This easy no knead fig and walnut bread is fragrant with cinnamon and lightly sweetened with honey. All is you have to do is stir all the ingredients together and forget about it for 6-24 hours. Enjoy slathered with butter or cream cheese for breakfast, as a snack or any time of day!
I love the versatility of my easy no knead dough recipe. I've transformed it into several savory recipes such as pizza; focaccia and buns. Look for a complete list of my no knead recipes further below!
But this is the first time I transform it into bread. This walnut bread with dried figs is lightly sweetened with honey and flavored with cinnamon and a dash of vanilla extract.
This is the perfect breakfast bread lightly toasted and slathered with butter or cream cheese, or even with ricotta. It's the perfect snack any time of day and perfect accompaniment to your afternoon cup of coffee or tea!
Warm, hearty, and rustic, this fig nut bread couldn't be any easier to prepare!
What do I need to make no knead fig walnut bread?
The only special equipment needed to make this bread, other than a bowl and wooden spoon, is a dutch oven.
A dutch oven is a heavy bottomed pot with thick walls and a tight fitting lid. I used a 5 quart cast iron pot (which may be coated in enamel or not) similar to this one. However, a heavy bottomed stainless steel pot with a lid will do for this recipe.
The thick walls of a dutch oven help distribute the heat evenly throughout while the tightly fitted lid traps in the heat allowing the bread to rise as it bakes.
And if I may add just one more item, I do strongly recommend the use of a bench scraper when shaping the sticky dough into a ball.
Ingredient list
- All-purpose flour
- Active dry yeast
- Salt
- Cinnamon
- Dried figs
- Walnuts: preferably toasted
- Water: lukewarm
- Honey
- Vanilla
The following are step by step instructions with images to guide you through this recipe. Please scroll to the end of this post for the detailed printable recipe card.
Step by Step Instructions
- In order to easily chop the dried figs, place them in a bowl, cover with hot water and let sit for 10 minutes.
- Drain, remove the tough stems and cut into bite sized pieces.
- Roast the walnuts in a 350 degrees F preheated oven for 15 minutes.
- Give the walnuts a rough chop.
- In a large glass or ceramic bowl combine the flour; salt; cinnamon and yeast.
- Stir in the chopped figs and walnuts.
- Heat water until lukewarm and stir in the honey, as well as the vanilla, until it dissolves.
- Use a wooden spoon to stir the water mixture into the bowl. Stir until all the flour is incorporated into the dough. It will be a shaggy mixture.
- Cover tightly with plastic wrap and let sit in a warm part of your kitchen (the oven is a good idea) for a minimum of 6 hours or up to 24 hours.
- The dough will double in volume and be bubbly on top when ready.
- Srape the dough with a spatula onto a generously floured surface.
- Use a bench scraper (or generously floured hands) to turn the dough over itself a few times and roughly shape into a ball. Use flour as needed at this step.
- Tear a piece of parchment paper large enough to fit the bottom and sides of your dutch oven and carefully lift the dough onto the center of the paper. Lightly dust it with flour, cover with a tea towel and let sit for one hour.
- Meanwhile, preheat oven to 450 degrees F and place the dutch oven with the lid on in the oven while it is preheating. Let the oven preheat for 30 minutes.
- Use a sharp knife or bread lame to score the top of the bread. Make 2-3 cuts up to ½ inch deep.
- Remove the lid, lift the dough by the corners of the parchment paper and carefully place the dough in the hot dutch oven.
- Cover and bake for 30 minutes.
- Uncover and bake for 5-10 minutes longer or until the center of the dough reaches anywhere from 190-200 degrees F.
- Once the dutch oven is uncovered, if the top of the bread is sufficiently browned, cover the top with a sheet of foil for the remaining baking time.
- Transfer to a wire rack and let cool completely before slicing to avoid an interior with a gummy texture.
Recipe Notes
-Instead of walnuts, use nuts of your choice such as almonds, hazelnuts or pistachios.
-Replace the dried figs with other dried fruits such as raisins, apricots or cranberries.
-For extra flavor, stir in the grated zest of half an orange.
-Try substituting up to ⅓ of the all-purpose flour with whole wheat flour. You may have stir in an extra tablespoon or two of water.
-No knead dough is very sticky, this is totally normal!
-Flour your work surface and hands, as needed, in order to handle the dough.
-After it has risen, do not knead the dough. Handle it gently when shaping into a ball in order to avoid deflating it.
-No problem, use a heavy bottomed stainless steel pot instead!
-You can check the interior temperature of the walnut bread with a thermometer. It should be anywhere from 190-200 degrees F.
-Alternately, carefully lift the bread out of the dutch oven and turn it over. The underside will sound hollow when it is tapped.
-When you remove the lid after the initial baking period and the top is already sufficiently browned, loosely cover the top with a sheet of foil for the remaining baking time.
-Baking time may vary slightly according to your oven.
-Store, well wrapped, at room temperature for up to 3 days.
-Wrap the bread well in cling wrap, place in a freezer bag and freeze for up to 3 months. Defrost at room temperature.
Did you try this recipe?
Let me know how much you enjoyed it by rating it in the recipe card below!
*****
Check out more no knead recipes!
