Walnut Bread

From the book Cooking for the Week by Diane Morgan, Dan Taggart, and Kathleen Taggart

Yield

2 loaves

Introduction

This uncomplicated loaf has an affinity for bean soup, and makes nice croutons for the turkey Caesar salad. The walnut oil is available in most supermarkets or at specialty foods shops. Refrigerate the oil after opening it.

Ingredients

	¾	cup lukewarm water (80°F)
	1	tsp. active dry yeast
	1	cup all-purpose flour
	3	cups (12 ounces) walnut pieces, toasted for 10 minutes in a preheated 350°F oven
	1	cup lukewarm water (80°F)
	1½	tsp. active dry yeast
	1	Tbsp. salt
	½	cup walnut oil
	2	tsp. ground pepper
	4½ to 5½	cups all-purpose flour

Steps

In a large bowl, stir the water and yeast together. Let stand for 1 minute, then stir in the flour. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and let stand in a warm place until bubbly, about 1 hour.
Stir the walnuts, water, yeast, salt, walnut oil, and black pepper into the yeast mixture. Add 4 cups of the flour and stir well with a wooden spoon or mix with an electric mixer. Stir in enough of the remaining flour to make a slightly sticky dough, and turn the dough out on a floured work surface. Knead the dough, adding sprinkles of flour as needed to prevent sticking, until smooth and elastic, about 5 minutes. Put the dough back in the bowl, cover, and let rise in a warm place until doubled in volume, 1 to 2 hours.
On a floured work surface, divide the dough in half. Deflate each piece and pull the edges into the center to create a round loaf, crimping the seam firmly. Place the loaves, seam-side down, on nonstick or parchment-lined baking sheets. Cover with a clean non-terry towel or oiled plastic wrap and let rise until doubled in volume, about 45 minutes.
Fifteen minutes before baking the bread, preheat the oven to 450°F. Just before baking, use a very sharp serrated knife or a razor blade to cut 2 or 3 slashes in the top of each loaf, about ½ inch deep. Put the bread in the oven, spray the oven walls with water about 6 times, and quickly close the door. Spray again after 5 minutes and again after 10 minutes. After 20 minutes, reduce the oven temperature to 400°F and bake until the breads are nicely browned. An instant-read thermometer inserted into the center of a loaf should read 200°F or higher. Let cool completely on a rack. Slice part of 1 loaf and serve. Place the second loaf in a large freezer bag and freeze for up to 3 months.

Notes

Makes 1 round loaf to serve and 1 to freeze for Turkey Caesar Salad and Bean Soup with Bacon and Oregano

This content is from the book Cooking for the Week by Diane Morgan, Dan Taggart, and Kathleen Taggart.