Cranberry Cream Cheese Bread

5 from 1 vote

This Cranberry Cream Cheese Bread is soft, chewy, and loaded with dried cranberries, chia seeds, and sweet cream cheese. Fermented for extra flavor and texture, it’s a cozy loaf you’ll want to make again and again.

Prep Time10

Cook Time20

Additional Time10

Total Time10 30

Course: Bread and Buns, Dessert, Snack

Cuisine: Asian, Indonesian

Servings: pcs

Calories: 215kcal

Author: Claudia

Ingredients

Poolish

100 gr bread flour
100 gr water
1 gr yeast
1 gr salt
5 gr sugar

Dough

300 gr bread flour
1 gr yeast
40 gr sugar
1 egg
100 gr milk
15 gr chia seeds
50 gr dried cranberries
25 gr butter
1 gr salt

Instructions

Prepare the poolish dough by combining flour, sugar, yeast, salt, and warm water in a bowl. Stir well with a spatula, cover with cling wrap, and let it ferment overnight (8–12 hours).
On baking day, in a separate bowl, mix the cream cheese and powdered sugar until smooth—this will be your filling. Set it aside. Soak the dried cranberries in hot water for 5 minutes, then drain and set aside.
In a mixing bowl, sift together the bread flour and milk powder. Add sugar, yeast, egg, and the poolish dough. Mix until everything is well combined. Then add butter and salt, and continue mixing until the butter is fully incorporated. Add the soaked cranberries and chia seeds, and continue mixing for a total of about 20 minutes.
The dough will be sticky, but don’t worry—that’s normal. Once it’s well kneaded, transfer it to a greased bowl. Cover and let it ferment for about 1 hour, or until doubled in size. Once risen, divide the dough into 10 equal portions.
Lightly flour your work surface. Take one piece of dough, flatten it, and use a rolling pin to roll it out lengthwise. Flip the dough over, then place 1 to 2 teaspoons of the cream cheese filling in the center. Seal the dough tightly to enclose the filling.
Dust the shaped dough with a little flour to give it a rustic look, and place it on a baking pan. Use a sharp knife to score the top in any pattern you like. Let the shaped dough rest and ferment for another 20 minutes.Bake in a preheated oven at 356°F (180°C) until golden brown. Let the bread cool completely before serving—and enjoy!

Video

Notes

Don’t rush the poolish – Let it ferment for at least 8–12 hours at room temperature. It should look bubbly and smell slightly nutty—signs of great flavor development!

Use room temperature cream cheese – This makes it easier to mix with sugar and spread evenly, so you get creamy swirls without tearing the dough.

Pat dry the cranberries – If you soak them to plump up, be sure to dry them well before adding. Too much moisture can make the dough soggy.

Stretch and fold instead of kneading – To build gluten without overworking the dough, use stretch-and-fold techniques during bulk fermentation. It keeps the crumb airy and chewy.

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