- No Knead Pizza Dough Recipe
- Parigina Pizza
- Chicory, Egg and Cheese Stuffed Pizza
- Olive and Cheese Buns
- Cauliflower and Black Olive Scacciata
- Potato and Sausage Scacciata
- Eggplant Calzone alla Norma
- No Knead Fig and Rosemary Focaccia
- No Knead Skillet Focaccia
- Focaccia Messinese
- Sfincione Bagherese
Ingredients
- 3½ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon active dry yeast
- 1½ teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ¾ cup dried figs
- ½ cup walnuts
- 1½ cups water
- ¼ cup honey
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- In order to easily chop the dried figs, place them in a bowl, cover with hot water and let sit for 10 minutes. Drain, remove the tough stems and cut into bite sized pieces.
- Roast the walnuts in a 350 degrees F preheated oven for 15 minutes. Give the walnuts a rough chop.
- In a large glass or ceramic bowl combine the flour; salt; cinnamon and yeast. Stir in the dried figs and walnuts.
- Heat water until lukewarm and stir in the honey, and vanilla, until it dissolves.
- Use a wooden spoon to stir the water mixture into the bowl. Stir until all the flour is incorporated into the dough. It will be a shaggy mixture.
- Cover tightly with plastic wrap and let sit in a warm part of your kitchen (the oven is a good idea) for a minimum of 6 hours or up to 24 hours. The dough will double in volume and be bubbly on top when ready.
- Srape the dough with a spatula onto a generously floured surface. Use a bench scraper to turn the dough over itself a few times and shape into a ball. Use flour as needed at this step.
- Tear a piece of parchment paper large enough to fit the bottom and sides of your pot and carefully lift the dough onto the center of the paper. Dust lightly with flour, cover with a tea towel and let sit for one hour (or even two!).
- Meanwhile, preheat oven to 450 degrees F and place the dutch oven with the lid on in the oven while it is preheating. Let the oven preheat for 30 minutes.
- Use a sharp knife or bread lame to score the top of the bread. Make 2-3 cuts up to ½ inch deep.
- Take the dutch oven out of the oven, remove the lid, (careful, it will be extremely hot!) lift the dough by the corners of the parchment paper and carefully place it in the dutch oven. Cover and bake for 30 minutes.
- Uncover and bake for 5-10 minutes longer or until the center of the dough reaches anywhere from 190-200 degrees F.
- If the top of the bread is sufficiently browned when you remove the lid, tent it with a sheet of foil for the remaining baking time.
- Transfer to a wire rack and let cool completely before slicing.
Notes
-Replace the dried figs with other dried fruits such as raisins, apricots or cranberries.
-For extra flavor, stir in the grated zest of half an orange.
-Try substituting up to ⅓ of the all-purpose flour with whole wheat flour. You may have stir in an extra tablespoon or two of water. Tips on handling no knead dough -No knead is very sticky, this is totally normal!
-Flour your work surface and hands, as needed, in order to handle the dough.
-After it has risen, do not knead the dough. Handle it gently in order to avoid deflating it. What if I don't have a dutch oven? -No problem, use a heavy bottomed stainless steel pot instead! How can I tell when the bread is ready? -You can check the interior temperature of the bread with a thermometer. It should be anywhere from 190-200 degrees F.
-Alternately, carefully lift the bread out of the dutch oven and turn it over. The underside will sound hollow when it is tapped.
-When you remove the lid after the initial baking period and the top is already sufficiently browned, loosely cover the top with a sheet of foil for the remaining baking time.
-Baking time may vary slightly according to your oven. Storage Store, well wrapped, at room temperature for up to 3 days. To freeze -Wrap the bread well in cling wrap, place in a freezer bag and freeze for up to 3 months. Defrost at room temperature.
Nutrition
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Loressa Dunn
Thank you! I used this no-knead bread recipe as a starting point for a whole wheat fig, date, and walnut loaf. I used stone WW flour exclusively, and half chopped dried figs and chopped medjool date as well as a little anise which doesn’t come across flavor-wise. I steeped the dried fruits in the (heated) water the recipe calls for to give an overall, yet subtle sweetness to the loaf. It is lovely. I will further experiment with dried fruits and spices to see where I end up.
Nadia
Hello Loressa, thank you for sharing your modifications to this easy bread recipe. Indeed, it is easy to modify and make it to suit your own taste. I'm glad you enjoyed it!
Anna Bucciarelli
I finally got around to making some loaves of this wonderful bread to give as Christmas gifts to a couple of my favorite people. It turned out just as I think it should have, per the pictures you give. Of course, I kept a loaf for me and found it a delight to munch on whenever the urge got to me. I love what i call 'quick' breads, those that are filled with assorted fruits and nuts, usually without yeast, so this is a bit different than those I've baked in the past. It is definitely keeper and, in fact, I love all breads of any kind. I had never thought to use figs in a bread and since I like figs, why not? This is really special Nadia, a keeper for sure. Thank you - it is now in my Christmas baking book but I surely will make it at other times.
Nadia
Hi Anna, thank you for your kind feedback! This loaf certainly does make a lovely gift and I'm sure your loved ones appreciated a homemade gift! Thank you Anna!