No Knead Fig and Walnut Bread Recipe
Fragrant with cinnamon and lightly sweetened with honey, this no knead fig and walnut bread could not be any easier to make! Enjoy lightly toasted and slathered with butter or cream cheese for a hearty breakfast, snack, or any time of day!
Servings 12 servings
Calories 214kcal
Equipment
- 1 4-5 quart dutch oven or a heavy bottomed stainless steel pot
Ingredients
- 3½ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp active dry yeast
- 1½ tsp cinnamon
- 1 tsp salt
- ¾ cup dried figs
- ½ cup walnuts
- 1½ cups water
- ¼ cup honey
- 1 tsp 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 1/2 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
Substitutions and Variations
-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 1/3 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.
-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 1/3 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
Calories: 214kcal | Carbohydrates: 41g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 4g | Saturated Fat: 0.4g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 198mg | Potassium: 139mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 11g | Vitamin A: 3IU | Vitamin C: 0.2mg | Calcium: 30mg | Iron: 2mg