Delicious Cranberry and Pecan Sourdough Bread made with lightly sweetened cranberries and pecans. Great for holiday morning breakfast bread. 
During this festive season if you are sourdough loving person or family then try to make this cranberry pecan sourdough bread for breakfast. I wanted to bake a sourdough bread with cranberries for long time, however its sour and bitter taste held me back. Last week I saw a recipe in a Facebook group which used cranberry in challah. I didn’t want to make sweet dough so decide to add it in normal sourdough loaf. Turned out be a great innovation.
Why Cranberries?
I believe just like sweet potatoes, Thanksgiving and Christmas are also the months of cranberries. Do you know Cranberries are related to blueberries, bilberries, and lingonberries?
The most commonly grown species is the North American cranberry (Vaccinium macrocarpon), but other types are found in nature.
Due to their very sharp and sour taste, cranberries are rarely eaten raw. Most of the time it is consumed as juice, which is normally sweetened and blended with other fruit juices, or sauces or added along with recipes.
There are other cranberry-based products which include dried cranberries, and powders and extracts used in supplements.
Cranberries are a great source of healthy vitamins and plant compounds like flavanol polyphenols and antioxidant, some of which have been shown to be effective against urinary tract infections (UTIs).
Fresh cranberries are nearly 90% water, but the rest is mostly carbs and fiber. They also are rich in vitamins and minerals, including manganese, copper, and vitamins C, E, and K1. However, cranberry juice has almost no fiber.
Just like any other, cranberries have side effects too, excessive consumption may cause stomach upset and diarrhea — and may also increase the risk of kidney stones in predisposed individuals.
Why Cranberry Pecan Sourdough bread?
Most of the recipes I have seen only used dried cranberries in sourdough bread. If you are reader of my blog you know that I love to incorporate fruits and veggies in my sourdough bread. I have tried blueberry sourdough, peach sourdough, apple sourdough, pumpkin sourdough. I have also tried dried cranberries in sourdough.
This is the first time I am trying with frozen cranberries as I have it in hand. You can use fresh cranberries. This I can say is barely sweetened and is perfect for my hubby who is diabetic. If you want to sweeten the cranberries. Then use only maple syrup. I think I added both and ended up getting very dilute version of sweetness. If you are using fresh cranberries use only 1-2 tablespoon water along with maple syrup that way you will get concentrated. I don’t have enough pecan in my hand so used only whatever available. You can increase the amount of pecan to get more crunch.
Tips to remember
- When using frozen cranberries, you don’t need to add any extra water. This will give more sweetness to your cranberries.
IF using fresh ones use only 1-2 tablespoon water along with sweetener. - If you want a barely sweetened cranberries follow this method.
- You can interchange nuts, go for walnuts or pistachios.
- You can use brown sugar, agave nectar or honey instead of maple syrup
This cranberry pecan sourdough tastes great with butter and little orange marmalade. Go for it you will love it.
Cranberry and Pecan Sourdough Bread
pecans. Great for holiday morning breakfast. I used frozen you can use fresh too
Ingredients
For Leaven
- 75 g Bread flour
- 25 g Multigrain flour
- 25 g active sourdough starter
- 100 g water
For the dough
- 200 g bread flour
- 200 g all-purpose flour
- 210 g leaven
- 300 g water
- ¼ cup pecan
- 9 g salt
For Cranberries
- 124 g cranberries
- 76 g Maple syrup
- 49 g water
Instructions
- Prepare Levan
- Mix all the ingredients for leaven and set aside for about 6 hours.
- Prepare Cranberries
- In a saucepan add water and maple syrup and add cranberries and cook for 8 minutes. Then strain and use it if you want more sweetened cranberries don’t add any water and use only maple syrup.
- Autolysis and bread dough
- When leaven is ready mix with flour mix, salt to form as shaggy dough.
- Set aside for another 30 minutes then fold in cranberries to the dough and fold the dough at 2 one-hour interval and then laminate the dough for another 1 hour and coil fold the dough 1-hour interval for next two hours and then shape the dough.
- Once you shaped the dough transfer to banneton and set aside refrigerator for cold ferment for 12 hours.
- Next morning pre-heat oven to 475. Score the dough and transfer the dough into cold Dutch oven.
- Bake it in a pre-heated oven for 475 F for 20 min. Then reduce the temp to 450F for another 20 minutes Then remove the lid and bake for another 10-15 minutes.
- Enjoy with your favorite jam or fruit spread.
