Walnut bread

Difficulty: medium
Baking time: 20 minutes
Preparation time: 5-6 hours

Walnut bread brings a rustic, traditional twist to your table.
The wholesome, traditional scent is offset beautifully by the crunch of the walnuts. Ideal to accompany a main, or as a tasty snack.

Ingredients

300 g strong white bread flour · 200 g wholemeal flour · 20 g brewer’s yeast · 100 g shelled walnuts · 1 tsp salt · 250 ml water · 20 g butter · 1 pinch of sugar

Preparation

First you must prepare your starter dough. To make your starter dough, in a bowl place the yeast in 50 ml of warm water, add a few tablespoons of flour and a pinch of sugar,
then mix together. Leave your starter to rise until it has doubled in volume. Place both flours in a mound and pour the raised starter into the centre.
Now add the remaining warm water in which you have dissolved one teaspoon of salt and start to knead firmly, folding and refolding the dough over on itself repeatedly.
Add the softened butter to form a smooth, elastic dough. Place the bread dough in a bowl with the bottom sprinkled with flour. Cover and leave to rise for 3 hours in a warm, sheltered place.
Blanch the walnuts for 1 minute then chop coarsely.
Once the bread dough has doubled in volume, add the chopped walnuts and knead for a few minutes more. Divide the dough into two loaves, place them on a baking sheet covered with baking paper and make two cuts with a knife on the surface of the loaves (the cuts are used to facilitate the baking and are also thought to bring good luck) then leave to rise for approximately 1 hour.

Baking

Preheat the oven to 220° and bake the walnut bread for 20 minutes.
Allow to cool slightly before slicing.

Taken from Misya

magazine