Yeasted bread has never been easier. This simple mixing method produces the most beautiful and crusty cranberry nut no knead bread with practically zero hands-on work!
This recipe is brought to you in partnership with Red Star Yeast.
Here’s a recipe you’re going to memorize and I’m not saying that because it’s so simple. I’m saying it because it’s an unbelievably and awesomely delicious homemade bread with a major crust, a soft and chewy texture, and plenty of irresistible nuts and dried cranberries to keep each piece interesting and unique. You won’t be able to stop making it. You won’t be able to stop eating it. And, as such, you’ll memorize the recipe in no time. That’s a guarantee.
I’ve made this no knead bread 4x within 2 weeks and I’m not even a bread person. But it MADE ME A BREAD PERSON. Not sure if that’s a bad thing?
“Homemade bread” and “easy” are terms that don’t typically go hand-in-hand. When you think of homemade bread, you get pretty freaked out, right? Seems like a terrible idea, majorly complicated, and a general waste of time. This recipe, however, will completely change that universal thought. I realize that’s a pretty big promise, but I’m confident your perception of homemade bread will switch from “too fancy schmancy” to “wow, I can do this.”
This bread, like my homemade artisan bread, seeded oat bread, and olive bread, has all the bells and whistles and takes zero effort to make. If you’re feeling lazy… this recipe is for you.
Overview: How to Make No Knead Bread
- Stir 5 ingredients together. Don’t even break out your mixer.
- Stir in extras like chopped walnuts and dried cranberries.
- Shape into a ball and leave it alone for a day.
- Kick up your feet and don’t knead the dough.
- Score an X on top of the dough, let it rest, then bake it.
- You’re done.
This whole no-work, no-knead, professional-bread-at-home concept has swarmed the internet and after some research, I found it originally came from 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 love using this same method for Homemade English Muffins. In both recipes, the magic happens when you’re not looking!
Only 5 Ingredients for No Knead 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 5 ingredients here, which include kitchen staples like flour, salt, and honey. You’ll also need a little warm water to bring all the ingredients together and activate the yeast. For the yeast, we’re using Platinum Yeast from Red Star, my favorite. Don’t be nervous—yeast doesn’t bite, I promise. 🙂 It’s just another ingredient you’re adding.
Honey isn’t usually added to traditional no knead bread recipes, but I wanted a little extra flavor here. A couple Tablespoons of flour make up for the added liquid. There’s also lots of walnuts and cranberries for interesting texture. Not that this bread needs any assistance in the texture category. It’s SO crisp and crusty. Just look at it! And that long rise time ensures an amazingly chewy 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.
You’ll bake the bread in a super hot dutch oven. If you don’t have one, you can use any heavy duty pot with a lid, providing it’s oven-proof.
Why Bake No Knead Bread in a Dutch Oven?
Baking the bread with the lid on traps steam inside the pot, creating that perfect crust. A lid is KEY 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 in the oven like you do the dutch oven.) Score the bread as noted in step 3 below. Preheat the oven (same oven temperature). After the oven is preheated, place scored dough/baking pan on the center rack. Then place a shallow metal or cast iron baking pan or 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. Bake for about 30 minutes. 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).
It’s so easy, you’ll be silly not to try it. And you’ll really be missing out!
Step-by-step pictures and additional tips below the recipe.
PrintCrusty Cranberry Nut No Knead Bread
- Prep Time: 20 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 practically zero 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) all-purpose flour (spooned & leveled), plus more for hands
- 2 teaspoons coarse sea salt (I find the flavor lacking using regular table salt)
- 1/2 teaspoon Platinum Yeast from Red Star instant yeast
- 3/4 cup (95g) chopped nuts (I like 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.* Stir the first 6 ingredients together in a large bowl, and then stir in the warm water. The dough will be pretty 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 with plastic wrap or aluminum foil. 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 be covered in air bubbles.
- Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface and, using lightly floured hands, shape into a ball as best you can. Doesn’t have to be perfect. Transfer dough to a large piece of parchment paper. (Large enough to fit inside your pot and one that is safe under such high heat. I use this parchment and it’s never been an issue.) Place the ball of dough + parchment inside a bowl so the dough doesn’t spread out as it rests.