Video
Notes
IF using fresh ones use only 1-2 tablespoon water along with sweetener. If you want a barely sweetened cranberries follow this method. You can interchange nuts, go for walnuts or pistachios.
Nutrition
23
This is Swathi ( Dr. Ambujom Saraswathy Ph.D) from Zesty South Indian Kitchen who loves to explore cuisines from all over the world. Whenever possible I try to to give an Indian touch to several of the world cuisine, and has weakness for freshly baked bread. All the recipes you see here are created by me and approved after taste-test by my family.
Jean Brackemyer says
Can I use craisins instead of cranberries.
Thanks,
Jean
Anonymous says
Juyali says
You always have the best bread recipes. Everyone I try turns out amazing. And this was no exception. Thank you 🙂
Nora says
Thank you for sharing this recipe! This is the perfect holiday sourdough bread! Can't wait to make it again!
Liz says
Such a beautiful and delicious loaf!!! I loved cooking the cranberries in the maple syrup to sweeten them up a bit----great tip!
Nicole Kendrick says
Thank you for sharing this recipe
Stephanie Cornell says
Could I use sweetened, dried cranberries in place of fresh/frozen ones?
AmyJo DeFelice says
This is an excellent recipe even for new bakers. Easy search for any technique I was not sure of. And I am surprised even with some of my mistakes how beautiful and tasty this loaf is. I used Freeze Dried Cranberries and Hulled Hemp seed. Watching your video, helped in knowing that the berries will definitely try and escape 🙂 All part of the fun. 🙂
Isabella says
I’m this recipe, you don’t show it in the video and you don’t clarify the terms. Could you please explain the difference between your 3 methods(fold, laminate, coil fold), and if I read this correctly this is all done over 5 hours? Thanks!
Allyssa says
Thank you so much for sharing this amazing recipe! Will surely have this again! It's really easy to make and it tasted so delicious!
Suja Manoj says
Great addition, looks so colorful and yummy
Amy H says
Such a great recipe! Sounds Delicious - the Cranberry and Pecan sounds like the perfect combination
rika says
That's a great flavor combo! I never made my own sourdough bread! I can't wait to try this.
Marisa González says
I baked a bread with dried cranberries a few years ago at Christmas. It is beautiful, maybe, the most beautiful bread I've seen.
Your husband must be very happy.
You've been improving your SD breads. I'm not ready yet.
Danielle says
Oh wow, this bread looks so festive! It will be the perfect add-on to my holiday table and will surely be a bit! Yum.
Victoria says
I don't think I've had sourdough bread before, but this does look delicious. Plus, it ads in cranberry so that makes it even more tempting to try.
Kathy says
Sourdough bread is one of my favorite types of bread. I have got to give your recipe a try. I have never made it myself before, but excited to now.
Ramona says
This loaf looks perfection. I never tried making it with fresh cranberries but that’s going to change now. I love the idea.
Cathy Mini says
This is a really cute bread recipe this Christmas perfect. I love to try this one.
Catalina says
This is definitely a very festive bread! I love these flavors!
Beth says
It looks beautiful and really delicious! It would be perfect for the holidays.
Sarah Bailey says
Ohh now this sounds like a really interesting idea for a Christmas bread! I bet it tastes so delicious with the addition of cranberries and pecans too!
Bonnie G says
That came out really great! I have never had cranberry pecan sourdough bread before. I can't wait to make this.
Brianne Tursi Manz says
To me, cranberries are a major part of the holidays, especially for Thanksgiving. I'd love to try this bread!
Dana Brillante-Peller says
Cranberry makes a great addition to your sourdough bread. Never thought to make it with cranberry though.
Terri Steffes says
You do bread like nobody's business. I wish you were my neighbor and dropped by every now and then with bread. I think this sourdough looks amazing with cranberry in it.
melissa chapman says
Cranberries are a great berry and the favorite for Thanksgiving. That bread looks amazing and so good i have to try and make my own.
Petra says
Okay, that's one recipe that I NEED to test! I love cranberries in bread. I hope I can make this as I'm not a so great at baking. 😉
Kay says
Looks fabulous, I love sourdough bread! Never thought of adding Cranberries before, great for the festive season.
Tasheena says
I love the way your bread turns out. This sounds and looks like a really yummy flavor combination.
Amber Myers says
I know I'd love this! For one, I love fresh bread. Two, sourdough and cranberries are amazing! This is perfect for the holidays.
Tammy says
I love making bread and this recipe looks yummy! Thanks for sharing.
Amber Nelson says
This looks like the perfect recipe for holidays at my house! I will try it!