You'll feel like a professional baker after you whip up this delicious vegan cranberry orange bread! There's no kneading required to make this sweet, tart, and tangy oil-free bread. It has a beautiful golden crust but the center is perfectly soft and chewy.
Thank you to Mariani for sponsoring this recipe! My opinions are always my own, thank you for supporting the brands that I love.
After making my basic no-knead whole wheat bread recipe at least 20+ times, I started trying different flavor combinations to jazz it up. I've fallen in love with this vegan cranberry orange bread and I hope you will too! It features a sweet, tangy, and citrusy combination of tart cranberry, fresh orange zest, and crunchy pumpkin seeds.
With a minimal amount of effort, you can enjoy the intoxicating scent of fresh cranberry orange bread baking in the oven, and have the best vegan bread to nosh on all week! Toast each slice until crispy and then slather it with sweet mango jam for a cozy breakfast with a cup of coffee.
How to Make It - Step by Step Instructions
First, combine all of the dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl and stir to combine. Make a well in the center and add the liquids. Stir it all together until you don't see any more bits of flour and you have a ball of dough. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap or a towel and let it rise for 12-18 hours. I usually let it rise overnight.
Next, you need to preheat the dutch oven in the oven. While it's warming, punch the dough down and fold it over onto itself a few times. Replace the cover and let it rise again for 30 more minutes.
Take the hot pot out of the oven, line it with a piece of parchment paper, and then scoop the dough into the pot. Replace the lid and bake it for 40 minutes. Take the lid off for the last 5 minutes so the crust turns golden brown. Transfer the cranberry orange bread to a wire rack to cool for one hour before slicing.
Serving Suggestions
The bread is delicious enjoyed fresh on the first day, but after that, it tastes best when it's toasted until crispy. Toasted slices of cranberry orange bread are delicious slathered with a few spoonfuls of mango jam, vegan butter, or vegan cream cheese. Read this vegan toast toppings post for more savory ideas.
How To Store It
You can leave the vegan cranberry bread on the counter in a paper bag (so the crust stays crispy) on the first day. After that, it's best to store the bread in an airtight container or sealed bag in the refrigerator to make it last as long as possible. This homemade bread doesn't contain any preservatives, so if you leave it on the counter mold will develop within 2-3 days.
Can I Freeze It?
Yes, you can freeze the whole baked loaf or the unbaked dough. To freeze the baked loaf, put it in an airtight freezer-safe container or bag for up to 2-3 months. To thaw, take it out of the freezer and let it defrost in the fridge for 24 hours and then you can slice and toast to taste.
To freeze the dough, follow the directions to make the dough. After it rises, punch it down and form it into a ball. Wrap it with a few layers of plastic wrap and store it in an airtight container or bag in the freezer for up to 2-3 months. Then you can defrost the dough in the fridge overnight or leave it on the counter in a covered bowl for a few hours, and then you can follow the baking instructions.
Recipe Variations
The combination of cranberry and orange is sweet, tart, and tangy all in one! I think it's delicious, but if you want to switch up the flavors, any of the following variations are great options to try.
- Lemon Blueberry
- Walnut Blackberry
- Cinnamon Raisin
- Coconut Lime
- Almond Cherry
- Strawberry Lemonade
Substitutions & FAQ
- Cranberry Substitutions: Dried cherries are the closest replacement to cranberry, but you could also use raisins.
- Pumpkin Seed Substitutions: You can use sunflower seeds or hemp seeds instead of pumpkin seeds. Any chopped nuts like pecans, almonds, or walnuts would be delicious too!
- Do I have to use vital wheat gluten? Vital wheat gluten is used to improve the texture and elasticity of the dough when it contains whole what flour. If you don't use vital wheat gluten but you still use the whole wheat flour, the loaf may turn out a little dense. If you omit the vital wheat gluten, you should also omit the whole wheat flour and use only all purpose flour.
- Gluten-Free: To make this vegan no-knead bread recipe gluten-free, you'll need to use gluten-free flour. Unfortunately, I haven't tested this recipe using any other flours yet.
