Cranberry Cream Cheese Artisan Bread
This post may contain affiliate links.This Cranberry Cream Cheese Artisan 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.
A Quick Look at the Recipe
🏷️ Recipe Name: Cranberry Cream Cheese Bread
⏱️ Ready In: ~ 10 hours 30 minutes
🍽️ Serves: 10 pieces
🔥 Calories: 299 kcal per serving (estimate)
🧾 Main Ingredients: Bread flour, water, yeast, salt, sugar, egg, milk, chia seeds, dried cranberries, butter, cream cheese, powdered sugar.
🥗 Dietary Info: Halal
🧠 Difficulty: Medium with very simple steps.
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Cranberry cream cheese artisan bread is an Asian bakery-style artisan loaf made with a poolish starter, dried cranberries, and a sweet cream cheese filling. It has a lightly crusty exterior, chewy crumb, and rich flavor that develops through overnight fermentation.
If you’re a fan of pillowy breads like Japanese milk bread, roti sisir, or milk hearth bread, you’re going to love this recipe. It’s another favorite in my collection of Asian bread recipes, where soft textures and bakery-style flavors take center stage. What makes this bread special is the poolish method, an overnight fermentation that creates a chewy texture, golden crust, and incredibly soft interior. It’s an easy artisan bread recipe that delivers bakery-style results without needing a sourdough starter.
Just like my pumpkin bread with coconut filling or Korean sausage bread, this artisan bread has a surprise inside: sweetened cream cheese filling with dried cranberries and crunchy chia seeds. It’s the perfect blend of creamy and slightly tangy, one of the reasons cream cheese desserts are always so satisfying, especially in recipes like these cream cheese dessert recipes. It’s just as good for breakfast as it is for an afternoon snack.
What is Poolish?
Poolish is a wet sponge made from equal parts flour and water (by weight), plus a small amount of yeast. It’s mixed in advance—usually 12 to 16 hours before baking—and left to ferment at room temperature. Think of it as giving your dough a head start.
Why Use the Poolish Method?
Using poolish helps:
- Enhance flavor with mild tangy, nutty notes
- Improve texture, giving the final bread a chewier crumb and crispier crust
- Extend freshness, making your bread stay moist longer
- Boost gluten strength without over-kneading
Let’s say you’re making a loaf of bread. You’d prepare the poolish the night before with a portion of your total flour and water, let it ferment overnight, then mix it with the remaining ingredients the next day to make your dough.
It’s popular in artisan-style breads, French baguettes, and rolls—but you can totally use it in enriched doughs too if you want that depth of flavor and a bit of chew.
Why You Will Love This Recipe
Recipe Ingredients
Be sure to check out the full recipe and ingredient list below
How to Make Cranberry Cream Cheese Artisan Bread
STEP 1. Prepare the poolish dough by combining flour, sugar, yeast, salt, and warm water in a bowl (Image 1). Stir well with a spatula, cover with cling wrap, and let it ferment overnight (8–12 hours) (Image 2).
On baking day, in a separate bowl, mix the cream cheese and powdered sugar until smooth—this will be your filling (Image 3). Set it aside. Soak the dried cranberries in hot water for 5 minutes, then drain and set aside (Image 4).
STEP 2. 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 (Images 5, 6). Then add butter and salt (Image 7), 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 (Image 8).
STEP 3. The dough will be sticky, but don’t worry—that’s normal. Once it’s well kneaded, transfer it to a greased bowl (Images 9, 10). Cover and let it ferment for about 1 hour, or until doubled in size (Image 11). Once risen, divide the dough into 10 equal portions (Image 12).
STEP 4. Lightly flour your work surface. Take one piece of dough, flatten it, and use a rolling pin to roll it out lengthwise (Images 13, 14). Flip the dough over, then place 1 to 2 teaspoons of the cream cheese filling in the center (Image 15). Seal the dough tightly to enclose the filling (Image 16).
STEP 5. Dust the shaped dough with a little flour to give it a rustic look (Image 17), and place it on a baking pan. Use a sharp knife to score the top in any pattern you like (Image 18). Let the shaped dough rest and ferment for another 20 minutes (Image 19).
Bake in a preheated oven at 356°F (180°C) until golden brown (Image 20). Let the bread cool completely before serving—and enjoy!
Pro Tips
- 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.
Serving Suggestions
Enjoy this Cranberry Cream Cheese Bread with a cozy drink to make it extra special. Try it with strawberry milk for a fruity twist, or sip on a warm cup of earl grey milk tea to balance the creamy filling with gentle citrusy notes. For something floral and elegant, rose milk tea pairs beautifully with the tangy cranberries and soft crumb. Perfect for breakfast, tea time, or a sweet little moment anytime.
Cranberry Cream Cheese Artisan Bread FAQs
Poolish is a wet, pre-fermented mixture of flour, water, and a small amount of yeast. It helps build flavor, improve dough structure, and create a chewier, more artisanal texture in bread.
Typically 12–16 hours at room temperature. It should look bubbly and jiggly, with a slightly sweet and nutty aroma—if it smells sour or collapsed, it may be over-proofed.
Yes, you can refrigerate it for up to 24 hours. Let it come to room temperature before mixing it into your final dough.
Use a sharp lame or razor and make quick, confident slashes at a shallow angle. Chill the shaped loaf slightly if it’s too soft to score cleanly.
Storage
You can store the bread at room temperature for up to 2 days in an airtight container. For extra freshness, wrap it in parchment paper before sealing.
Chilling is the safer option. Wrap the loaf tightly in plastic wrap or store it in an airtight container, and it will stay fresh for up to 5–6 days. Let it come to room temperature or give it a quick warm-up before serving to bring back that soft, chewy texture.
Cranberry Cream Cheese Bread
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
Filling
- 200 gr cream cheese
- 35 gr powdered sugar
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.
I love this bread so much! I’m so happy now that I can make this viral bread in my own kitchen. No need to que up at the bakery!