Whole Grain Pear Cranberry Walnut Bread Recipes

PEAR-WALNUT-CRANBERRY QUICK BREAD WITH VANILLA BEAN GLAZE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly brush one 9-by-5-by-3-inch loaf pan or three 6-by-3-by-2-inch mini loaf pans with melted butter and set aside.
• Combine the flour, granulated sugar, baking powder, salt, baking soda, cinnamon and nutmeg in a medium bowl. Add the cranberries and walnuts and toss together. Set aside.
• Whisk together the melted butter, yogurt, vanilla extract, eggs and grated zest if using in a small bowl. Stir in the shredded pears. Fold this mixture into the flour mixture until just incorporated.
• Transfer the batter to the prepared loaf pan(s). Tap the bottom on a hard surface a few times and smooth the top. Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, 55 to 60 minutes for the regular and 35 to 40 minutes for the minis. Transfer to a wire rack to cool for 30 minutes, then turn the bread out and let cool completely on the rack.
• Whisk together the confectioners' sugar, milk and vanilla bean seeds in a small bowl.
• Pour the glaze over the bread and allow to set at room temperature, 15 to 20 minutes. Store in an airtight container for up to 1 week.

WHOLE-GRAIN PEAR CRANBERRY WALNUT BREAD

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Butter two 9-by-5-inch loaf pans. Line with parchment paper, butter the parchment and set aside.
• Beat butter and the sugars in a stand mixer with paddle attachment and mix on medium speed until fluffy. Add eggs one at a time, beating between each addition. Add oil and vanilla and stir to combine.
• Whisk together flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt and cinnamon in a medium bowl. Mix half the dry ingredients into butter mixture and stir together. Stir in remaining dry ingredients with a spatula, along with cranberries, pear, walnuts and sesame seeds; stir until batter is evenly moistened.
• Divide batter between the prepared pans. Bake until bread springs back when lightly touched, and a toothpick inserted into center comes out dry, with some crumbs, about 50 minutes. Cool on a rack at least 15 minutes or until completely cool. Remove from pans; slice each loaf into 10 pieces and serve warm or at room temperature.

WHOLE GRAIN CRANBERRY WALNUT SOURDOUGH BREAD

Steps:

• Mixing and Bulk Fermentation
• Mix all of the ingredients except the walnuts and cranberries. Cover the dough and let it sit for 30 minutes.
• Wet about 14"x18" of clean counter or tabletop and place the dough on it. Stretch the dough into a large thin rectangle. A little tearing of the dough is okay.
• See the photo gallery for a visual explanation of the following instructions. Place about 1/3 of the cranberries and walnuts onto the middle third of the dough and then fold over a side, covering the additions. Spread another 1/3 of the additions over the layered dough, and then fold over the other side of the dough. Add the remaining cranberries and walnuts to half of the dough and then fold it in half.
• Ball up the dough and return it to the bowl. Cover and let it rest 30 minutes.
• Perform one round of coil folding, partly to redistribute the cranberries and walnuts, and partly to build more gluten.
• Cover and let the dough rise until it has grown by 50-75%. In my experience, this was about 5-6 hours after the initial mixing in high 70s kitchen temps.
• Preshaping, Bench Rest, and Shaping
• Flour your countertop and scrape the dough out into it. Fold the sides into the middle and form a ball. Flip the dough onto its seam. Cover and let it rest for about 20 minutes.
• Flour the rested dough and then flip it over. For a boule, do the same process as the pre-shape, only scoot the ball around to tighten it after flipping. For a batard, gently stretch the sides outward before folding them inward and over each other, then roll the dough up from the bottom, scooting the tube until the seam is facing down. Pinch the edges closed.
• Place the dough in a floured banneton, cover and proof 1-2 hours at room temperature or overnight in the refrigerator. My dough went immediately into the refrigerator for 10 hours and was baked from the cold.
• Baking
• Preheat your oven and baking vessel to 500F for 30 minutes.
• Flip your dough onto parchment and score it. Put the dough in the baking vessel, cover it and bake for:
• 15 minutes at 500F, covered
• 10 minutes at 425F, covered
• 5-10 minutes at 425F, uncovered
• The internal temperature should be at least 205F when the bread is done. Let cool for 1-2 hours before slicing.