Success Tips
- You can use a 5-quart or 6-quart dutch oven to make the bread, but the dough tends to spread more with a bigger pot which results in a flatter loaf. I prefer to use a smaller 3-quart dutch oven because it has less surface area for the dough to spread. By using a small pot, the bread gets a perfectly round shape and it has a higher dome.
- Let the dough rise somewhere warm, if it's too cold it won't rise properly. I like to put the bowl by the stovetop or in the oven in my kitchen after I've cooked dinner so it's slightly warm and humid.
- Make sure the handle on your pot lid is oven-safe up to 450 degrees. You should unscrew the handle if it's not because you run the risk of the handle being damaged by the high heat.
- For easy cleanup, put a piece of parchment paper in the pot before you drop the bran and dough in.
- If you like a softer, lighter crust, you should leave the lid on the entire time to protect the bread while it's baking. If you like a darker, crispy crust, you should take the lid off the last 5 minutes of baking so it can crisp up.
- Let the bread cool for one hour after you bake it. If you slice it too soon the middle may be a little sticky and gummy.
Want More Vegan No-Knead Bread Recipes?
No-Knead Vegan Cranberry Orange Bread
Equipment
- Large Mixing Bowl
- Plastic Wrap or Towel
- 3-Quart Dutch Oven
- Parchment Paper
- Wire Rack
Ingredients
- 2 ½ cups all purpose flour
- ½ cup whole wheat flour
- ½ cup old fashioned oats
- ¼ tsp active dry yeast
- 2 tbsp vital wheat gluten
- 1 tsp salt
- â…“ cup unsalted roasted pumpkin seeds
- 1 cup Mariani dried cranberries
- 2 tbsp orange zest
- 1 cup orange juice
- ¾ cup lukewarm water
- 1 tbsp wheat bran
Instructions
- Add all purpose flour, whole wheat flour, oats, yeast, vital wheat gluten, salt, pumpkin seeds, cranberries, and orange zest to a large mixing bowl. Stir to combine all the ingredients.Â
- Make a well in the middle of the mixture and pour in the orange juice and ¾ cup of lukewarm water. Mix until you don't see any more flour. If the mixture feels dry and crumbly, add a little more water (up to ¼ cup) until all the flour has been mixed in and you have a shaggy, sticky dough.Â
- Cover the bowl with plastic wrap or a towel and let it sit undisturbed for 12-18 hours (I usually do this step overnight). Place the bowl in a warm place to help the dough rise.
- Preheat the oven to 450 degrees.
- Put the dutch oven (with lid on) into the oven to preheat for 30 minutes. While the pot is heating, uncover the dough. You'll know it's ready because the top of the dough will be covered with tiny air bubbles. Punch the dough down with your fist and fold the dough over itself four times. You might need a sprinkle of flour if it's too sticky. Cover the bowl again and let it rise for 30 minutes (while the pot is heating).Â
- Carefully (wearing two oven mitts), remove the pot from the oven and remove the lid. For easy cleanup, line the pot with a piece of parchment paper. Sprinkle the wheat bran over the bottom of the pot.
- Use a spatula to gently scoop the dough into the pot. You will immediately hear it start to sizzle, so quickly put the lid on and put the pot back into the oven.Â
- Bake covered for 40 minutes. Remove the lid and let it bake for 5 more minutes or until the crust is golden brown. Take the pot out of the oven and carefully grab both sides of the parchment paper to lift the bread out of the pot. Transfer it to a wire rack and let it cool completely for one hour before slicing.
Notes
- Make sure the handle on your pot lid is oven-safe up to 450 degrees. You should unscrew the handle if it's not because you run the risk of the handle being damaged by the high heat.Â
- For easy cleanup, put a piece of parchment paper in the pot before you drop the bran and dough in.
- If you like a softer, lighter crust, you should leave the lid on the entire time to protect the bread while it's baking. If you like a darker, crispy crust, you should take the lid off the last 5 minutes of baking so it can crisp up.Â
- Let the bread cool for one hour after you bake it. If you slice it too soon the middle may be a little sticky and gummy.Â
Nutrition
*This recipe was originally posted on 12/12/17, but I updated it on 9/1/20.
Leave a Reply