Packed with cranberries, pecans and baked to perfection, this artisan bread isn’t just another recipe; it’s a delicious twist on homemade bread that’s both nutritious and incredibly tasty.

Perfect for the festive season or any time of year, this bread can be the centerpiece of your next gathering. Plain or toasted, enjoy a few slices at breakfast, alongside a hearty soup or salad, or arrange smaller pieces on a fruit and cheese platter. We’ve been particularly enjoying it with a selection of cheeses and fresh fruit!

The recipe combines whole wheat and white flours with Greek yoghurt to increase fibre and nutritional value, creating a soft, almost sourdough-like texture. Don’t skip the white flour—it’s key to achieving a wholesome bread that isn’t dense or heavy.

While bread baked in a pot typically doesn’t require kneading, this yoghurt-based recipe benefits from a few folds and stretches. These gentle kneading techniques help develop gluten strands, resulting in a bread that’s strong yet tender inside with a crispy exterior. Below, is a short video clip on kneading the bread.

Looking to convert between fresh and dry yeast? I recommend Madhumathi Raman’s online yeast converter. After using it to adjust my previous recipe, the results were even better!

The step-by-step recipe with pictures follows below.

Artisan Cranberry, Pecan and Yoghurt Bread

Equipment: An oven-proof/cast iron pot with lid. Mixing bowls. A metal or bread spatula. A food scale.

INGREDIENTS

• 3 cups flour (432 gr): 1¹/₂ cups white bread flour or All Purpose + 1¹/₂ cups whole wheat *(see notes)
• 2 teaspoon (tsp) salt
• ³/₄ cup (90 gr) raw pecans or walnuts or hazelnuts, chopped
• 1 cup (130-150 gr) dried cranberries *(see notes)
• 1 tsp (4 gr) crumbled fresh yeast or ¹/₂ tsp (2 gr) dry active yeast (levure sèche)
• 1¹/₄ cups (300 ml) lukewarm water (not hot/not cold)
• 1 tablespoon (20 gr) liquid honey or maple syrup
• ¹/₄ cup (65 gr) plain full fat Greek yoghurt *(see notes)
• A small amount of additional flour for shaping the dough

* Notes: For the flours, always aerate and mix the flour before measuring and weighing. I recommend that you weigh the flour and not only measure it in cups. You should have a total of 432 grams of mixed white and whole wheat flour. For the cranberries, preferably choose dried cranberries (or other dried berries) with no added sugar. For the Greek yoghurt, check the expiry date on packaging and for indications about containing live cultures or probiotics ( e.g. Lactobacillus bulgaricus and Streptococcus thermophilus). I haven’t tried this recipe with reduced fat or with plant-based Greek yoghurt (e.g. Soy based), but I think these could work just as well.

PROCEDURE

Oven: 230C / 450F (heating starts at Step 3)

Step 1: Make the dough

In a big bowl, mix together the flours, salt, dried cranberries and chopped nuts.

In separate medium bowl, add the yeast. Pour the water on top of the yeast and mix with fork until yeast dissolves completely. Then add the liquid honey and mix until it dissolves completely. Then add the yoghurt and stir/mix until combined.

Transfer the wet mixture into the dry flour mixture. Turn and fold with wooden spoon or spatula until the dry and wet ingredients are combined. Particularly, check the bottom of the bowl to combine the dry ingredients that can deposit. The mixture should be shaggy, moist and sticky. Form into a ball, as much as possible.

Step 2: First and second rise and shaping the dough

Cover the bowl with a thick tea towel and a lid or a big plate and let the dough rise for 12 to 18 hours at room temperature. Night-night dough!

After the first rise, spread some flour on a hard surface. With a metal or bread spatula, scrape out the edges of the dough and transfer the mixture onto the floured surface. Sprinkle some flour on the surface of the dough and with floured hands, lightly knead by: folding the dough followed by stretching it with your hand palm pressing downwards and outwards. Repeat this a few times until a soft ball forms— “a boule”. Sprinkle some flour on the dough when it feels too moist and sticky.

It doesn’t need heavy duty kneading, see video below.

Transfer the boule onto a big piece of parchment paper. Then, grab the parchment ends and place the boule into a clean dry bowl, keeping the parchment underneath. Dust the top of the boule with a bit of flour. Cover with a dry/clean tea towel and let the boule rise for 1¹/₂ hours.

Step 3: Preheat the oven and cast iron pot with lid

After the second rise, heat your oven at 230C / 450F and place the cast iron pot with lid on in the oven. Let the pot heat up for 30 minutes — it has to be very hot. 

Step 4: Bake the bread

After 30 minutes, take out the very hot pot with lid and place it on a heat proof or wooden surface. Grab the boule by the parchment paper and place it into the hot pot (being careful not to burn your hands or wrists). Make a few small slits on top of the boule using the tip of a sharp knife or a bread razor (this prevents the dough ball from exploding in the hot oven). Cover with the hot lid.

Place this in the heated oven on the mid-lower rack and bake covered for 30 minutes. Then remove the lid and allow to bake for another 8-10 minutes or until the outside of the bread is brown and crusty looking.

Step 5: Let the bread cool

When done, let the bread cool on a rack as it is still coming together while hot. Slice and enjoy while slightly warm or as soon as it is cool enough to handle. 

Wrap leftover bread with a clean tea towel or store in a container or bag at room temperature or in refrigerator. It keeps for several days and longer in refrigerator. You can also freeze the bread. I often store half of the loaf in a freezer bag.

Note: It has a shorter shelf-life than store-bought; there are no preservatives, chemicals or additives in this bread.

Enjoy!