Cranberry Walnut Cottage Loaf
Cristy created this dish for Great British Bake Off ™ Season 14. For the Bread Week Signature, the bakers had 2 hours and 45 minutes to create a cottage loaf. Cristy reached for a family favorite: dried cranberries, chopped walnuts, and fresh rosemary with multigrain flour for nutty depth. Prue praised the deep, confident slashes — "I love the cuts. I like they're nice and deep. I think it looks really appetizing." Paul noted it needed more salt to stand up to the bold mix-ins: "It needs a little bit of salt considering you had cranberries, walnuts in there. It's just a little bit bland." This recipe addresses the salt level by using 2% salt by flour weight and offers an optional flaky salt finish for extra seasoning on the crust. Chef's Notes: Lessons from the Tent The Salt Solution: Paul's critique—"It needs a little bit of salt"—was the defining feedback. This recipe uses 2% salt by flour weight (10 g salt to 500 g total flour), firmly within the bread baker's ideal range of 1.8–2.…
- Time: 210 min
Source: Relaxed Recipes
Ingredients
- PHASE 1 — MAKE THE DOUGH
- Combine dry ingredients. In a large bowl or stand mixer bowl, whisk together the
- Add butter and water. Add the softened butter and 300 ml of warm water. Mix with
- Knead the dough. Turn out onto a lightly floured surface and knead by hand for 1
- Test the windowpane. Pinch off a small piece of dough and gently stretch it betw
- First prove. Shape the dough into a smooth ball, place in a lightly oiled bowl,
- PHASE 2 — ADD THE MIX-INS
- Prepare mix-ins while dough proves. Toast walnut pieces in a dry skillet over me
- Incorporate mix-ins after first prove. Turn the risen dough out onto a lightly f
- PHASE 3 — SHAPE THE COTTAGE LOAF
- Divide the dough. Using a bench scraper or sharp knife, divide the dough into tw
- Shape the bottom cob. Take the larger piece and tuck the edges underneath to for
- Shape the top cob. Repeat with the smaller piece, creating a smooth, tight ball.
- Join the two halves. Dust your forefinger and middle finger generously with flou
- Score the dough. Using a bread lame, razor blade, or very sharp knife, make 8 ev
- PHASE 4 — SECOND PROVE AND BAKE
- Second prove. Loosely cover the shaped loaf with oiled plastic wrap. Let rise fo
- Preheat oven to 425°F with a rack in the center position. Place an oven-safe dis
- Re-establish the center hole. Just before baking, gently press your floured fing
- Optional finishing touches. Lightly brush the loaf with olive oil or melted butt
- Bake with steam. Place the loaf in the oven and carefully pour about 1 cup of bo
- Check for doneness. The loaf should sound hollow when tapped on the bottom. An i
- Cool completely. Transfer to a wire cooling rack and resist the urge to slice fo