Family Favorites...Walnut Bread

This loaf, swirled with nuts  - is so easy to make and pretty too.  It's hard to believe that it only takes 1 minute to mix and get that marbled appearance in your full-size food processor.  

Walnut bread is popular in France, and is excellent with blue cheese butter or Swiss cheese.  It makes great chicken salad or ham and Swiss sandwiches too.   You can shape it into a round loaf or into a 4 ½ x 8 ½” loaf pan.  You do need to toast your nuts – the difference in taste is marked.  If you use active dry yeast instead of instant yeast, your rising times will about double.

I keep roasted walnut oil in my kitchen, but if you don’t have it or can’t find it, use safflower oil.   (I bought mine at Whole Foods last time).  I've made this since the 80’s and although it’s not our regular weekly bread, its a favorite to make occasionally for good sandwiches or to serve with cheese or soup.               

Walnut Bread 

  1        Package  Instant Yeast (2 1/8 teaspoons)

     ¼     Cup  Brown Sugar

  13 ½  Ounces  Bread Flour -- 3 cups

  2 ½    Ounces  Whole Wheat Flour -- 1/2 cup

  1        Teaspoon  Salt

  3        Tablespoons  Toasted Walnut Oil

  1        Cup  Water -- (heat to 120°-125°)

  6        Ounces  Toasted Walnuts (1 1/2 cup)

Toast walnuts.  Use the steel blade for your processor.  Combine all but water and walnuts in processor bowl.  Add water slowly and process 40 seconds.  Add nuts and process 10 seconds.  Press any loose walnut crumbs into dough.  Let rest 10 minutes, in a warm place, right in the covered processor bowl.  Make into loaf, either round or for a greased 4 1/2 x 8 1/2" loaf pan, cover, let rise for 30 minutes or until the center of the loaf is 1 inch above the rim of the pan, preheat oven while letting dough rise.  Bake 30-35 minutes at 400°.  (If bread is browning too fast, tent a piece of foil over it, until it's done.  An instant-read thermometer should read 200°.)

Do not process too long with walnuts - dough should look marbled.

To toast nuts, spread them on a baking sheet and bake in a preheated 350° oven for 12-15 minutes.  Let cool.

  "1 Loaf"

Per Serving: 132 Calories; 3g Fat (20.6% calories from fat); 3g Protein; 23g Carbohydrate; 1g Dietary Fiber; 0mg Cholesterol; 135mg Sodium.  Exchanges: 1 1/2 Grain(Starch); 1/2 Fat; 0 Other Carbohydrates.