It is November and nearly the holiday season! So, we decided to do a fun Countdown to the Holidays by baking all kinds of goodies this month. We are kicking it off with this yummy easy-no-need-to-knead cranberry orange bread because, who doesn’t love bread!?!
This bread has a chewy crust with a soft and tender crumb. It has a great orange flavor and plenty of cranberries throughout! It makes fabulous toast and even better french toast! And it is super simple to make!
I simply love making all kinds of breads and learning new techniques! No knead breads have been around since the 1700s where it specifically states to not knead the dough and mix with fingers until “weak and ropey” as suggested by Richard Briggs in The English Art of Cookery (1788). Then these yummy breads made a comeback in the 1930s and 1940s as a way to make a quick and healthy bread using stone ground flours.
The trick to the success of no knead breads is to be sure the dough is wet and sticky and not dry like typical bread doughs. If the dough mixture has sufficient liquid and is wet enough which will make a very sticky dough, then the proteins and gluten in the dough will chain or strand themselves together (the same thing as what kneading does), giving the bread its texture. However to accomplish this, the dough will have to sit and proof for much longer than regular bread, anywhere from 12 to 18 hours. There is not much yeast in a no knead dough recipe but because of the wetness of the dough, and the long proofing time, the molecules in the dough are more mobile making a dough that is able to rise nicely and produce a bread with a chewy crust and tender, flavorful crumb.
Typically, we knead the dough by hand so it can rise in a few hours and we can bake it. But no knead breads, after mixing vigorously, will proof overnight to produce a similar bread as what kneading will. This also develops a light flavor similar to sourdough which no knead breads are known for.
This is a delicious bread. Let’s get started!
To start, let’s get our ingredients ready. In a large bowl, add flour, yeast, salt and cranberries.
Add citron peel and fresh orange peel. You can easily cut back on the citron peel and cranberries — I have other times to 1/4 cup citron peel and 2/3 cup cranberries and it was equally delicious.
Stir well.
Next, stir honey into warm water and pour into the flour.
Stir well. I mix slowly to begin with, then I mix vigorously to be sure all flour is mixed in well. This also is part of the no kneading and helps the flour proteins to begin to assemble into chains as I described earlier. If the dough is too dry, add a bit more water.
After mixing well, this is what the dough should look like.
I always cover with a flour sack tea towel that is designated for breads. Place it in a warm area and let it sit to proof overnight.
It is the next day and checking on the dough is always fun and exciting to me! I anxiously tear off the towel to see whether the dough rose nicely or needs to proof longer. Here is our dough from yesterday. Having dough sit overnight, called cold fermentation, not only relaxes the dough, but builds flavor as the dough ferments (the same idea as sourdough) which is easier on digestion and gives it a unique taste! And as you can see it has increased beautifully in size. It is a little dry on top but that is totally fine and will not affect the bake or taste of the bread. To avoid this, drizzle with oil or wrap bowl in plastic wrap before proofing overnight.
Now we are going to shape the dough. Sprinkle a bit of flour on parchment. Oil hands slightly. Take the dough, grabbing the sides and scrunching the dough underneath. I do this a few times until I get a nice round shape, but being careful to not over handle the dough.
Sprinkle the top of the loaf with some flour. Let it rise for 45 minutes.
Place cast iron Dutch Oven with the lid on in the oven and heat oven to 400F. I drizzle a little oil in the pot before placing it in the oven. Once the oven is heated, remove the pot from the oven and carefully place the dough in, leaving it on the parchment. Place the lid on. Bake at 400F for 30 minutes.
Here is the bread in the oven. I am excited to have yummy bread that is perfect for the upcoming holiday season! It would taste amazing with a whipped cinnamon honey or homemade jam!
After 30 minutes, remove the lid and bake for 15 minutes longer.
This bread not only looks amazing but smells amazing too!! I would love to slice into it because there is nothing I love more than fresh bread from the oven, but cutting hot bread releases the steam which will result in a gummy and doughy bread.
Carefully pick the bread up by grabbing the parchment and place on a cooling rack.
I removed the parchment paper and placed the loaf onto the cooling rack. It will sit for a few hours before we can give it a taste!
While the cranberry orange bread is still warm, gently brush or drizzle honey over top.
I love the flavors of cranberry and orange together, especially in this bread, but you can easily switch up the mix-ins. Instead of cranberries, you can add chocolate chips or add cinnamon or completely change it by adding raisins with lemon peel. If using raisins, I would soak them first for a couple hours before adding them to the dough. You can add nuts like pecans or walnuts, or leave all the fruit out and have it plain. So many choices!
My favorite way of eating this delectable cranberry orange bread is with butter and honey, either freshly baked (well, mostly cooled first of course) or toasted with butter. Yum!
After a couple days, this bread does tend to dry out a bit which makes it perfect for turning into french toast! Just whisk 3 eggs with a splash of vanilla, 1 tbsp sugar and a splash of milk. Then dip the bread in and place in a hot lightly oiled skillet. Once browned, flip and brown on other side. Serve with jam, whipped cream and syrup of your choice.
Here is the recipe for this delicious bread that everyone will love!
Easy Cranberry Orange No-Knead Bread
3 cups flour
1 tsp instant yeast
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup dried cranberries
Peel from 1 orange
1/3 cup candied peel
1-1/2 cups warm water
2 tbsp honey
Stir flour, salt and yeast together. Add cranberries, orange peel and candied peel. Stir well. Add honey to water and stir. Pour into flour and mix well. Dough will be very sticky. Cover and let rise 12 hours.
Pour dough onto floured parchment and shape it into a round loaf. Sprinkle dough with a little flour. Let dough rise for 45 minutes.
Place cast iron Dutch Oven pot with lid in oven, then turn oven on to 400F. Once oven is heated, carefully put dough (leave it on the parchment) into hot pan. Place the lid on and bake for 30 minutes. Remove lid and bake for 15 minutes.
Remove from oven, take out of pan and brush with honey. Let cool completely before slicing.
enjoy from Our City Homestead to yours