Walnut Bread

My husband asked me to bake bread yesterday and since I had a just a cup of whole wheat flour and some wheat bran and semolina that I wanted to use up, I decided to get creative and devise my own recipe.

So that's how this delicious Walnut Bread came about. I'm so glad I wrote down the recipe as I made it because I definitely want to make it again.

The bread is moist, slices easily and is full of healthy ingredients. From personal experience, I highly recommend eating a slice warm out of the oven with a bit of butter and honey. 

The recipe makes two loaves. Since I was planning on making homemade garden burgers for dinner yesterday evening, I made one loaf and eight hamburger buns.

Homemade hamburger buns.

Use a serrated knife to slice the buns in half.

Here is the recipe:

Walnut Bread
(makes 2 loaves)

1 1/2 tablespoons yeast
1/2 cup warm water
1/2 teaspoon sugar
1/3 cup molasses
1/4 cup olive oil
1 tablespoon kosher salt
2 cups water
3/4 cup chopped walnuts
1/3 cup semolina flour
1/3 cup wheat bran
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 1/2 cups old-fashioned oats
4 1/2 to 5 1/2 cups unbleached flour

In a small bowl dissolve the yeast in the 1/2 cup of warm water. Add the 1/2 teaspoon of sugar and set aside to proof for 5 to 10 minutes.

In a large bowl, combine the 2 cups of water with the molasses, olive oil and salt. Add the yeast mixture, walnuts, semolina, wheat bran, wheat flour and oats. Mix well.

Add the unbleached flour a cup at a time until a soft dough forms. Knead for 5 to 10 minutes, adding additional flour as necessary.

Let the dough rise, covered for 1 1/2 to 2 hours or until double in bulk. Punch down and let rise again until double in bulk.

The dough before rising.

Grease two loaf pans. Divide the dough in half and form two loaves and place in the prepared pans.

A shaped loaf that needs just 30 to 40 minutes to rise before baking.

Hamburger buns can also be made with the dough. Shape the dough into rounds and use your hands to flatten them on a baking sheet. I used a parchment-lined baking sheet but a greased baking sheet also works.

Let the loaves rise for 30 to 40 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees and bake for 40 to 45 minutes.

Remove the loaves from the pans and set on a rack to cool. Or, just get to it and enjoy a slice warm out of the oven.

Apple Cinnamon Bread

This classic cinnamon bread is spiked with chunks of apple and will make your house smell oh so good as it bakes.

It's also a real treat to eat. I especially enjoy eating a slice in the morning, hot out of the oven and with a cup of coffee.

If you don't have a loaf pan, you can bake the bread free-form on a sheetpan lined with parchment. I prefer Pyrex glass loaf pans to metal pans for baking bread. They are inexpensive, bake evenly, never rust and wash up beautifully.

Apple Cinnamon Bread
(makes one very large loaf or two medium-sized loafs)

1 1/4 cups warm water
1 package yeast
2 tablespoons canola oil
2 teaspoons salt
2 tablespoons sugar
4 plus cups flour
2 cups diced apple
1/4 cup sugar
1 tablespoon cinnamon

Dissolve the yeast in the warm water. Add the 2 tablespoons of sugar and the oil.

In a large bowl mix 2 cups of the flour with the salt. Add the yeast mixture and stir. Add the remaining flour, 1/2 cup at a time until a soft dough forms.  Add the diced apple and knead the dough, adding additional flour as necessary.

Let the dough rise covered in a warm spot for 1 hour or until it's double in bulk.

The dough before rising.

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees and grease a loaf pan. Mix the 1/4 cup of sugar with the tablespoon of cinnamon.

On a floured board, pat the dough (if making two loafs, divide in the dough in half) into a rectangle and sprinkle with the cinnamon sugar. Roll the dough up to form a loaf and pinch the edges to seal.

Pat the dough into a rectangle and sprinkle on the cinnamon sugar.

Roll the dough to form a loaf.

Pinch the edges together and place in a greased loaf pan.

Place the dough in the loaf pan and let rise for 15 to 20 minutes. Bake for 40 to 50 minutes or until done and golden brown.

A large loaf just out of the oven.

Irish Soda Bread

I know St. Patrick's Day was yesterday but I'm sharing my recipe for Irish Soda Bread today because I think it's a bread that should be baked and enjoyed year-round.

Soda bread is simple to make and tastes so good spread with a bit of butter. Serve the bread with soup and a salad and you've got a pretty great meal.

The recipe calls for self-rising flour which you can buy but it's much more economical to make it yourself. Self-rising flour is nothing but regular all-purpose flour combined with a bit of baking powder and salt.
 
Here's the recipe for homemade self-rising flour:

Self-Rising Flour
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

And, here's the recipe for Irish soda bread:

Irish Soda Bread

4 cups self-rising flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 to 3 cups buttermilk
all-purpose flour for shaping the loaves

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

In a large bowl, mix together the self-rising flour, baking soda and salt. Pour in enough buttermilk to moisten the ingredients and form a soft dough.

Turn half of the dough onto floured surface and pat into a round.

Patting out half of the dough.

Place the round on a parchment lined or lightly greased baking sheet. Repeat with the second half of the dough.

Use a knife to score the top of the rounds into sixth's.

A round of soda bread scored and ready for the oven.

Bake for 20 to 30 minutes or until the bread sounds hollow when tapped with the fingers.

Kalamata Olive Bread

Two loaves of kalamata olive bread made for less than $4.

Both of my daughters love kalamata olive bread and ask me to buy it for them at our neighborhood market. The price though is hard for me to swallow - $4.99 for a very small loaf.

Starting today, they'll get it more often because I found I can make it myself for a lot less - two large loaves for under $4.

The kalamata olives are the most expensive ingredient in the recipe. The best price I've found on them is a 12 oz. jar of pitted olives at Trader Joe's for $2.99.

The rest of the ingredients - flour, yeast, salt and a bit of sugar are under $1.

Besides saving money, baking your own bread is satisfying, makes your house smell great and you get to eat it hot right out of the oven. Yum!

Cook's treat! A slice of warm bread.

Kalamata Olive Bread
(Makes 2 loaves)

Sponge Ingredients:
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups water
1/8 teaspoon active dry yeast

At least 4 hours before you want to make the bread, combine the flour, water and yeast in a large bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and leave out at room temperature.

Dough Ingredients:
Sponge mixture
1 cup warm water
1 teaspoon active dry yeast
1 teaspoon sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
4 1/2 to 5 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup sliced Kalamata olives

In a small bowl combine the warm water, yeast and sugar. Let this set for 5 minutes.

In a large bowl combine the sponge, yeast mixture and salt. Mix well. Add the flour a cup at a time until a soft dough forms. Add the olives and knead them into the dough. Keep kneading until the dough is smooth and elastic.

Place the dough in a large bowl. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap or a clean towel and set it in a warm place for the dough to rise until it is double in bulk. This takes 1 1/2 to 2 hours.

Divide the dough in half. Shape each half into a loaf and place on a parchment lined or lightly greased baking sheet. Let the loaves rise for 30 to 40 minutes.

The loaves rising before baking.

Preheat oven to 450 degrees and set aside a 1/2 cup of water.

When the loaves are ready to bake, place them on the middle rack of the oven and underneath toss in the 1/2 cup of water. Immediately close the door and leave it closed during baking so that the steam doesn't escape.

Adding the water to the hot oven helps the bread form a nice chewy crust.


Reduce the temperature to 400 degrees and bake for 30 to 35 minutes or until the loaves are a golden brown color.