Almost No Knead Cranberry Pecan Bread Recipes

COOK'S ILLUSTRATED ALMOST NO KNEAD BREAD

Steps:

• Follow directions in videos.
• Baking Instructions: For both these recipes, preheat your oven with Dutch oven or Cloche inside to 500 degrees. Reduce temperature to 425 when the bread dough goes in and bake covered for 30 minutes. Then remove cover and bake an additional 15 minutes or until the internal bread temperature reaches about 200 degrees.

ALMOST NO-KNEAD CRANBERRY-PECAN BREAD

Steps:

• 1. Whisk flour, yeast, salt, cranberries, and pecans in large bowl. Add water, beer, and vinegar. Using rubber spatula, fold mixture, scraping up dry flour from bottom of bowl until shaggy ball forms. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and let sit at room temperature for 8 to 18 hours. 2. Lay 12- by 18-inch sheet of parchment paper inside 10-inch skillet and spray with nonstick cooking spray. Transfer dough to lightly floured work surface and knead 10 to 15 times. Shape dough into ball by pulling edges into middle. Transfer dough, seam-side down, to parchment-lined skillet and spray surface of dough with nonstick cooking spray. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and let rise at room temperature until dough has doubled in size and does not readily spring back when poked with finger, about 2 hours. 3. About 30 minutes before baking, adjust oven rack to lowest position, place 6- to 8-quart heavy-bottomed Dutch oven (with lid) on rack, and heat oven to 500 degrees. Lightly flour top of dough and, using razor blade or sharp knife, make one 6-inch-long, 1/2-inch-deep slit along top of dough. Carefully remove pot from oven and remove lid. Pick up dough by lifting parchment overhang and lower into pot (let any excess parchment hang over pot edge). Cover pot and place in oven. Reduce oven temperature to 425 degrees and bake covered for 30 minutes. Remove lid and continue to bake until loaf is deep brown and instant-read thermometer inserted into center registers 210 degrees, 20 to 30 minutes longer. Carefully remove bread from pot; transfer to wire rack and cool to room temperature, about 2 hours.

CRANBERRY-PECAN BREAD

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°F. Generously butter 9 1/4 x 5 1/4 x 2 1/2-inch loaf pan. Combine cranberries and 3/4 cup water in small saucepan. Bring to boil. Reduce heat and simmer uncovered until berries burst, about 8 minutes. Drain excess liquid from cranberries. Cool.
• Whisk 2 cups flour, 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder, 1 teaspoon baking soda and 1/2 teaspoon salt in medium bowl to blend. Mix 1/2 cup yogurt and 1/4 cup orange juice in small bowl. Using electric mixer, beat butter and brown sugar in large bowl until fluffy. Beat in eggs, orange peel and vanilla extract. Mix in flour mixture alternately with yogurt mixture. Stir in cranberries and pecans. Transfer batter to prepared loaf pan.
• Bake bread until tester inserted into center comes out clean and top is brown, about 55 minutes. Transfer pan to rack. Cool 15 minutes. Remove bread from pan and cool on rack. (Can be made ahead. Wrap tightly and store at room temperature 1 day or freeze up to 2 weeks.)