Olla-Podrida: cranberry walnut bread

Showing posts with label cranberry walnut bread. Show all posts

Monday, December 15, 2025

Orange-Kissed Cranberry Walnut Rolls

Orange-Kissed Cranberry Walnut Rolls are soft, lightly sweet, jewel-red cranberry-studded rolls that scream holiday breakfast, or anytime the Christmas lights are still up!

These rolls have become my new December obsession. I was expecting dense, chewy fruit bread like the ones I grab at fancy bakeries, but these surprised me: they’re soft and almost feather-light inside with a thin, sugary-crisp lid. Think brioche meets a winter morning. They’re perfect warm with butter for Christmas dinner, but honestly? Split one the next morning, toast it lightly, and slather it with clotted cream and raspberry jam and you’ll hear angels sing.

One dough, two easy finishes:

Dinner version → egg wash + a few flakes of fleur de sel (so good with turkey or ham)

Breakfast version → egg wash + sparkling raw/turbinado sugar that crackles when you bite

They freeze beautifully, so make a double batch now and you’ll have warm rolls ready through New Year’s!

Orange-Kissed Cranberry Walnut Rolls

Makes 12 large rolls

1 c. coarsely chopped walnuts

3½-4 c. bread flour (start with 3½)

1 T. packed dark brown sugar

1½ t. fast rising yeast

1½ t. salt

1½ c. whole milk

2 T. vegetable oil (plus a little for the bowl)

1 large egg

1 c. Melissa’s dried cranberries

Zest of 1 orange

2-3 T. orange juice for soaking cranberries

1 egg, beaten (for glaze)

Raw (turbinado) sugar OR fleur de sel for topping

Toast walnuts in a dry skillet until fragrant, about 5 min. Cool.

Soak cranberries in orange juice 15–60 min; drain.

Warm milk to 95–100°F.

In stand mixer with paddle: mix 3½ cups flour, brown sugar, yeast, salt. Add warm milk, oil, and 1 egg. Beat on low until a shaggy ball forms (~1 min). Add walnuts, drained cranberries, and orange zest. Switch to dough hook.

Knead on low 4–5 minutes, adding flour 1 Tbsp at a time only if dough is very sticky. Finished dough should be smooth, elastic, and just slightly tacky.

Knead by hand 1–2 minutes, shape into a ball, place in oiled bowl, cover, and let rise at room temp until almost doubled (1¾–2 hours).

Divide into 12 equal pieces. Shape into tight, smooth balls (cup hand over dough and roll in small circles on the counter).

Place on parchment-lined sheet, spray lightly with oil, cover loosely with plastic. Let rise until 1½ times size (~1½ hours).

Brush with beaten egg, sprinkle with raw sugar (breakfast) or fleur de sel (dinner). Rest 15 more minutes.

Preheat oven to 425°F → put rolls in, immediately drop temp to 400°F. Bake 15–17 minutes total, rotating pan halfway, until deep golden.

Cool on rack. Serve warm or freeze up to 3 weeks (reheat wrapped in foil at 350°F for 10 min).

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Tuesday, January 23, 2018

Crusty No-Knead Cranberry Walnut Bread

I think about my late husband every day, but never so much as in January, which would have been his birthday month, and today his birthday. He loved a good loaf of bread, and not a week would go by where I wouldn't find him buying a loaf or two from one of the local bakeries. He liked it with a crispy exterior and a dense and chewy interior. I don't know if it was because I was thinking about him that caused me to make this bread, or because I was just in the mood for dense and chewy home-baked goodness. Either way, when I spotted this recipe I knew I had to give it a try.

The recipe may seem long, but it is very simple to put together. It also yields spectacular results! Honestly, I could not believe it. I had a slice this morning, spread with softened cream cheese, and it was as good, if not better, than any bread I've had from one of the top local bakeries. The fact that I made it at home astounds me. I can tell you that this is going to be the starting point for other fruit/nut/seed varieties that I plan to make. If the thought of making bread seems daunting to you, you need to try this one. The fact that it requires no kneading and precious little work will have you making it again and again.

Happy Birthday, Jim! I miss you, sweetie.

Crusty No Knead Cranberry Walnut Bread

Adapted from Sally's Baking Addiction

3 cups + 2 Tablespoons all-purpose flour, plus more for hands

2 teaspoons kosher salt

1/2 teaspoon granulated yeast

3/4 cup chopped walnuts

3/4 cup Melissa's dried cranberries

1 Tablespoon honey

1 ½ cups warm water (about 95°F)

Stir the first 6 ingredients together in a large bowl. Stir in the warm water. The dough will be pretty sticky. Don't be tempted to add more flour, sticky is what you're going for. Gently shape into a ball as well as you can. Cover tightly with plastic wrap. Set on the counter at room temperature and allow to rise for 12-18 hours. I tend to keep my house on the cool side (62° during the day and 55° at night) so mine took the entire 18 hours. You'll know the dough is ready when it doubles in size and sticks to the side of the bowl. The top should be covered with air bubbles.

Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface and, using lightly floured hands, shape into a ball. Transfer dough to a large piece of parchment paper.

Using a very sharp knife, gently score an “X” into the top. Cover dough lightly with plastic wrap and set aside while you preheat your oven.

Place your covered Dutch oven into your oven and preheat it to 475° F. When your oven comes up to temperature, set a timer for 30 minutes. After 30 minutes, remove the Dutch oven from the oven, remove the plastic from the top of your bread dough, 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. Remove pot from the oven, carefully remove the bread from the pot, and allow to cool on the counter for 30 minutes before serving.

Cover and store leftover bread at room temperature for 1 week.