No-knead trail mix bread is a wonderfully satisfying artisan bread that’s chock full of healthy dried fruit and nuts. This easy bread recipe rises on the counter overnight, for a light chewy loaf without any work. You’re going to love it!
No-knead bread – trail mix style!
The no knead method makes homemade bread a whole lot more doable and takes so much of the stress out of making bread from scratch. This one will have your personality stamped all over it because you’ll use the contents of your pantry to customize it to your taste. I used golden raisins and cranberries but you could just as easily use dried cherries, apricots, figs, or currants. As for the nuts, you could get exotic with pistachio, cashew, or hazelnuts. Note: Trader Joes has the best assortment around. You can even use a readymade blend if you like. Just measure out 2 cups and you’re good to go.
what you’ll need:
- bread flour ~ this flour is higher in protein and gluten which makes a light chewy bread.
- all purpose flour ~ mixing all purpose flour with the bread flour results in the perfect protein content.
- salt ~ salt regulates the activity of the yeast, and adds flavor to the bread.
- yeast ~ I use instant yeast, but regular active yeast will work too.
- water ~ cool water for this recipe.
- dried cranberries and golden raisins ~ they add flavor, texture, and sweetness. They plump up nicely during the long rise.
- walnuts and pecans ~ for flavor and crunch.
To each her own, in cooking as in all things…but for me, it’s a no brainer to add in lots of yummy inclusions to a homemade bread dough. I mean, why not?? It only makes the final bread that much more delicious and fun to eat. Every slice is gorgeous, and the toast? Be prepared to be wowed.
this bread recipe rises overnight on the counter
How cool is that, the dough rises on the counter all night while you sleep. You don’t need to find a warm spot for rising, room temperature is best. The beauty of an overnight rise is that you can bake it up the next day with little to no effort. You’re essentially dividing the work (and cleanup) over two days, so it’s not overwhelming at all. You’ll love it.
how does the no knead method work?
The no knead method was popularized by New York baker Jim Lahey. Most bread recipes rely on a kneading stage, which develops and stretches the gluten strands in the dough, creating an elastic dough and a light, chewy bread. The no knead method relies on a longer time for the bread to rise and ferment, and in that time the gluten strands form on their own. It’s a mix it and forget it style of bread making that actually works!
instant yeast vs. active dry yeast: what’s the difference?
You’ll notice this recipe calls for instant yeast. It’s my favorite kind to use because it consistently produces a high rise. Active dry yeast is usually sold in small jars and needs to be kept in the fridge once opened.
- First of all, know that you can use either one, interchangeably, in your recipes that call for yeast.
- Simply put, active yeast is yeast that needs to be ‘activated’ before it will grow (stirring it into warm water first until it starts to foam up.) Instant yeast is ready to roll right out of the packet (just pour the granules right into your flour.)
- To substitute active dry yeast for instant yeast, you’ll want to use a little more than the recipe calls for. Multiply the amount given in the recipe by 1.25.
- To substitute instant yeast for active dry yeast, you’ll want to use a little less than the recipe calls for. Multiply the amount given in the recipe by 0.75.
should you try this bread? YES!
I highly recommend this recipe. It makes a nice big loaf with tons of character. You all know how I love a great toasting bread, and this one delivers. Slice it thick, toast it, and slather with butter. If it’s too thick for your toaster, slide it under the broiler!
The crust is just the way I like it ~ crisp but not too thick or hard. It’s easy to slice, too.
I love how the work (and mess) is spread out over two days, this makes it a really relaxing recipe. And it’s such fun to wake up to a big bowl of risen dough on the counter. If you live in a cold climate, or are baking in winter, this recipe is ideal because you don’t need to hunt down a warm spot for it to rise.
craving more homemade bread?
- Easy Dutch Oven Bread
- Muesli Toasting Bread
- Buckwheat Honey and Caraway Rolls
- Rosemary and Olive No Knead Focaccia
No Knead Trail Mix Bread
Equipment
- a very large mixing bowl
- parchment paper
- Dutch oven, approximately 10 inches diameter
Ingredients
- 390 grams bread flour (this is approximately 3 1/4 cups)
- 113 grams all purpose flour (this is a scant cup)
- 2 tsp salt
- 1 packet instant yeast (2 1/4 teaspoons)
- 1 3/4 cups cool water
- 1/2 cup chopped walnuts
- 1/2 cup chopped pecans
- 1/2 cup golden raisins
- 1/2 cup dried cranberries
Instructions
- Note: read through the recipe first to familiarlize yourself with the steps. In a very large bowl whisk together the flours, salt, and yeast.
