I’m a shame to say this but I’ve been meaning to make this bread for over a month. Though I’ve made yeast bread before, it has been years since I’ve done so. I knew it could be a bit time consuming with all the steps and preparation. However, this Cranberry Orange No Knead Yeast Bread is really easy to make. There’s very little kneading and it only requires eight simple ingredients. You need all-purpose flour, instant yeast, sugar, salt, cranberries, one orange (the zest of the orange and its juice), walnuts, and water. Most of these ingredients you might have on hand already.
Instant yeast is the game-changer in this Cranberry Orange No Knead Yeast Bread for two reasons:
- The yeast doesn’t have to be dissolved in water. You simply add it to the dry ingredients, then follow your recipe.
- It saves time because the yeast only needs to rise one time. Gone are the hours of prep needed to have the bread rise a second time for hours using the traditional rapid dry yeast. However, the instant yeast is the game-changer in this recipe.
Where to Find the Basic No-Knead Bread Recipe
Several months ago, I started researching the no-knead bread recipe. I came across an article written by Mark Bittman of the New York Times Cooking section. One of their most popular recipes featured a baker by the name of Jim Lahey, owner of Sullivan Street Bakery of NYC, who made a wonderful rustic No-Knead Bread. Jim’s recipe only required five ingredients flour, instant yeast, kosher salt, cornmeal, and water. A Dutch oven or a heat resistant pot with a lid is all that’s needed to create the lovely crusty outer coating on this bread, while the soft inside is developed by the carbon dioxide gas that forms during the baking process. It’s like having a chemistry experiment going on in your kitchen although the good part is you get to eat the experiment.
The recipe is quite popular on Pinterest. The recipe requires no kneading and very little effort. Most bloggers have adapted the recipe to make it their own, which you could say I did as well. My Cranberry Orange No Knead Yeast Bread is filled with wonderful fruity cranberries, oranges zest, orange juice, and plenty of walnuts to make this crusty bread so delicious.
Steps to Making Cranberry Orange No Knead Yeast Bread
- 3 cups all-purpose flour, 4 tablespoons
- 1/2 teaspoon instant yeast
- 2 teaspoons sea salt
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar (optional)
- 1/4 cup honey
- 1 tablespoon orange zest
- 3 tablespoons orange juice
- 1/2 cup walnuts, chopped
- 3/4 cup dried cranberries
- 1-1/2 cups warm water (between 95-105 degrees)
- In a large bowl add the first eight ingredients found in pictures 1 and 2.
- The water is the last to be added.
- The temperature of the water should be between 95-105 degrees, use a cooking thermometer to help you gauge the water temperature.
- Add the water to the dry ingredients and mix until blended.
Cover the bowl with a clean tea towel. Then, place the bowl in a warm place somewhere in your kitchen. Finally, let the dough rise for 12-18 hours.
How Long Should Dough Rest for The Cranberry Orange No-Knead Yeast Bread?
After allowing the dough to rise for 12-18 hours next, prepare a 6 or 7-quart Dutch oven to bake the bread in. The next step is to place the Dutch oven with the lid or a heavy-duty pot with lid in the oven. Then, preheat the oven to 475 degrees for 30 minutes. The Dutch oven will become very hot during this process. While this is occurring prepare the Cranberry Orange No-Knead Yeast dough.
Bread Dough Preparation
On a clean dry surface turn the dough out on the floured area. Next, lightly flour your hands and gently knead and shape the dough into a round ball. After this the dough will be somewhat sticky, that’s to be expected.
The next step is to place the dough onto a piece of parchment paper, (the paper should be large enough to fit into the Dutch oven).
Lightly sprinkle the top of the dough with flour. Place a piece of plastic wrap over the top to prevent a film from forming. Briefly allow the dough to rise for 30 minutes before baking. Remove the plastic wrap.
Baking Directions for the Cranberry Orange No-Knead Yeast Bread
- First of all, carefully take the Dutch oven out of the hot oven.
- Second, take the lid off the pot.
- Next, very slow and carefully slide the parchment paper and bread dough into the Dutch oven.
- After that, place the lid back on the (pot) Dutch oven.
- Also, carefully put the Dutch oven back into the oven to bake for the next 25 minutes.
- Don’t peek during this time in fact, this is when the crusty top of the bread develops.
Baking Times
- Once, the 25 minutes of baking has ended, carefully remove the lid from the Dutch oven and continue to bake for another 8-10 minutes until the bread is golden brown. The next step is to carefully remove the pot from the oven.
- Allow the Cranberry Orange No Knead Yeast Bread to cool for 3 minutes then remove the bread from the Dutch oven and place it on a rack to cool for an additional 15 minutes.
- Finally, use a serrated knife to slice the bread. Without a doubt, this bread will be one show stopper. However, once you taste it, it is sure to become a family favorite, and it’s sure to compare with any bakery Artisan bread.
Cranberry Orange No Knead Yeast Bread is so simple to make. It compares to any Artisan-style bread that you would buy in a bakery but can be made right in your home within hours with very little fuss. Remember the game changer is the instant yeast, I’m sure you’ll make this bread often. Leave a comment below letting me know how much you love this Cranberry Orange No Knead Yeast Bread. I look forward to hearing from you!
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- 3 cups all-purpose flour, 4 tablespoons
- ½ teaspoon instant yeast
- 2 teaspoons sea salt
- ½ cup granulated sugar (optional)
- ¼ cup honey
- 1 tablespoon orange zest
- 3 tablespoons orange juice
- ½ cup walnuts, chopped
- ¾ cup dried cranberries
- 1-1/2 cups warm water (around 95 degrees)
- First, in a large bowl add the flour, yeast, salt, sugar (optional), honey, orange zest, orange juice, chopped walnuts, and cranberries.
- Add the warm water (between 95-105 degrees) to the ingredients and stir until completely combined. The dough will be sticky.
- Next, cover the dough with a clean tea towel. Place the bowl in a warm place somewhere in your kitchen. Let the dough rise for 12-18 hours. The dough will have doubled in size.
- Turn the dough out on a clean dry floured surface.
- Then, lightly flour your hands and gently knead and shape the dough into a round ball. Meanwhile, the dough will be somewhat sticky, this is to be expected.
- Next, place the dough onto parchment paper, (the paper should be large enough to fit into the Dutch oven).
- Then, lightly sprinkle the top of the dough with flour. Next, place a piece of plastic wrap on top of the dough to prevent a film from forming. Briefly allow the dough to rise for 30 minutes before baking.
- Now, use a 6 or 7-quart Dutch oven to bake the bread. Next, place the Dutch oven with the lid or a heavy-duty pot with lid into the oven. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 475 degrees for 30 minutes. The Dutch oven will become very hot during this process.
- Carefully take the Dutch oven out of the hot oven.
- Meanwhile, take the lid off the pot.
- Slow and carefully slide the parchment paper and bread dough into the Dutch oven.
- Place the lid back on the (pot) Dutch oven.
- Carefully put the Dutch oven back into the oven to bake for the next 30 minutes.
- Above all, don't peek during this time, because this is when the crusty top of the bread develops.
- After the 25 minutes of baking has ended, carefully remove the lid from the Dutch oven and continue to bake for another 8-10 minutes until the bread is golden brown.
- Again, carefully remove the pot from the oven.
- After 3 minutes carefully remove the Cranberry Orange No Knead Yeast Bread from the Dutch oven and place it on a rack to cool for 15 minutes. Finally, use a serrated knife to slice the bread.
