Walnut Bread

This walnut bread that I'm bringing you today will delight everyone at home. Simply spread with a good butter at breakfast it's incredible, but if you serve it as an accompaniment to a cheese board or a good assortment of smoked foods, you'll get an exquisite combo, because it pairs wonderfully.

Another of its advantages, besides its flavor and aroma, is that it freezes very well. Something very useful if you want to make sure you always have a slice ready to toast when you crave it. And that can happen at any time, since once you try it, it's very likely you'll find it hard to have breakfast, lunch or dinner without it. Also, being a dense-crumb bread, this walnut bread is perfect for dipping into stews and roast sauces, or to accompany spoon stews.

For baking, and also for proving the dough, I recommend using the Emile Henry XL ceramic bread oven. Not only is it very practical, but in this case where we've prepared a fairly large loaf, the result is wonderful. Its design and material provide a crispy crust and perfect baking, thanks to the circulation of air and the temperature inside the mold.

So you can make this delicious walnut bread at home, here is the recipe. I hope you enjoy the result.

Emile Henry XL ceramic bread oven

Ingredients

• 700 g of all-purpose wheat flour
• 350 g of warm water (about 35 °C)
• 10 g of dry baker's yeast
• 170 g of honey
• 60 ml of extra virgin olive oil
• 12 g of salt
• 125 g of pecan nuts, lightly toasted and coarsely chopped
• 140 g of almonds lightly toasted and coarsely chopped

Preparation

1. Slightly warm the water, reaching roughly 35 °C.
2. Mix the water with the yeast in a large bowl, until completely dissolved, and add 1/3 of the flour. Stir to combine and let rest for about 10 minutes in the bowl, covered with a cloth.
3. After that time, add the honey, the oil and the salt; mix well until all the ingredients are incorporated.
4. Next start adding the rest of the flour. Do it little by little, so that you add a portion and mix it until incorporated, then add another portion and mix again. Repeat several times, until you can no longer add more flour due to the dough's consistency.
5. At this point, take the dough out of the bowl and place it on the countertop. Add the remaining flour to this dough and start working it until you obtain a smooth ball. If at any time you need to, you can wet your hands to help bring the dough together.
6. Return the dough to the bowl and oil it all over so it's completely coated.
7. Cover the bowl with a cloth or plastic wrap and let the dough rest at room temperature until you see it has doubled in volume. More or less 1 and a half hours.
8. Place the dough again on the countertop and press it to degas it.
9. Distribute the chopped pecans and almonds over it and shape it into an oblong, longer than wide, form.
10. Place the dough in the Emile Henry XL ceramic bread oven, cover with the lid or a cloth and let the dough proof for 30 to 45 minutes at room temperature. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 180 °C.
11. When the proofing time has passed, dust a little flour over the dough and make several cross-shaped cuts using a lame or a very sharp knife.
12. Bake the bread with the lid on for 1 hour and 15 minutes.
13. Once the time has passed, remove the mold from the oven and let it cool before unmolding for about 20 minutes.

Notes

• If you prefer to make it with a machine, you can mix and knead the ingredients in your food processor.
• With the indicated ingredients you get a large loaf; you can make a smaller amount if your mold is smaller or make it as is and freeze a portion sliced to have it ready whenever you fancy enjoying it.
• If you like raisins, you can add a few, previously hydrated, along with the chopped pecans and almonds.