We first discovered cranberry wild rice bread at our family camp in northern Minnesota, yes it’s the best camp ever, and not just because they served this delightful bread for lunch on sandwich day 🙂
Every summer my mom raves about the wild rice cranberry bread and so I thought it would be fun to make our own version of the recipe so we can have it any time of year! It truly is a versatile recipe for all seasons. It tastes amazing for your cold chicken salad sandwiches in summer, alongside your favorite soups, and it will make grilled cheese nights even better.
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How to Make Cranberry Wild Rice Bread
Ingredients
- Wild Rice – It needs to be cooked wild rice. You can buy cooked wild rice in cans at the grocery store or you can make your own. Make extra and you can use it for this yummy chicken wild rice salad!
- Flour – I use a mixture of whole wheat flour and all purpose
- Active Dry Yeast
- Honey
- Dried Cranberries
- Olive Oil
- Salt
- Butter
Process
Start by mixing your warm water, honey and olive oil in a large mixing bowl. Sprinkle a packet of active dry yeast on top and stir. Let it sit for 5-10 minutes until frothy.
In a separate large bowl combine both flours and salt.
Add softened butter to the yeast mixture and combine.
Add dry ingredients into the large mixing bowl with the wet ingredients and mix until the dough starts to form.
Add the wild rice and cranberries to the dough.
Knead for 8-10 minutes until dough becomes elastic and smooth. If it seems too sticky, you can add more flour.
Place dough ball in a greased bowl and set in a warm place to rise for 1-2 hours until doubled in size.
Once doubled in size, punch down the dough to release the air and shape into a loaf on a floured surface. – Here is a very helpful video to learn how to make a loaf.
Place your loaf in a greased loaf pan and cover it with a damp tea towel. Let dough rise again for 30-45 minutes.
Preheat oven to 350. Once dough has finished rising bake for 30-35 minutes until top is golden brown.
Remove from oven and place on a wire rack to cool and enjoy! This bread tastes great as a base for this wild rice chicken salad!
Mix-Ins
We use cranberries in this recipe, but you could substitute for other dried fruits such as raisins or cherries.
You could also add walnuts or other nuts you enjoy in bread if you like the extra crunch.
Storage
The bread will stay good for 3-5 days in an airtight container or plastic wrap on the kitchen counter. You could also freeze the entire loaf in an air tight freezer bag. Use within 3 months for the best taste!
If you enjoyed this recipe please leave a comment and rating, we would greatly appreciate it!
Cranberry Wild Rice Bread Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 cup warm water
- 2 tablespoons honey
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 packet active dry yeast
- 1 cup whole wheat flour
- 2 cups all purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 tablespoons softened butter
- 1 cup cooked wild rice
- 1 cup dried cranberries
Instructions
- Start by mixing your warm water, honey and olive oil in a large mixing bowl. Sprinkle a packet of active dry yeast on top and stir. Let it sit for 5-10 minutes until frothy.
- In a separate large bowl combine both flours and salt.
- Add softened butter to the yeast mixture and combine.
- Add dry ingredients into the large mixing bowl with the wet ingredients and mix until the dough starts to form.
- Add the wild rice and cranberries to the dough.
- Knead for 8-10 minutes until dough becomes elastic and smooth. If it seems too sticky, you can add more flour.
- Place dough ball in a greased bowl, cover with a wet towel or plastic wrap and set in a warm place to rise for 1-2 hours until doubled in size.
- Once doubled in size, punch down the dough to release the air and shape into a loaf on a floured surface.
- Place your loaf in a greased loaf pan and cover it with a damp tea towel. Let dough rise again for 30-45 minutes.
- Preheat oven to 350. Once dough has finished rising, bake for 30-35 minutes until top is golden brown.
- Bread is done once it sounds hollow when you tap on it or when it reaches an internal temperature of 195° F.
- Remove from oven and place on a wire rack to cool. Allow to cool for a few minutes before slicing.
Notes
I like this recipe better than others as it is not sweet and it is very versatile for making changes to it, hence also making it more versatile for use for other things like sandwiches, french toast, plain toast, with meals, bread bowl when cooked in a Dutch oven, etc. I use a bread machine to prep the dough. I have cooked it in a Dutch oven (450 for 30 mins & 10 min uncovered). I have also taken out the oil & butter to make it more of an artesian style bread in the Dutch oven with a crunchy crust or make it into baguettes. Also, I have replaced the whole wheat flour with all white or substituted the wheat flour with other kinds. You can even add some nuts or sunflower seeds. Nice recipe.
I am so glad you liked the recipe and found it adaptable! Thank you for taking the time to comment and share! – Emily 🙂
This recipe was very easy to follow and the bread turned out amazing!! I hope I don’t eat it all before my family arrives over New Year’s weekend! Thank you, Emily!!
Lorelie
I’m so glad you enjoyed it! Merry Christmas!
