2 1/2 c Lukewarm water
1 pk Active dry yeast
2 tb Honey
5 1/2 c Whole wheat flour
2 ts Salt
1/3 c Walnut oil
4 c (about 1 lb) walnuts, 2 of
The cups toasted
(spread nuts on ungreased
Baking sheet and place them
In a
350 Oven for 7 to 10 minutes,
Until golden brown), finely
Chopped
1/2 c (approximately) unbleached
Flour for kneading
Egg wash—-
1 lg Egg white beaten with 1 tsp
Water
Pour the lukewarm water into a large bowl and sprinkle on the yeast.
Wait 5 minutes, then stir in the honey and 3 1/2 cups of the whole
wheat flour. Stir the mixture vigorously for 1 minute, then cover it
with plastic wrap and set this sponge aside in a warm, draft-free
spot for 15 minutes. After 15 minutes, stir the salt, oil, and the 2
cups of finely chopped toasted walnuts into the sponge. Stir in the
remaining whole wheat flour 1/2 cup at a time until you have a
kneadable dough; you may have to work the last bit of whole wheat
flour into the dough with the back of a wooden spoon.
Flour your work surface with some of the unbleached flour and turn the
dough out onto it. With floured hands, knead the dough for 10
minutes, using as much of the unbleached flour as necessary to keep
the dough from sticking; don’t knead too roughly, because this dough
is a little sticky. Place the dough in a lightly oiled bowl, turning
it to coat the entire surface. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and
set the dough aside in a warm, draft-free spot until doubled in bulk,
1 to 1 1/2 hours. Lightly butter 2 large, heavy baking sheets,
preferably dark ones, and set them aside. Once the dough has doubled,
punch it down and knead briefly, then divide the dough into quarters
(or half if you’re making 2 larger loaves.) Working with one piece of
dough at a time, knead it into a ball. Put 1/2 cup of the remaining
untoasted chopped walnuts on a piece of wax paper. Brush the entire
surface of the dough with the egg white wash, then roll the dough in
the nuts, coating the whole thing. Place the ball seam down on the
baking sheet. Repeat for the other pieces of dough, coating each one
with 1/2 cup nuts. It isn’t necessary to cover the loaves, but put
them aside in a warm, draft-free spot until doubled in bulk, 40 to 50
minutes. About 15 minutes before that point, preheat the oven to 375
degrees. Bake the loaves for 45 minutes, then transfer them to a rack
to cool before slicing. Store leftovers in a plastic bag. Note: If
you’re making 2 loaves, use 4 1/2 by 8 1/2 inch loaf pans. Coat each
with 1 cup of untoasted nuts, if you like, before placing them in the
pans. Or knead the halves into balls, coat them with walnuts, and
Grains by Ken Haedrich. “This bread is full of walnuts – inside and
outside with walnut oil to accentuate the dominant theme It bakes up
dark and dense and slices nice and thin for sandwiches It would be
right at home on holiday buffet table, next to a cold cut platter or
some cream cheese spreads. This bread makes great toast too If you
plan to use this bread as a family loaf, not for gifts or parties,
you might want to skip the extra step of the walnut crust “
Yields
4 Servings