- Using a very sharp knife or bread lame (you could even use kitchen shears), gently score an X into the top. Cover dough lightly with plastic wrap or a clean kitchen towel and let it rest for 30 minutes.
- During this 30 minutes, preheat the oven to 475°F (246°C). (Yes, very hot!) Place your dutch oven (with the lid) or heavy duty pot inside for 30 minutes so that it’s extremely hot before the dough is placed inside. After 30 minutes, remove the dutch oven from the oven and carefully place the dough inside by lifting it up with the parchment paper and sticking 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 20 minutes before slicing.
- Cover and store leftover bread at room temperature for 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. You can also bake the bread, allow it to cool, and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw in the refrigerator and allow to come to room temperature before serving. You can also freeze the dough. Complete the recipe through step 2. Wrap in plastic wrap and place in a freezer-friendly container. To bake, allow dough to thaw completely at room temperature and then continue with step 3 and the rest of the recipe instructions.
- 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 6 quart or larger dutch oven or any large oven-safe pot with an oven-safe lid. If your dutch oven is smaller than 6 quarts, you can halve the recipe (instructions remain the same, just halve each ingredient) or make the recipe as directed in step 1, shape the dough into 2 balls in step 2, 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 smaller loaves.
- No dutch oven? See post above for alternative.
- 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!
- Bread Flour or Whole Wheat Flour: I use all-purpose flour here since it’s more readily available to most bakers. However, I love baking bread with bread flour and it can definitely be substituted with no other changes needed to the recipe. You can also substitute 1 cup of the flour for whole wheat flour. Do not use all whole wheat flour, as the bread will taste quite dense and heavy.
- Cranberries: Dried cranberries (or raisins) are best for this wet dough. I haven’t tried this bread with fresh or frozen cranberries.
- Parchment Paper: If your parchment paper can only be heated to a certain temperature, 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.
Gently stir all of the ingredients together:
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!
Let the dough rise at room temperature. This recipe is very forgiving. Any normal-ish room temperature is fine. You’ll know that the dough is finished rising when it has doubled in size and air bubbles have formed on top.
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 an X on top, then allow to rest for 30 minutes:
Bake! Eat! Enjoy!
Hi Sally
Will it be a problem if I let it rise more than 18 hrs? ( I was thinking of letting it rise about 24 so it’d be done baking a little later in the day).
Thanks!
Hi Steve, we don’t suggest letting the dough sit for longer. If 18 hours is difficult for your schedule, you can make the bread dough when it’s convenient for you and freeze it! Complete the recipe through step 2. Wrap in plastic wrap and place in a freezer-friendly container. To bake, allow dough to thaw overnight in the refrigerator, or for 2-3 hours at room temperature. Continue with step 3 and the rest of the recipe instructions.
Tastes delicious but the bread turned out a strange grayish color. Any thoughts?
Hi Charly, It’s possible that your cranberries simply released some of their color and mixed with the beige dough. We are happy you enjoyed the taste!
It’s a walnut thing. They tend to do that on yeasted baked goods.
If you toast the walnuts before adding them to the bread dough, they don’t tend to color the dough that grayish-purplish color! But then, I never balked at eating purple bread!!!
And where is the step where you cursing trying to peel off the parchment paper? It is essential for the process! I did this bread many times, very easy and tasy, but parchment paper is a pain. I ended up not using it at all, no problem, just grease the dutch oven before placing dough.
Hi Gapka! Sorry you’ve had trouble with the parchment paper – we’ve never had that happen. Make sure if you try it again that you’re using high quality parchment paper, not wax paper or something similar. So glad you love this bread and have found a solution!
This is the best cranberry walnut bread I’ve baked and it’s better than the one in the fancy grocery store. I appreciate that the ingredients are listed in grams because it eliminates guessing and it’s easy to scale up or down. I substituted 100 grams of whole wheat flour while keeping the total flour at 390 grams. This provided an interesting nutty flavor. Le Creuset doesn’t recommend preheating their products so I don’t use a dutch oven when baking bread. I just add a container with boiling water to the oven to create steam. I prefer to make an elongated loaf instead of a boule because I get consistent slices, this worked very well with this recipe. Interestingly enough, I had to leave the house before the bread was ready so I just took it out of the oven when it was brown, but not brown enough. And surprise, surprise, I ended up with a very moist loaf that comes to life when I put a slice of it in the toaster oven for a bit. The slice becomes crusty and moist with an incredible freshly-baked aroma. It goes great with clotted cream. I’m very thankful for this recipe and I recommend everyone to give it a try!
