Baked Brie Cranberry Bread

Baked Brie Cranberry Bread made in the bread machine with fresh cranberries, creamy brie cheese, rosemary and thyme. Bake it in the bread machine or the oven! The perfect holiday dinner bread that's crusty on the outside and moist and soft on the inside.

Baked brie cranberry bread combines seasonal fresh cranberries and creamy brie cheese, kneaded and baked into a super fluffy and tender bread loaf. This is a fantastic holiday dinner bread and bread for use in fall and winter charcuterie boards.

You can make baked brie cranberry bread in a bread machine or by hand using a stand mixer (instructions are below). It's an easy bread recipe that is modeled off of my family's traditional holiday bread, sun dried tomato basil bread.

This bread has been perfected over many years. I use the ratios in this recipe to make the majority of my yeast loaves that include herbs, fruit, and meat stuffed breads.

Pepperoni pizza bread is one of our favorite breads using the base of this recipe. If you haven't tried it, you should. I promise you won't be disappointed! It tastes like you are eating a slice of pizza stuffed into America's comfort classic: bread!

Baked brie cranberry bread is the latest creation inspired by these fantastic bread machine breads, and I hope that you enjoy it!

What is brie cheese?

Brie cheese is a soft and creamy cheese that has a slightly hardened outer layer, or rind, which is edible. It has a mild taste, yet it can taste and smell slightly moldy to some. It's a popular cheese for gatherings, and you'll often see it on charcuterie boards served with crackers. Brie cheese is especially popular as an appetizer during celebrations and holiday gatherings.

How does brie cheese taste?

Brie cheese has a mild taste. But for those sensitive to certain flavors, textures, and smells, brie may taste a bit too "moldy" to enjoy. When brie is past its prime, it will smell of ammonia. You should not eat brie that smells of ammonia.

How do you eat brie cheese?

Brie cheese is at its best when served room temperature or a bit warm. You can slice it into pieces and eat it plain, or on crackers or toast. It can be used to make grilled cheese sandwiches or warm flatbreads. Brie works well baked into croissants or pastries too. It pairs well with cranberry, which is why I created this baked brie cranberry bread!

Do you eat the white part of brie cheese?

Yes! This is the most flavorful part of brie.

Ingredients

To make baked brie cranberry bread, you need:

• fresh cranberries
• brie cheese
• dried rosemary
• dried thyme
• plain yogurt
• parmesan cheese
• yeast*

Plus you'll need standard baking ingredients: flour, sugar, and salt.

I use bread flour for most of my yeast breads, but you can substitute with all purpose flour. In general, you shouldn't need to make any major changes to other ingredients if using all purpose flour. But to be on the safe side, reduce the water to ¾ cup.

What is the difference between all purpose flour and bread flour? The difference between all purpose flour and bread flour is the protein content. This recipe is made to use bread flour. In most cases you should be able to substitute with all purpose flour, but the result may be a bread that is slightly more moist and gummy if you don't reduce the water.

*You can use instant, active dry, or bread maker yeast. I have only ever used active dry yeast. But the other 2 yeasts should produce the same results, according to baking standards.

Using a Bread Machine

My bread machine recipes are written for Cuisinart bread makers, but you can use any brand of bread machines. You'll just need to make sure that ingredients are added in the order that your machine recommends, if it differs from mine.

I have had my Cuisinart Automatic Bread Maker for about 6 years now, and it's of my most loved kitchen appliances. It has 3 loaf size options and crust colors and 12 different settings. This bread machine makes quick breads, dough, yeast breads, jams, jellies, and more!

This Cuisinart machine is on the expensive side, but it is well worth it if you make a lot of bread. This is the only bread maker I've owned so far, and I suspect it will be for quite some time.

So if you are in the market for a bread machine or are looking for a new one, I highly recommend this Cuisinart machine.

Instructions

To make baked brie cranberry bread using your bread machine, follow these steps:

1. In a small saucepan heat the water and yogurt until it's steaming, but not boiling. Stir it to mix the yogurt into the water occasionally. Then let it cool for 5 minutes while preparing the rest of the ingredients.
2. Crush the fresh cranberries using a meat masher until they pop. Since cranberries are hard, you want to press down on them to soften them up or pop them slightly. You don't need to crush them completely.
3. Then to the bread machine, add all ingredients in the order recommended. For Cuisinart Bread Makers: water/yogurt, flour, salt, sugar, yeast, thyme, rosemary, parmesan, brie, cranberries.
4. Set to the basic white bread function and choose the 1.5 lb loaf size and your preferred crust color. Select start and watch the machine work it's magic for you!
5. When it's done, transfer to a wire cooling rack. Let cool for at least 10 minutes before slicing.

You can also use the bread machine just to knead the dough and instead cook your baked brie cranberry bread in the oven. To do this, set to the dough function instead of the white/basic bread function. The bread machine will take about 90 minutes to knead your dough.

When the dough is finished, punch it down a few times. Then shape into a ball or oval. Slice an X in the top and let it rest for 10 minutes. Then bake at 350° for 45 minutes. During the last 15 minutes top with extra brie and rosemary or thyme if you'd like!

The only difference between baking brie cranberry bread in the oven compared to the bread machine is the end shape of the loaf. In the bread machine your baked cranberry brie bread will be the shape of the bread pan. If you choose to bake it in the oven, you can shape the dough into a circle or oval, or even make individual size bread balls.

By Hand Instructions

If you prefer to make baked brie cranberry bread by hand or do not have a bread machine, follow these simple instructions.

1. In a small saucepan heat the water and yogurt until it's steaming, but not boiling. Stir it to mix the yogurt into the water occasionally. Then let it cool for 5 minutes while preparing the rest of the ingredients.
2. Crush the fresh cranberries using a meat masher until they pop. Since cranberries are hard, you want to press down on them to soften them up or pop them slightly. You don't need to crush them completely.
3. Add the water/yogurt and yeast to the bowl of a stand mixer. Then add the flour, salt, sugar, thyme, rosemary brie, and parmesan. Mix on speed 2 for 1 minute.
4. Add the cranberries and mix on speed 2 for 5-7 minutes, until the dough is tacky and cranberries are distributed.
5. Shape the dough into a ball and transfer to an oiled bowl. Cover with a heavy towel and let it rest in a warm place for 1 hour.
6. Punch the dough down a few times, shape into a ball or oval and place on a baking sheet. Slice an X in the top and let rest for 10 minutes next to the preheating oven.
7. Bake for 45 minutes at 350 degrees. With 15 minutes left, add some more brie and rosemary to the top if desired.

Once done, transfer to a wire rack to cool before slicing.

Then serve and enjoy your freshly baked brie cranberry bread!

Serving

Serve your super fluffy and delicious baked brie cranberry bread at Thanksgiving dinner or Christmas dinner. It is a fantastic bread for eating all fall and winter long, when fresh cranberries make their way into the grocery store.

It is amazing eaten plain or with butter or cream cheese spread. Baked brie cranberry bread makes a great addition to a Fall themed or festive holiday charcuterie board, too.

Store baked brie cranberry bread in an airtight container at room temperature for 2 days or in the fridge for up to 1 week. It is freezer friendly and will keep well wrapped in plastic or in a freezer bag for up to 1 year.

Recipe