Method

Preheat the oven to 200 °C.

Scatter the walnuts onto a baking tray and bake for 5-7 minutes until golden brown. Allow to cool then roughly crush.

In a large bowl, mix the flours and yeast to combine. Add the coffee, water, salt and mix to combine. Sprinkle the walnuts and cranberries over the dough and then wet your hand and press the nuts and fruit into the dough to evenly disperse. Cover the bowl with a lid or tea towel and leave it on the kitchen counter overnight, or for at least 10 hours to prove.

The next morning, prepare a round bowl by lining it with muslin cloth or a linen tea towel. The bowl will act as your proofing basket. Make sure it’s large enough to fit the dough and has room for it to expand as it proves. Generously sprinkle the cloth or towel with flour to prevent the dough from sticking while proving, then set aside.

Using a dough scraper or spatula, gently work the dough loose from the sides of the bowl and then tip it out onto a well floured surface – try to keep it in a circular shape.

The idea now is to fold the dough into a package with 4 simple stretch and folds. If the dough is very sticky, then lightly wet your hands to make it easier to work with. Stretch the circle shape out a bit by gently pulling on the top and bottom then repeating the same motion with the sides. Now pick up the bottom edge of the dough and fold it up over itself about ¾ of the way up and gently press it down to stick. Now grab the right side of the dough and stretch it out and fold it over dough. Repeat the same motion with the left side. Grab the top edge and fold it down then roll the dough ball over so the seams are at the bottom resting on the counter.

Sprinkle the top of the dough with flour then use your hands to gently shape the ball into a more even round ball. Use your bench scraper or spatula to pick the ball up, flip it over and place it seam side up in the proofing bowl. Let the dough proof for 1 ½ – 2 hours until it has almost doubled in size.

While your dough is in its last half hour of proving, place a Dutch oven (3,5 l) into your oven with the lid on and preheat the oven to 230 °C. If you don’t have a dutch oven, you can use a flat bottom potjie pot or pyrex roasting dish with a lid. Cut a square of baking paper that’s a little larger than your dough ball. Gently tip your dough out of the proving bowl and onto the baking paper. Using a sharp knife, score a straight line into top of the dough.

Carefully remove the Dutch oven from the oven the lift the baking paper up by the corners and drop it and the bread into the pot. Replace the lid and put the Dutch oven back into the oven. Bake for 25 minutes with the lid on then remove the lid and bake for a further 20 minutes. Carefully remove the bread from the pot and tap the underside with your finger, if it sounds hollow, then it’s done. Allow to cool for at least 1 hour before slicing.