Hi Sally. Can I add orange zest to this recipe?
Hi Lisa, The zest from 1 medium or large orange would be great!
I tried this yesterday waited 18 hours however my bread did not rise . I followed directions to the T??
Hi William, Thank you for trying this recipe. We do have troubleshooting tips in our Baking With Yeast Guide. Scroll down to the paragraph called “What if My Dough Isn’t Rising?” for many helpful tips. We hope this helps!
I was quite happy with the way this turned out, although after 18 hours, the dough had doubled but there were no air bubbles on the top. I halved the recipe and let it rise, but the dough was not as sticky and unmanageable as you had indicated. As I usually do, I probably added more cranberries and toasted walnuts, and my husband said it was delicious. I would probably add a little more honey and measure my flour more carefully next time. Thanks for this quick technique for making bread.
I have a lot of left over heavy cream; is it okay to use the cream instead of water for this bread recipe? Rest being the same?
Hi Jane, do not use cream as the liquid in this dough– it’s much too heavy. Stick with water. If you’re looking for uses for your heavy cream, here are all of my recipes using heavy cream.
I made this bread and it came out FANTASTIC!
I’m the person who has failed multiple times with yeast, but when I saw this recipe I immediately thought to give it a try.
I did add a tiny bit more honey, just because.
I baked at 425 because that’s what my parchment paper could handle (Thanks for the warning, I never would have known to look.)
And baked for a bit longer too. A huge hit! THANK YOU!
My first attempt at a yeasted bread, and it was absolutely delightful! Now I have 2 questions: Would there be a problem using dried cherries instead of cranberries? And would adding some chocolate chips cause any problems?
Thanks for yet another no-fail, delicious recipe, Sally!
Hi John, both of those should still work great in this bread. Enjoy!
Thank you, Michelle. The addition of cherries, chocolate, and pecans was delicious. This recipe is so wonderfully flexible! Today’s variation involved a cup of grated Parmesan cheese, a cup of well-dried, chopped Kalamata olives, and about a tablespoon of finely chopped fresh rosemary. Oh my heart! I love website so much. Thanks again to all of you!
I did not have a dutch oven that was oven safe to 475, nor did my parchment allow for that high of heat. So, I baked at 425 with a pan of boiling water on the bottom shelf. The bread had a very crisp crust but the inside was moist. I put sugar on the top before baking and it gave it an extra sweet bite off and on.
Really, quite good. The bottom was overbrowned (and I shaved off a few minutes of time without the lid. My dutch oven is 7.5 qts, so next time I might increase the ingredients by at least have to get a more generous loaf.
I never bake and had all the ingredients so decided to try this and…. Wow. I want to make this every weekend. Truly delicious I can’t believe this came out of my oven! I’m so proud. Thank you for this recipe!
Can you replace a portion of the water with orange juice, to yield an orange-cranberry loaf? Will it affect the yeast in any way?
Hi Vicki, For cranberry orange bread, we recommend adding the zest of 1 orange instead – no other changes necessary. Enjoy!
Thank you 🙂
I have made this recipe countless times…always delicious. I have started substituting no pulp orange juice for the water. Sometimes I also add freshly zested orange.I make no other changes. It is our favorite version. It is perfect every time!
Hi Sally,
Do you need to roast the nuts before adding them to the dough? Thanks so much.
Hi Lisa, you don’t need to roast them!
Baked the cranberry nut bread this morning. Because my parchment paper would only go to 400 degrees I needed to adjust the cooking time. Apparently I didn’t add enough time as it was not baked as well in the center. After reading other comments, I will reduce the amount of cranberries and again adjust the baking time. What temp should the bread be at when done?
Hi Marilyn, The bake time will definitely be a bit longer since you lowered the oven temperature. Continue to bake until the bread is golden brown.
I find the method of baking gives a crust that is too tough. Instead of heating the pot prior to baking I now just put it in and follow the remainder of the instructions and remove the cover after 30 minutes. The result are a nice crusty crust without the toughest. Personally I find it much more enjoyable and easy to cut.
