475F.
• How do I know my bread is done? A loaf of bread is fully cooked when it reaches 209-210°F (98-99°C) on an instant-read thermometer. After you have experience baking bread, you'll know when your bread is done by how dark the outside crust has become. I like to do 30 minutes covered in the dutch oven and then 20 minutes uncovered (times will vary depending on your oven).
• Cool the loaf completely. It's almost impossible not to tear into a warm, freshly baked loaf of bread as soon as it comes out of the oven, but I urge you to wait at least 1 hour, preferably 2. This allows the starches to set and solidify.

Proper Storage

• Counter - Wrap the loaf in a clean kitchen towel or place it in a bread bag or paper bag and keep it on the counter for up to 3 days.
• Freezer - You can freeze the entire loaf by placing it in a sealable freezer-safe bag or slice it up and store slices in a freezer-safe bag. Whatever you do, make sure to let the bread cool before preparing it for the freezer. Store in the freezer for up to 2 months. You let the bread defrost in the fridge or on the counter for a few minutes, or warm it from frozen in the toaster, toaster oven, or oven.