Whole Wheat Walnut Bread Recipes

WALNUT BREAD

Steps:

• Toast walnuts in an oven or under the broiler. Set aside to cool.
• Place yeast in a large mixing bowl. Mix salt into 2 cups (473 milliliters) lukewarm water. Stir into yeast. Stir in maple syrup and 2 tablespoons oil.
• Measure 1 cup of the toasted walnuts, place in a food processor with 2 tablespoons of the whole-wheat flour and process until finely ground. Add to bowl along with remaining whole-wheat flour. Stir with a wooden spoon.
• Add bread flour 1/2 cup at a time until dough forms and leaves the sides of the bowl. (At this point you're better off mixing with your hands.) Turn dough out onto a floured work surface. Continue adding bread flour, kneading as you go, until you have a dough that's a bit on the soft side, only slightly sticky and easy to handle.
• Clean out your bowl, coat it with 1 tablespoon oil, and place dough back into the bowl, turning it so it's oiled all over. Cover with a cloth and set aside to rise until doubled, about 1 1/2 hours.
• Punch the dough down, add remaining toasted walnuts and lightly knead them into the dough. Dust a spacious baking sheet with cornmeal. Divide the dough in half, shape into 2 balls and place on the baking sheet. Cover loosely and let rise for an hour.
• Place the oven rack in the lowest position and heat oven to 450 degrees. Slash the tops of the breads with a razor or a lame (a baker's blade). Do not be tentative about this step; your slashes should be a good half-inch deep, done with a firm, even hand.
• Place the baking sheet in the oven. Throw a handful of ice cubes on the floor of the oven to create steam. Bake 20 minutes. By this time the breads should be a nice honey-brown. Brush them with remaining 1 tablespoon oil, reduce heat to 350 degrees, add more ice cubes and bake about 25 minutes longer, until the breads are well browned and sound hollow when tapped. Allow to cool at least 1 hour before cutting.

WHOLE WHEAT BANANA NUT BREAD

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C). Grease a 9x5-inch loaf pan.
• In a large bowl, beat oil and honey together. Add eggs, and mix well. Stir in bananas and vanilla. Stir in flour and salt. Add baking soda to hot water, stir to mix, and then add to batter. Blend in chopped nuts. Spread batter into prepared pan.
• Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center of the loaf comes out clean, 55 to 60 minutes. Cool on wire rack for 1/2 hour before slicing.

WALNUT RAISIN WHOLE WHEAT BREAD

Steps:

• Combine yeast, warm water, and milk in a large bowl. Let the mixture stand until the yeast has dissolved, about 5 minutes.
• Add the sugar, 1/2 cup cornmeal, butter, walnuts, raisins, salt, pepper, whole wheat flour, and 2 cups of the white flour. Beat well. Move the dough to a lightly floured surface and knead for 2-3 minutes, adding the remaining white flour as necessary to make it workable. Let the dough rest, covered loosley with a towel, for 10-15 minutes.
• Knead the dough again, until it is smooth and elastic, 8-10 minutes. Sprinkle with extra flour if you need to keep it from sticking.
• Oil a large bowl and turn the dough in it to coat with the oil. Cover the bowl and let dough rise in a warm place till doubled in bulk, about 1 1/2 hours.
• Punch dough down and divide in half. Shape the halves into round loaves. Sprinkle a baking sheet with the remaining 2 tbls. cornmeal, and put the loaves on it, seam side down. Cover with the towel, and let them rise until doubled in bulk, about 45 minutes.
• Preheat the oven to 350*F.
• Place the baking sheet on the center rack of the oven, and bake until the bread is well browned and sounds hollow when the bottom is tapped with your finger, 45 minutes.
• Cool bread on a wire rack. Enjoy!

WHOLE WHEAT WALNUT BREAD (BREAD MACHINE)

Steps:

• Measure ingredients into baking pan in the order recommended by the manufacturer.
• Insert pan into the oven chamber.
• Select Whole Wheat Cycle.
• When the baking cycle ends, immediately remove the bread from the pan and place it on a wire rack.
• Let cool to room temperature before slicing.

WALNUT WHOLE WHEAT BREAD

Steps:

• The recipe directions are written for instant yeast; to use active dry yeast, dissolve it in the water first. Also, be aware that your rising times will be longer.
• Mixing In a large bowl, combine all of the ingredients and stir till the dough starts to leave the sides of the bowl. Transfer the dough to a lightly floured or lightly greased surface, and knead it for 6 to 8 minutes, or until it begins to become smooth and supple. (You may also knead this dough in an electric mixer or food processor, or in a bread machine set to the dough or manual cycle). Transfer the dough to a lightly greased bowl, cover the bowl, and allow the dough to rise till puffy though not necessarily doubled in bulk, about 1 to 2 hours, depending on the warmth of your kitchen.
• Shaping Transfer the dough to a lightly oiled work surface, and shape it into an 8-inch log. Place the log in a lightly greased 8 1/2 x 4 1/2-inch loaf pan, cover the pan loosely with lightly greased plastic wrap, and allow the bread to rise for about 90 minutes, until it's domed about 1 inch above the edge of the pan. A finger pressed into the dough should leave a mark that rebounds slowly.
• Bake the bread in a preheated 350°F oven for about 35 to 40 minutes, until it's light golden brown. Test it for doneness by removing it from the pan and thumping it on the bottom (it should sound hollow), or measuring its interior temperature with an instant-read thermometer (it should register 190°F at the center of the loaf.) Remove the bread from the oven, and cool it on a wire rack before slicing. Store bread in a plastic bag at room temperature.