- Stir in the cool water to make a sticky, shaggy dough,
- Using clean hands, fold in all the fruit and nuts. Make sure you get them completely incorporated and evenly distributed.
- Cover the dough with plastic cling wrap and put on the counter overnight, or up to 18 hours! Do not put the dough in a warm place, put it right on the counter. Note: be sure to use cling wrap or other airtight wrap because you don't want the surface of your dough to dry out.
- The dough will have become quite puffed and bubbly by the next morning.
- Remove the dough to a lightly floured surface and form it into a nice rounded loaf and place in the center of a large piece of parchment paper (mine is 12×16)
- Place the paper and loaf inside a Dutch oven (my pot is about 10" in diameter.) Cover the pan and let rise in a warm spot for 2 hours. Note: it will puff slightly but it won't rise really high.
- After the bread has risen, make three shallow slashes across the top of the bread with a lame or a very sharp knife. This allows the bread to expand while baking. Put the cover on and place in a COLD oven.
- Set the temperature to 450F and immediately set the timer for 50 minutes. After the timer goes off, remove the lid and bake another 10 minutes, until the internal temperature is 205F, give or take. Note: if you like to make bread be sure you've got an instant read thermometor handy, it allows you to know for sure when your bread is done.
- Remove the bread from the pan and let cool on a rack. You can dive right in while it's warm, or let it cool completely, that's your call.
Notes
Nutrition
Just made this yesterday. It turned out just great, except my husband thought it wasn’t sweet enough. He wanted a hint of sweetness beyond the fruit. Can I add some sugar to the recipe and how much do you think? PS I used Trader Joe’s mixed dried fruit which included raisins, cranberries, cherries, and blueberries which worked just fine.
You can try adding a little sugar or honey but the only issue will be that sugar will make the yeast multiply faster, so that could be an issue with the super long rise time.
The bottom of my bread burned. Thinking it’s the flour. It didn’t ruin the loaf but just wondered how I can prevent it?
Did you use the parchment paper Janis? This protects the bottom of the bread.
What an easy way to bake a good loaf of bread! Made it yesterday afternoon- and baked it this morning! My husband does not eat fruited breads and he tried it and loved it! The crumb is fabulous!
I followed directions, used parchment paper, and had no issues! I see myself toasting for breakfast, using as part of a charcuterie plate, or French toast! Will try making smaller loaves to share with family and neighbors! This is the 1st NO Knead recipe I have been happy with! Thank you!
Oh my gosh, French toast? Yum.
New to bread baking, I made this yummy bread yesterday and we’ve already wolfed down way too many slices! Very easy to incorporate the nuts/fruit. We didn’t have all ingredients so we used double the walnuts, and then dried apricots and cranberries. SUPER yummy toasted with some Olivio butter. This is our 10th recipe from “The View from Great Island” (first bread) and ALL have been amazing. P.S. You are my favorite food blogger and I feel like we are kindred spirits with our love of cardamom. 🙂
Thank you Carrie, I’m so glad I’m inspiring you 🙂
I want to make this bread in loaf pans. What about it being covered while baking? just cover with foil??
thank you
I would bake normally, and loosely cover with foil if it seems to be browning too fast.
I made this last night and baked it this morning. I used a trail mix I had in the pantry and just picked out the Brazil nuts since I didn’t want them in my bread. The trail mix had some dried apples and papaya in it so the long rise allowed them all to soften. I also used the stand mixer to mix it all until incorporated. I baked it this morning in between virtual classes. I love it and will be making it again using some different dried fruits and nuts in it.
Thanks for the quick feedback Mia! And I agree with you about the Brazil nuts 😉
How many tsp is a packet of instant yeast?
2 1/4, I just added that.
I just pulled it out of the oven again but this time I turned it into a savory bread with some garlic powder, everything but the bagel seasoning and some shredded cheese. It works this way too. It is also a much smaller loaf than the Everything but the Bagel no knead on the KA site which I like.
Hi Sue,
Thank you for your recipes! Would this be enough dough to make 2 loaves?
If so would you just divide in half and bake one half all the way through and then do the other?
Looking forward to trying this.
I would just do the two loaves in loaf pans, or you could form them into small loaves and bake them right on parchment on a baking sheet.
This looks yummy; will have to try soon!
Could I use sourdough starter instead of yeast? Looks delicious. Thanks
I haven’t tried that, but sounds delish, sure!