Easy Cranberry Walnut Bread Recipe (No Knead)
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Cranberry Walnut Bread is a simple no knead bread recipe that comes together easily and is full of flavor. Made with just a few ingredients—like warm cinnamon, dried cranberries, and crunchy walnuts—this homemade bread bakes up in a dutch oven perfectly soft on the inside and golden on the outside. It’s the perfect loaf for snacking, sharing, or serving alongside a cozy bowl of soup or salad.
Looking for other easy bread recipes? Check out my recipes for Dutch Oven Bread, Easy Challah Bread, and Homemade Dinner Rolls.
When you make this Cranberry Walnut Bread, be sure to make 2 loaves, one to share and one to keep for yourself. This is such a tasty bread, it is not an overly sweet bread, but a delicious combination of cranberries, walnuts, and cinnamon.
Why You’ll Love This Cranberry Bread
- No kneading required – just mix, rise, and bake
- Naturally sweet and nutty flavor
- Great for breakfast, lunch, or as a holiday side dish
- Stores well and makes a great gift
✅ Ingredients for Cranberry Walnut Bread
Here’s what you’ll need to make this no knead bread:
- All-purpose flour
- Instant yeast
- Salt
- Sugar
- Cinnamon
- Dried cranberries
- Chopped walnuts
- Warm water
- Avacado oil
Tip: I recommend using instant yeast to speed up the rise time and make this recipe even easier. No proofing required!
How to Make Cranberry Walnut Bread
Step 1: Mix Dry Ingredients
In a large mixing bowl, combine flour, instant yeast, salt, sugar, ground cinnamon, dried cranberries, and chopped walnuts. Use a wooden spoon to evenly distribute everything.
Step 2: Add Liquid Ingredients
Mix warm water and avacado oil together, then pour into the dry ingredients. Stir with a wooden spoon until a shaggy dough forms. Continue mixing for about 3–5 minutes until everything is well combined and the dough becomes slightly sticky.
Step 3: Let It Rise
Cover the bowl with greased plastic wrap or a clean kitchen towel. Let the dough rise in a warm spot for 1 hour, or until it has doubled in size.
Step 4: Shape the Dough
Once the dough has risen, transfer it to a floured surface. Gently fold the edges toward the center, then flip and shape it into a round loaf by pulling it toward you and turning it a few times.
Step 5: Bake in a Dutch Oven
Place the dough on a piece of parchment paper and transfer it to a Dutch oven (no need to preheat). Cover with the lid and bake at 400ºF for 30 minutes. Remove the lid and bake another 10-15 minutes until golden brown and crisp on the outside.
Try it with this cozy Tortellini Soup – perfect for dunking a warm slice!
How to Cook Dutch Oven Bread
Place the dough into a parchment lined cast iron dutch oven pan. You do not need to preheat your pan for this recipe, in fact, I don’t recommend it.
With the lid on the pan, bake the bread for 30 minutes. After 30 minutes, remove the lid and continue to bake for another 15 minutes, until the bread is golden and crisp on the outside.
Let It Cool! (If You Can!)
After the bread is done baking, allow it to cool for at least 10-15 minutes before slicing. This is the hardest part about baking this bread for sure! It is so hard to smell this baking and not slice right into it when it comes out of the oven, but the cooling stage is necessary.
Use a good knife to slice this bread into slices and enjoy with some butter, honey or even use it for a delicious turkey sandwich!
Storing Tips
- Room Temperature: Wrap cooled bread in foil, zip top gallon bag, or plastic wrap and store up to 3 days.
- Freezer Friendly: Slice and freeze individual pieces for quick breakfasts or snacks. Just reheat in the toaster or oven!
More Easy Bread Recipes
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Video
➡️ Watch me make this recipe step-by-step in the video below:
Cranberry Walnut Bread Recipe
Equipment
Ingredients
- 4 cups flour
- 1 tablespoon instant yeast
- 1 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 3 tablespoons sugar
- 3/4 cup dried cranberries
- 1/2 cup walnuts chopped
- 1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
- 2 cups water warm (115-120ºF)
- 1 tablespoon avocado oil
Instructions
- In a large mixing bowl combine the flour, yeast, salt, sugar, dried cranberries, walnuts and cinnamon.
- Pour in the water and oil. Stir until well combined 3-5 minutes. A rough dough will be formed.
- Cover the bowl with a clean kitchen towel or greased plastic wrap. Allow to rise in a warm place for at least an hour until doubled in size.
- Heat oven to 400º F and line a dutch oven pan with parchment paper
- Pour the dough out onto a floured surface and form into a ball
- Place the ball into the prepared dutch oven
- Cook the bread with the lid on the pan for 30 minutes. After 30 minutes, remove the lid and cook for an additional 15 minutes until golden.
- Allow the bread to cool on a cooling rack or countertop before slicing.
Notes
- Store bread in an airtight container to keep fresh
- Bread can be wrapped in plastic wrap and foil and frozen for up to 3 months
Nutrition
Post updated July 9, 2025 with more tips and information, recipe remains the same.
✳️ Cranberry Walnut Bread FAQ
Yes! You can substitute fresh cranberries for dried, but keep in mind they add more moisture and a tart flavor. If using fresh cranberries, chop them in half and reduce the water in the dough slightly to prevent it from being too wet.
This recipe works best with instant yeast since it can be mixed right into the dry ingredients without proofing. You can also use active dry yeast—just make sure to activate it in warm water with a pinch of sugar before adding to the flour, and do a first rise, knead then, rise again before baking.
Absolutely. If you need a nut-free version, just leave out the walnuts. You’ll still get great flavor from the cinnamon and cranberries.f
Nope! For this bread, there’s no need to preheat your Dutch oven. Starting with a cold pot helps the bread rise evenly and keeps the crust from becoming too thick or hard.
This recipe hasn’t been tested with gluten-free flour, but if you try it, use a 1:1 gluten-free flour for best results. The texture and rise may vary.
Store cooled bread wrapped tightly in foil or a zip-top bag at room temperature for up to 3 days. For longer storage, slice and freeze the bread—just reheat slices in the toaster or oven as needed.
Cranberry Walnut Bread is a simple no knead bread recipe that is full of flavor from cinnamon, dried cranberries and walnuts. So easy to make and is perfect for sharing, eating as a yummy snack, or pairing with your favorite soup or salad.
Made this recipe with a few tweaks of my own and it turned out yummy!! Very easy to follow. Thank you
Thank you so much!! I appreciate your comment and I’m so happy you enjoyed this recipe!