I make bread and sourdough bread all the time. This recipe turned out great and was so easy! I made it in my cast iron skillet and used three types of flour (white, whole wheat and graham) and I got a nice firm tasty loaf. I did up the honey a bit and soaked the cranberries in hot water. Without even putting a pan of water in the oven I got a lovely crunchy deep brown crust. I will try this recipe again using different flours and different dried fruits and nuts (maybe even trying with chocolate!), perhaps even caraway seeds too. It seems like a cross between yeasted bread and soda bread.
Hi Sally, I’ve been happily using your recipes throughout the pandemic but I failed on this one! I used dried cherries as I didn’t have dried cranberries and the 1 1/2 C of water made it so wet I couldn’t form a ball. Any idea what I could have done wrong?
Thanks!
Hi Lynne! This is a very different type of dough than a traditional yeasted bread. It’s wet and sticky and that’s completely normal – it’s a very hands off bread making experience! If it’s completely unworkable, feel free to add more flour on your hands and work surface. Thank you so much for giving it a try!
Thanks Sally,
You are my go to for recipes. For years I have printed out tons of your recipes. I just baked crusty cranberry nut bread. It is so yummy!! I love cranberries so I did half dried & half frozen. Awesome!
Thank you so much…
i have been failing at all of my bread baking (too heavy and dry mainly) but this is perfection!! i used mostly bread flour with 1/4 cup of whole wheat mixed in because i ran out of plain flour and it came out incredible!!!
Hello Sally,
Can I make this using a Gluten free All Purpose flour like King Arthur’s Measure for Measure GF flour?
We have not tested this recipe with gluten free flour but let us know if you try!
Followed directions to the letter,however my dough is not sticky.should I add more .water
Hi Jo, How are you measuring your flour? Make sure to spoon and level instead of scooping to prevent too much flour in your dough. If this ever happens again you can add a bit more water until it reaches the right consistency.
Hi,
We don’t have platinum yeast so, would the half a teaspoon of ordinary instant yeast be OK, and would that be about 2.5g?
Hi Kathryn! You can substitute the same amount of instant yeast.
Could you make this bread in an Instant Pot?
Hi Devvy, We don’t have an instant pot so we have never tried it. Let us know if you give it a try!
Is it correct that the recipe calls for just 1/2 teaspoon of yeast and 2 teaspoons of salt? I wondered if it was reversed—should be 1/2 t salt and 2 t yeast?
Hi Alli! The measurements are correct – this recipe doesn’t need much yeast because of the low and slow rise time.
Sally, have you ever made this bread with wild rice vs. walnuts?
Hi Deb, No we have not ever tried that!
Could this be made in a cast iron pot?
Definitely!
Thank you .. Going to make this soon.
This was so good. The cast iron kettle worked perfectly.
Wonderful texture and flavor, but both times I’ve baked it, the bottom is burned and the parchment paper is stuck in places to the bottom. Any suggestions about how to counter the charring?
Hi Christopher, happy to hear that you enjoyed this bread recipe. It often helps to move your bread away from the heat source in your oven. Otherwise, try lowering it by 50 degrees F and cooking the bread for longer. Let the bread cook until it’s golden brown on the exterior. Lightly tap it with your knuckles– if it sounds hollow, it’s done. I hope this helps for next time.
Hi Christopher, I had the same problem with bits of parchment sticking the first time I made this bread. The second time, I used the parchment paper that Sally recommends from Beyond Gourmet – no more sticky problems!
Great recipe! I live in a tropical climate and don’t have a dutch oven so I made the following modifications:
– proofing/rising time: I did 9 hours first then 30 mins for the second rise
– i used a ceramic casserole pot with lid and preheated the pot to 210C
– baked with lid on for 30 mins
– continued with lid off for 12 mins at 200C
Bread came out with nice crusts and peaks and brown color. I let it rest for an hour and had a small slice to test and it’s chewy inside in a good way and very, very flavorful! Thanks for this recipe. Will do it again soon.
I made this for Christmas gifts! I was a hit with my friends! It was delicious! Giving out this website for all my friends.
THANK YOU
LESA