Celebrity Walnut Loaf Recipes

BRITISH DATE AND WALNUT LOAF CAKE

Steps:

• Place dates and margarine in a bowl with boiling water and baking soda. Gently mix with a wooden spoon until margarine has melted and dates are plumped up. Let cool to room temperature, at least 30 minutes.
• Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C). Line a 2-pound loaf pan with parchment paper.
• Combine flour, brown sugar, and walnuts in a separate bowl. Add to bowl with the date mixture. Mix well with a wooden spoon. Add egg and mix in. Spoon mixture into the prepared pan.
• Bake in the preheated oven until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, 60 to 75 minutes. Let cool on a wire rack.

SHAKER-STYLE WALNUT AND ROSEMARY LOAF

Steps:

• Pour milk into large bowl. Mix in sugar, butter, and salt; cool to lukewarm. Place 1/4 cup warm water in small bowl; mix in yeast. Let stand 6 minutes.
• Stir yeast mixture and 1 egg into lukewarm milk mixture. Mix in 4 cups flour. Beat with wooden spoon until mixture is smooth. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and let sponge stand until bubbles appear at edge, about 15 minutes.
• Mix nuts and rosemary into sponge. Mix in flour, 1/3 cupful at a time, until soft, slightly sticky dough forms. Turn dough out onto floured surface and knead until smooth and no longer sticky, sprinkling with flour as needed, about 10 minutes. Brush clean large bowl with oil. Add dough; turn to coat. Cover bowl with plastic. Let dough rise in warm draft-free area until doubled in volume, about 1 hour.
• Brush two 8 1/2x4 1/2x2 1/2-inch nonstick loaf pans with oil. Punch dough down and turn out onto work surface; shape into two 8-inch-long loaves. Place in pans. Let rise, uncovered, until almost doubled in volume, about 45 minutes.
• Position rack in bottom third of oven and preheat to 375°F. Using serrated knife, make shallow cut down center of each loaf. Brush loaves with glaze. Bake until golden and crusty, about 35 minutes. Turn breads out of pans. Cool on racks.

NUT LOAF SUPREME

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Butter a 9x5-inch loaf pan.
• Put walnuts and pecans in a resealable bag and seal; crush nuts using a rolling pin.
• Heat olive oil in a skillet over medium heat; cook and stir onion and garlic in the hot oil until onion is translucent, about 3 minutes. Add mushrooms, marjoram, sage, and thyme; cook and stir until mushrooms are golden, about 5 minutes. Transfer mushroom mixture to a large bowl.
• Stir crushed walnut mixture, Swiss cheese, wild rice, cottage cheese, eggs, parsley, salt, and pepper into mushroom mixture until evenly mixed. Pour mixture into the prepared loaf pan.
• Bake in the preheated oven until loaf is golden brown, about 1 hour. Let loaf cool in pan for about 20 minutes before inverting pan and removing loaf.

SPICED WALNUT LOAF

Steps:

• In a large bowl, combine the first seven ingredients. In a small bowl, combine the eggs, applesauce, sugar, oil and milk; add to the dry ingredients just until moistened. Fold in the walnuts. Transfer to a greased and floured 9x5-in. loaf pan., Combine the topping ingredients; sprinkle over the batter. Bake at 350° for 1 hour or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes before removing to a wire rack.

CELEBRITY WALNUT LOAF

Steps:

• Toast the bread slices either in the toaster or on a baking sheet placed under the broiler.
• Let cool.
• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
• Generously butter a 9 by 5-inch loaf pan, then line the bottom with waxed paper and butter the paper.
• Tear up the toasted bread slices and make crumbs out of them in a food processor.
• Place in a large bowl.
• Process the walnuts until finely ground and mix into the bread crumbs.
• Combine the eggs and onions in the processor and process until fine but not liquefied.
• Stir into the bread crumbs.
• Place the green pepper, celery, parsley, tomatoes, and oil in the processor and grind until fine but still with some texture.
• Stir into the loaf mixture along with the poultry seasoning, salt, and pepper.
• Mix this all very well until evenly moistened.
• (The mixture may be prepared to this point and refrigerated up to 8 hours in advance.) Scrape it into the prepared loaf pan and smooth over the top.
• Cover the loaf with foil.
• Bake 1 hour and 20 minutes, or until a knife inserted in the center of the loaf comes out dry.
• Let sit 5 minutes, then run a knife all along the sides of the loaf to help loosen it.
• Unmold the loaf onto a platter and remove the waxed paper.
• Let the loaf cool 20 minutes or so before slicing it.
• It's best to serve the loaf warm and the gravy hot.
• Mushroom gravy: Melt the butter in a medium-size saucepan over medium heat.
• Add the mushrooms and saute until brown, about 7 minutes.
• Stir in the flour; it will become very pasty.
• Cook this roux for 2 minutes, stirring constantly.
• It will stick to the bottom of the pan a little bit; that's okay.
• Stir in the stock, wine, soy sauce, and pepper, and bring to a boil.
• Cook the sauce at a bubbling simmer for 5 minutes, stirring almost constantly and scraping any crusty bits that stick to the bottom of the pan.
• Serve in a pretty gravyboat.