Has anyone made mini loaves? Just wondering how many I can get out of a batch. I’m thinking 4. Is the baking time the same?
I have not made mini loaves so can’t speak to baking time – if you try it report back!
Hi! Is the Camp you reference by chance Camp Du Nord? I’ve been going there for years and have never asked for the recipe, but I’ve wondered how to bake the same delicious bread. I’m really excited to try this! Thank you!
Hi Jenn! Oh funny! It is a different camp, but I love that it’s a shared tradition among camps in northern minnesota 🙂 I hope you love the recipe and it brings back great memories!
What can you substitute for the honey, brown sugar, white sugar, corn syrup?
You can substitute white sugar!
I have made this yummy bread 4 times now! The recipe is easy to follow, and the bread tastes even better the second day after the flavors blend together. I like my slice with deli turkey lunch meat on it!
LR
Can I make this with fresh frozen cranberries or do I have to use dried. It looks delicious
Thanks.
Hi Desiree! I have not tried it with fresh frozen cranberries so cannot say how it would turn out. If you try it, please report back and let us know how it was! 🙂
I found this recipe earlier this summer and loved it. I entered it in our local county fair and it took open class grand champion foods! Lots of people copied the recipe and have asked me for it since. I made it just as the recipe says. Very tasty. I did try making it with just regular flour but not as good as with the whole wheat flour.
That’s so fun! Congratulations on winning the grand champion title at your county fair- 🎉 We’re thrilled to hear that the recipe was such a hit.:)
I am so curious about the camp as I live in northern Minnesota. Cranberry wild rice bread is a staple up here , even baked fresh at the hospital I work at. I am always looking for new recipes and can’t wait to try this one.
Wow I would love to work at a hospital where they made fresh bread! Might have to move up north 🙂 Our camp is near Walker, MN. We hope you enjoy this recipe and it tastes like home!
What size bread pan do you use?
I use a standard loaf pan sized 8-1/2 x 4-1/2 x 2-1/2 inches – hope you enjoy! 🙂
I’m making it right now…I will let you know!
Mine did not turn out. Bread never rose. Wondering if it was kneaded too long with electric mixer. Also baked longer than suggested time and still didn’t seem done. Will try again another day!
Oh I’m sorry to hear it didn’t turn out for you! Hopefully next time is better!!
I make two loaves a week! One for myself and one for my son’s family. It is a no fail recipe.
Oh this makes my day 🙂 Thank you for sharing and so glad it’s a recipe you keep coming back to!
Tried this recipe a second time and did not use the mixer for kneading. Turned out beautifully. This recipe is a keeper!
oh yay! I’m so glad it turned out for you! Thanks for your feedback and sharing your process with us! 🙂
In the Cranberry Wild Rice Bread your #7 says, “Place dough ball in a greased bowl and set in a warm place to rise for 1-2 hours until doubled in size.” It does not say to cover the bowl with a wet towel or plastic wrap. I know to do that, but some others may not know to cover it while it rises. Would you want to add that to #7?Thanks, Paula Kraus
Thank you for the great suggestion! I just added it to my instructions 🙂
Hello, I am excited to try your recipe. It sounds delicious. One question though, the recipe calls for cooked wild rice. Do you cook yours with plain water or broth? I’m thinking a broth or stock would change the flavors. And do you cook yours on the stovetop or baked in the oven? Thanks for your time.
Hi! I usually cook my wild rice in water on the stovetop, but it is also delicious cooked in broth, like if you were making wild rice soup! Hope you enjoy the recipe!
I used my instant pot to cook rice..20 minutes then natural release..great!
can you adapt it for a Bread Machine? please let me know! thanks
Hi Mike- we have personally never made it with a bread machine but we have had people comment that they prepped the dough with a bread maker and it turned out great so I think it can be done! We would love to hear how it works for you if you try it.
If I use my Kitchen Aid mixer to knead this bread do I still need it for 8 – 10 minutes or would it be less time?
I knead in my Kitchen Aid for 8-10 minutes! Enjoy! 🙂
This looks delicious! I love it with chicken salad in the summer! Can it be made with fresh cranberries chopped up in my food processor, if they are dried on a towel? Want to use up some cranberries I have on hand!
We love it with chicken salad too! Such a good combo. I’ve never used fresh cranberries, I”m not sure how the moisture content would affect the dough.. if you give it a shot report back and let me know how it works!
This is an excellent and easy recipe! It made a giant 9 x 5 loaf.
We are so happy to hear that you enjoyed it! It is a go-to recipe in our house 🙂
An this be made with all AP flour?
Hi Tammy- I’ve always made it with a mix of AP and whole wheat flour but I would suspect using all AP flour would work too- if you try it we would love for you to report back on how it worked!
I wanted to circle back to this- I just talked to my mother in law who makes this bread often and she frequently will use all AP flour and it turns out great!