Tart, yet sweet plump cranberries and toasted crunchy walnuts make the perfect pair in this Gluten Free Cranberry Walnut Sourdough.
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In my adult years, I've developed a real fondness for baked goods studded with dried fruits and nuts. Give me a slice of carrot cake that's almost all fruit and nuts with just a little cake holding it all together and I'm happy as a clam. Or cookies loaded with dried strawberries and blueberries. Perhaps panettone. Stollen is also one of my new favorites. So it should come as no surprise that I would include fruit and nuts in a bread recipe.
The tart plump cranberries floating throughout the bread in no way make this a sweet loaf. They offer only a slight sweetness that makes the sourdough sing. Pair that with the crunch of the toasty walnuts and you've got yourself one helluva great loaf of bread! I'm talking my favorite bread I've made to date!!
ingredients for gf cranberry walnut sourdough
- Sourdough starter - check out my gluten free sourdough starter guide to get your starter going in no time.
- Kim's gluten free bread flour blend - there's really no replacement for it.
- Dried cranberries - you could also sub these with another dried fruit, such as dried cherries. I think Ocean Spray makes some different flavors of Craisins, too!
- Chopped walnuts - I like to lightly toast the walnuts for that slight smokiness.
here's how to make sourdough walnut bread
Measure all ingredients for bread into the bowl of a stand mixer and mix on medium speed for 5 minutes.
Scrape dough into the center of the bowl and cover; proof until doubled in size.
Refrigerate fully risen dough for at least 6 hours, preferably overnight.
Knead dough on well-floured surface until smooth, adding more flour as necessary to avoid sticking.
Place shaped dough into a rice floured banneton basket (or bowl). Cover and let proof until doubled in size.
When bread has fully risen, it should be about an inch over the top of the banneton.
Carefully flip dough out onto piece of parchment paper and use a lame or sharp knife to score it.
Carefully place scored dough on parchment into very hot bread baker or Dutch oven.
Place lid on bread baker or Dutch oven and bake bread at 450 degrees F for 40 minutes.
Remove lid from baker and continue to bake for an additional 20 minutes, or until a thermometer registers at least 208 degrees F and the loaf of bread feels light in relation to its size. Let cool completely before slicing.
Cranberry Walnut Bread FAQs
You can bake your bread on a baking steel, baking stone, or even an overturned baking sheet. Place on the middle rack of your oven and put a shallow pan on the rack below it. Preheat the oven and when ready to bake, slide the bread onto the baking steel/stone/sheet and drop a handful of ice cubes into the shallow pan. Remove the shallow pan after the first 20 minutes of baking.
If you don't score sourdough bread, it will burst out in any direction. It may not bake evenly, so it is best to score it. If you don't have a bread lame, just use a sharp or serrated knife.
Only if it's made with a gluten free sourdough starter. You cannot make sourdough bread with a non-gluten free starter and expect it to be safe for those with celiac or gluten intolerance or sensitivity.
more gluten free sourdough bread recipes
- Gluten Free Sourdough Sandwich Bread
- Best Ever Gluten Free Sourdough Bread
- Gluten Free Sourdough Soft Pretzel Recipe
- Gluten Free Sourdough Cinnamon Rolls
- same day gluten free sourdough
- Sourdough English Muffins Recipe (Gluten Free)
If you love sourdough, you MUST try this recipe for my Gluten Free Cranberry Walnut Sourdough! It's my new favorite bread for a reason. The slightly sweet yet tart cranberries and the crunchy walnuts bring such a welcome taste and texture to sourdough.
Gluten Free Cranberry Walnut Sourdough
Ingredients
- 390 grams water, cold or at room temperature
- 10 grams whole psyllium husks*** (or 7 grams psyllium husk powder)
- 60 grams gluten free sourdough starter recently fed and active
- 21 grams honey
- 26 grams olive oil
- 390 grams Kim's gluten free bread flour blend (I strongly recommend against using any other flour blend for the best results)
- 12 grams kosher salt
- 8 grams baking powder
- 100 grams sweetened dried cranberries
- 75 grams toasted walnuts
Instructions
- Make sure your gluten free sourdough starter has been recently fed and is active.
- Place all ingredients in the bowl of a stand mixer and knead using the dough hook on medium to medium high for 5 minutes. Remove from the mixer, scrape into the middle of the bowl, cover, and let rise until doubled in size. Rising times vary greatly, but in general gluten free sourdough takes a very long time to rise. Don't be surprised if it takes all day for the dough to double. Be patient. It will happen.
- Once fully risen, refrigerate for at least 6 hours, preferably overnight.
- Dump cold dough out onto a well-floured surface and knead until smooth(ish). The purpose of this is to knock out the air and avoid large holes in the middle of the finished bread. Shape into a rustic loaf.
- Sprinkle banneton or bowl lined with a tea towel with rice flour and add rustic shaped dough. Cover and allow to proof until the top is nearly an inch above banneton basket. Again, this could take one hour or 4 hours. It is very temperamental to temperature, time of year, and many other factors. Please be patient.
- Meanwhile, preheat the oven with Dutch oven or bread baker in it to 450 degrees.
- When bread has fully proofed, place a piece of parchment on top and one hand on the parchment, and carefully flip it over onto your hand and slide it onto a counter. Gently lift off the banneton basket or bowl. Use a bread lame (or sharp or serrated knife) to score the bread (this will be awkward because of the cranberries and walnuts, but do your best).
- Remove the hot Dutch oven or bread baker from the oven, carefully place the bread (on the parchment) in the bottom, and replace the lid. Bake with the lid on for 40 minutes, then remove the lid and continue to bake for an additional 20 minutes, or until the internal temperature reaches at least 208°F. If the bread feels heavy for its relative size, continue to bake for an additional 10 minutes.
- Remove from the oven and place on a wire rack to cool completely before slicing.
Tonya M. says
Kim do you think this recipe would work for a Strawberry White Chocolate? The Strawberries are freeze dried.
Kim says
Yes, it probably would! I've been wanting to do a dark chocolate sourdough, but haven't found the time to work on it recently. If you happen to make it, please let me know how it turns out!
Tonya M. says
I did try the strawberries and white chocolate in place of the cranberries and walnuts. It was really good the first couple of days by the 3rd day not so much. It might need some of your magic. Thank you for all of your amazing recipes. My husband thinks he’s in heaven. He’s had so many options that I’ve made him recently. All because of you. I still don’t have your tortillas down. I’ll keep trying. Thank you for all you do.
susy says
Would you recommend making this bread with your GF wholegrain blend?
Kim says
It would work great with my wholegrain blend!