When I lived in Arizona, there was a chain-ish bakery nearby where I would love to go for lunch and grab a sandwich on their fresh baked focaccia or ciabatta. They would sell their breads by the loaf and I’d always pick up a loaf of the cranberry walnut bread while I was there. I probably haven’t been back there since high school, but I still think about the tasty breads and pastries that I had there. Here’s my easy version of the cranberry walnut loaf I used to get there.
Cranberry Walnut Loaf
Crusty bread with sweet cranberries and crunchy walnuts
Ingredients
- 2 tsp dry active yeast
- 2 tsp honey
- 1 1/2 cup warm water
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 tsp salt
- 1/2 cup dried cranberries
- 1/2 cup toasted walnuts
Instructions
- In a large bowl, mix together yeast, honey, and warm water, ensuring that the yeast starts to bloom.
- Add flour and salt and mix until fully combined.
- Fold in dried cranberries and toasted walnuts.
- Allow to proof for ~2 hours, until dough has doubled.
- Preheat oven to 450F.
- Line a dutch oven with parchment and dust lightly with flour.
- Shape dough into a ball and place in the dutch oven.
- Dust the top of the dough with flour and score the top.
- Bake covered for 20 minutes and then uncovered for another 40 minutes.
- Allow loaf to cool at least 30 minutes before slicing.
More bread snacks: Cinnamon Apple Rhubarb Loaf & My Favorite Focaccia