Walnut Crusted Wheat Loaves Recipes

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.

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.

MAKE 6 LOAVES OF WHOLE WHEAT BREAD IN ONE HOUR!

Steps:

• If grinding your own wheat, begin there (I use a hard white winter wheat, but red wheat is good too. Grinding the wheat using a NutriMill only takes about 4 minutes and it only has one ingredient: wheat!).
• With dough hook in place on your Bosch mixer, place water, dough enhancer, gluten, oil, honey, yeast, and 6 cups flour in the bowl. On the Bosch mixer, flip the switch over to "M" to incorporate.
• Add another 7-8 cups of flour and salt and turn the speed on the mixer to "1".
• Continue adding flour 1/2 cup at a time until dough cleans the edges of the bowl (takes just a minute or two).
• Continue kneading dough on speed "2" for another 6-8 minutes.
• Oil your hands and lightly oil a spot on a clean surface. Divide the dough into six equal portions and shape into loaves.
• Put loaves into greased pans and let rise until double in size (about 20 minutes).
• Bake at 350 degrees for 30-40 minutes (internal temperature should be about 195 degrees and the outside will be nice and golden).

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.

WHOLE WHEAT BREAD WITH RAISINS AND WALNUTS

Steps:

• Stir 1 1/4 cups water and yeast in large bowl to blend. Stir in warm milk, honey, and salt, then melted butter. Add 1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour and stir vigorously with wood spoon until well incorporated. Add 1/2 cup rye flour, oat bran and cocoa powder and stir until well blended. Add enough bread flour, 1/2 cup at a time, to form moist and sticky dough, stirring vigorously with wood spoon until well incorporated. Mix in raisins and walnuts. Cover bowl with plastic wrap. For do-ahead version: Refrigerate dough overnight. For same-day version: Let dough rise in warm draft-free area until doubled in volume, about 1 hour (do not punch down dough).
• Spray 9x5x3-inch metal loaf pan with nonstick spray. Transfer dough to prepared pan, being careful not to deflate dough. Cover loaf pan loosely with plastic wrap. Let rise in warm draft-free area until dough is puffed and almost reaches top of pan, about 45 minutes for refrigerated dough and 20 minutes for room-temperature dough.
• Meanwhile, position rack in center of oven and preheat to 500°F. Generously spray inside of oven with water (about 8 sprays); immediately place bread in oven. Lower oven temperature to 400°F and bake bread until top is deep brown and crusty and tester inserted into center comes out clean, about 45 minutes. Cool in pan on rack 10 minutes. Turn bread out onto rack and cool completely.

RUSTIC WHOLE WHEAT BREAD

Steps:

• Stir all-purpose flour, whole wheat flour, brown sugar, instant yeast, and salt together in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a dough hook attachment. Whisk water and oil together in a cup; pour into flour mixture. Mix on low speed until dough pulls away from the sides of the bowl into a ball.
• Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface; knead just until dough is smooth, about 1 minute. Divide and shape dough into 3 balls for small loaves or 2 balls for larger loaves. Dust loaves with flour and place onto a baking sheet; cover with a towel, and let rise until doubled in size, about 25 minutes.
• Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Slash an "X" about 1/4-inch deep in tops of loaves with a sharp knife.
• Bake in the preheated oven until loaves are golden brown and sound hollow when tapped, about 25 minutes. Remove from oven to cool completely on a wire rack.

FOOLPROOF WHEAT BREAD (6 LOAVES)

Steps:

• Sprinkle yeast into 1/2 cup warm water, let stand 10-15 minutes. (Add 1 tsp sugar to help it work faster.
• Combine hot water and 10 cups whole wheat flour in mixer. Mix on low speed until well blended.
• Add salt, oil, and honey. Continue to mix until well blended.
• Add 2 more cups of wheat flour and oatmeal and/or potato flakes, blend thoroughly.
• Add yeast mixture.
• Add 6 cups white flour. Knead on low speed for 6 minutes. Add enough flour that the dough leaves the side of the bowl but is still a little sticky - the consistency of cookie dough.
• Oil hands and mold into 6 loaves on oiled counter. Place in oiled pans and let rise just to the top of the pans.
• Bake and 350 for 35-40 minutes Remove from pans to cool.
• Brush tops with butter.
• Notes: Sugar or molasses may be used instead of honey.
• Only let rise to tops of pans, it will rise more in the oven when baking. If it rises too much it will create an air bubble between the bread and the crust.
• Use smaller size pans, the bigger ones will not work as well.

WHOLE-WHEAT SEEDED LOAVES

Steps:

• Mix seeds and oats together with 180 grams of water in a medium mixing bowl; cover with plastic wrap and and let soak overnight in the refrigerator.
• Combine 170 grams bread flour or all-purpose flour, 170 grams lukewarm water, and yeast in bowl of a standing mixer and mix together until well combined. Cover with plastic and leave to ferment at room temperature for two hours or until it doubles in volume. Meanwhile, remove bowl with nuts and seeds from the refrigerator, drain and bring to room temperature.
• Add drained seeds, 250 grams whole-wheat flour and sea salt to the starter. Start mixing on medium speed. The dough should come together in the first minute. If it does not and you see dry ingredients in the bottom of the bowl, add about 1/4 cup of water. Mix dough for 5 minutes on medium speed, then turn the speed up to medium-high and mix 5 to 7 minutes more, or until dough is elastic.
• Cover bowl with plastic wrap and set in a warm spot to rise for 1 hour.
• Dust work surface lightly with flour and scrape out dough. Weigh dough and divide into 2 equal pieces. Shape each piece into a ball or into oblong pointed loaves. (For oblong loaves, first shape into balls, cover with a towel or lightly with plastic and let rest for 15 minutes. Then press the dough out to a rectangle about 3/4 inch thick. Take the side closest to you and fold lengthwise halfway to the center of the loaf. Lightly press down to seal. Take the top flap and bring it toward you over the first fold to the middle of the loaf and lightly press down to seal. Flip over so seam is on the bottom and roll back and forth with both hands to form an oblong loaf with pointy ends. Place on a sheet pan lined with parchment paper and repeat with the remaining dough. Cover with a towel and place in a warm spot for one hour.)
• Preheat oven to 450 degrees with a pizza stone on the middle rack and a small sheet pan on bottom of the oven for 30 to 45 minutes. Have 1 cup water ready in a small cup or a glass. (If you have a large pizza stone, you can bake both loaves at once. If you have a standard home pizza stone, bake one loaf at a time and place the other loaf in the refrigerator to slow down the fermentation.) Dust a pizza peel or flat baking sheet lightly with flour, semolina or cornmeal and place one loaf on top. Using a razor blade or a moistened bread knife, make a 1/2-inch deep horizontal cut down the middle of loaf from one end to the other, or if the loaves are round make 2 slashes across top. Slide loaf onto pizza stone and close oven door. Wait 30 seconds, then open oven door quickly and pour water onto the sheet pan on the bottom of the oven to create steam. After 5 minutes take the sheet pan out of the oven. Bake for a total of 30 to 35 minutes, until loaf is dark brown and sounds hollow when you tap the bottom. Transfer loaf to a wire rack to cool completely for 45 minutes. Repeat with other loaf.