Rustic Sourdough Bread with Walnuts & Cranberries

Sourdough has been around since ancient Egypt, but this version with inclusions takes it somewhere special.

This Rustic Sourdough Bread with Walnuts & Cranberries blends old-world tradition with the warm crunch of toasted walnuts and little pockets of sweet-tart cranberries in every bite.

This loaf was inspired by European harvest breads, where bakers would toss whatever nature gave them - fruits, nuts, even wine-soaked raisins—into their dough.

The result? A hearty, chewy bread that feels both timeless and new.

Personally, we love breads with inclusions! It’s a great way to use up whatever nuts, seeds, or dried fruits you have in your pantry.

Also,m here is how to get access to our full selection of 500+ more recipes like this…

Have you taken our FREE 30-Day Gluten-Free Challenge Quiz yet?

Yield:

1 loaf

Total Time:

• Prep Time: 25 minutes

• Cook Time: 40 minutes

• Rest Time: 4-6 hours

• Total Time: Approx. 6-8 hours

Ingredients:

Dry Ingredients:

• 120 g Buckwheat Flour

• 150 g Brown Rice Flour

• 80 g Potato Starch

• 7 g Salt

• 9 g Baking Powder

• 17 g Psyllium Husk

• 5 g Ground Flax Seeds (Linen)

• 50 g Walnuts, Chopped

• 50 g Dried Cranberries (unsweetened if possible)

Wet Ingredients:

• 150 g Active Gluten-free Sourdough Starter

• 470 mL Water

• 25 g Olive Oil

• 17 g Honey

Instructions:

1. Prep the Psyllium Gel

1. Gather your required ingredients.

2. In a bowl, whisk together 350 ml of water with psyllium and flax. Let sit 5–10 minutes to thicken into a gel.

2. Mix Dry Ingredients

1. In a large mixing bowl, combine buckwheat flour, brown rice flour, potato starch, salt, baking powder.

3. Combine the Wet Mix

1. Add the sourdough starter, olive oil, and honey to the psyllium gel. Stir until smooth.

4. Form the Dough

1. Pour the wet mixture into the dry ingredients.

2. Mix until a sticky dough forms.

3. Pile the chopped walnuts and cranberries onto the dough.

4. Gently fold in the walnuts and cranberries.

5. Bulk Fermentation

 1. Cover and let it rise for 4–6 hours at room temperature, or ferment in the refrigerator overnight.

6. Shape the Loaf

1. Shape into a loaf and place on a parchment-lined tray or into a proofing basket/tin.

2. Let it rest for 1–1.5 hours, covered.

7. Bake

1. Preheat oven to 240°C.

2. Use a bread lame (with a razor blade attached for scoring), or a sharp knife to cut some shallow lines in the surface of the bread in an X-pattern. You can also make a single curved cut into the surface of the top of the loaf if you prefer.

3. Bake the loaf at 240°C for 10 minutes, reduce the temperature to 220°C, and bake for another 25–30 minutes.

8. Cool Completely

1. Let the bread cool on a rack for at least 1 hour before slicing.

Serving Idea:

This loaf is incredible with creamy butter, a slather of almond or cashew cheese, or sliced into thin pieces for a toasted walnut & cranberry bruschetta. It also makes the dreamiest holiday sandwich with vegan cheese and baby greens 🕊️