WALNUT LOAF

Steps:

• Toast the bread slices either in the toaster or on a baking sheet placed under the broiler. Let cool.
• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Generously butter a 9 by 5-inch loaf pan, then line the bottom with waxed paper and butter the paper.
• Tear up the toasted bread slices and make crumbs out of them in a food processor. Place in a large bowl.
• Process the walnuts until finely ground and mix into the bread crumbs. Combine the eggs and onions in the processor and process until fine but not liquefied. Stir into the bread crumbs. Place the green pepper, celery, parsley, tomatoes, and oil in the processor and grind until fine but still with some texture. Stir into the loaf mixture along with the poultry seasoning, salt, and pepper. Mix this all very well until evenly moistened. (The mixture may be prepared to this point and refrigerated up to 8 hours in advance.) Scrape it into the prepared loaf pan and smooth over the top. Cover the loaf with foil.
• Bake 1 hour and 20 minutes, or until a knife inserted in the center of the loaf comes out dry. Let sit 5 minutes, then run a knife all along the sides of the loaf to help loosen it. Unmold the loaf onto a platter and remove the waxed paper. Let the loaf cool 20 minutes or so before slicing it. It's best to serve the loaf warm and the gravy hot.
• Melt the butter in a medium-size saucepan over medium heat. Add the mushrooms and saute until brown, about 7 minutes. Stir in the flour; it will become very pasty. Cook this roux for 2 minutes, stirring constantly. It will stick to the bottom of the pan a little bit; that's okay.
• Stir in the stock, wine, soy sauce, and pepper, and bring to a boil. Cook the sauce at a lively simmer for 5 minutes, stirring almost constantly and scraping any crusty bits that adhere to the bottom of the pan. Serve in a sauceboat.

GLUTEN FREE DATE AND WALNUT LOAF

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 190 C / 375 F.
• Coat the inside of a 1 litre loaf tin with walnut oil and set aside.
• In your mixer or a large bowl, combine the walnuts, dates and honey, with a pinch of baking soda and sea salt. Add in the hot water and stir to blend.
• Add in the desired amount of rosewater and mix through.
• Add in the eggs and vanilla and blend thoroughly. Slowly add in the flour to create a fairly thick batter.
• Pour into a bread tin and place in the centre of the oven for about 45 minutes until a skewer comes out clean when inserted in the middle.
• Turn the loaf out and place on a rack to cool.
• Don't slice the bread for at least an hour as it will continue to bake as it cools.

BANANA & WALNUT LOAF

Steps:

• Heat oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4. Grease a 2lb loaf tin with some butter and line the base with baking parchment, then grease this as well.
• In a large bowl, mix together the butter, sugar and egg, then slowly mix in flour and baking powder. Peel, then mash the bananas. Now mix everything together, including the nuts.
• Pour your mixture into the tin and bake for 1 hr, or until a skewer comes out clean. Allow the cake to cool on a wire rack before removing from the loaf tin. The loaf can now be wrapped tightly in cling film and kept for up to 2 days, or frozen for up to 1 month. Defrost and warm through before serving. Serve in thick slices topped with vanilla ice cream and drizzled with a little Easy chocolate sauce (see recipe, below).

DATE & WALNUT LOAF

Steps:

• Heat the oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4. Butter a 2lb loaf tin (ours was 22 x 10cm and 6cm deep) and line with baking parchment. Put the butter, dates and bicarbonate of soda (which helps break down the dates) in a large bowl and add 150ml boiling water. Give it a stir so the butter melts, and leave to stand for around 20 mins until the dates have softened.
• Whisk in the sugar until smooth, then gradually whisk in the eggs until combined. Beat in the baking powder, flour and a pinch of sea salt until there are no lumps of flour left and it's smooth. Fold in three-quarters of the walnuts, then pour into the prepared tin. Sprinkle the remaining walnuts over the top.
• Bake for 20 mins, then turn the oven down to 170C/150C fan/gas 3 and cook for another 45-50 mins until golden brown and a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. Leave the cake to cool in the tin for 15 mins, then transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely. Lightly dust with the icing sugar and serve in slices. Freeze whole or cut into slices, then place in an airtight container or divide between reusable freezer bags. Can be frozen for up to three months. Defrost thoroughly overnight.