whole grain cranberry walnut bread

this bread contains just a handful of ingredients making it easy to pull together.  it’s hearty with a hint of sweetness from the cranberries and pleasant crunch from the walnuts.  perfect for the fall season!

Hello delicious, perfect-for-the-season cranberry walnut loaf.  You are what November dreams are made of.  This bread combines the best flavors and textures – the heartiness of whole grains, the hint of sweetness from the dried cranberries and the crunch from the walnuts.

This is truly what I would call “wonder bread” – it’s packed with whole grains, fruit from the dried cranberries and healthy fats from the walnuts. It’s like a one-stop-shop for bread.  You don’t (really) need to add anything to it – it’s perfect just as it is.

Although I have to say it makes a pretty killer sandwich, and pb&j and goes great with eggs…so while you don’t have to put anything on it.  There’s no end to the numerous ways you can repurpose it!  Since I’ve made it I’ve had it the following ways:

• Toasted and topped with melty butter
• Slathered with raspberry preserves
• With a little butter and cheesy, scrambled eggs
• As a turkey sandwich
• As a whole grain side with my dinner

And I still have half a loaf left!

I promise you that if this makes an appearance at your autumn table, it will be an instant hit.

And the best part is that it’s just a handful of ingredients (and you likely have most of them on-hand already!). Happy bread baking!

PLEASE NOTE: This bread does require an overnight (or nearly full-day rise) so if you’re going to make it, plan ahead!  There’s nothing worse than pulling the dough together mid-day and realizing it won’t be ready to bake until 3am!

whole grain cranberry walnut bread

• Author: Cait
• Prep Time: 24 hours
• Cook Time: 20-30 minutes
• Total Time: 1 day + 30 mins
• Yield: 1 loaf 1x
• Category: bread
• Method: bake

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Description

this bread contains just a handful of ingredients making it easy to pull together.  it’s hearty with a hint of sweetness from the cranberries and pleasant crunch from the walnuts.  perfect for the fall season!

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Scale 1x2x3x

Ingredients

• 3 1/4 cups bread flour
• 1 cup white whole wheat flour
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 1/2 teaspoon instant yeast
• 1 3/4 cups cool water + more for brushing
• 2 tablespoons maple syrup
• 1/2 cup dried cranberries
• 1/2 cup walnuts, coarsely chopped
• Olive oil

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Instructions

1. Mix the flours, salt, yeast, maple syrup and water in a large bowl. Stir to combine then use your hands to mix and form a sticky dough (see note).  Don’t overwork the dough – just enough to incorporate all the flour
2. Add dried cranberries and walnuts working in carefully with your hands until evenly distributed throughout the dough
3. Brush a large bowl with olive oil and add dough (make sure the bowl is large in size as the bread will rise quite a bit).  Cover the bowl with plastic wrap, and let it rest at room temperature overnight, or for at least 8 hours
4. After resting, turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface, and form it into a round loaf.  Place the dough in the lightly greased pan or a pan lined with parchment paper, smooth side up.  Cover with a clean kitchen towel and let rise at room temperature for approximately 2 more hours
5. Preheat the oven to 450°F.  Before placing the bread into the oven, brush lightly with water all over the top.
6. Bake for 30 to 40 minutes or until it is deep brown in color, and an instant-read thermometer inserted into the center registers about 205°F
7. Remove the bread from the oven, turn out onto a rack, and cool before slicing.

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Notes

• If you’re not into getting your hands doughy, you can also mix the bread with a stand mixer using the dough hook or do the mix/knead cycle in a bread maker

Keywords: bread, cranberry, walnut, whole grain

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