Whole Wheat Walnut Bread

As I told you previously in my Whole Wheat Challah post, I've been on a diet. Yes, it is a four letter word, but you know what, one has to do what one has to do. Thankfully I feel a lot better and I'm proud of myself for eating healthfully. In any case, I needed a bread that I could not feel guilty about eating on Shabbat for both meals. I found this recipe in KAF Whole Grain Baking and with a few minor changes, it was the perfect thing to make. Easy and simple to put together, especially if you're weighing your ingredients (and you should!!) this loaf turned out very hearty from the whole wheat with a nice crunch from the walnuts. I actually liked the heartiness of it, those opposed to one hundred percent whole wheat may disagree. The crumb was tight and dense but still soft and the crust softened as well which is perfect for a sandwich loaf. This would be good spread with natural peanut butter or avocado- any number of things. I omitted the orange juice and swapped the brown sugar with molasses. Altogether, this was a bread that I was very glad to be able to eat, and did not feel guilty about one bit.

Whole Wheat Walnut Bread

adapted from KAF Whole Grain Baking

9 1/2 ounces water
2 tbsp vegetable oil

12 ounces whole wheat flour

1 ounce molasses

1 1/14 tsp salt

3 ounces walnuts, chopped
2 1/2 tsp instant yeast

Chop the walnuts and place in a bowl. Add all of the dry ingredients.

Pour the molasses and oil on top,then add the water. Stir until a shaggy dough is formed.Turn the dough out onto a floured surface and knead until smooth. You can allow it to rest before kneading. I always like to give its gluten a few minutes to relax.Here is my kneaded dough ball. It is small because the recipe will yield only one loaf.Place the dough into a clean, greased bowl. I tend to wash my bowls while the dough rests and then I place it into the cleaned bowl.Here is the risen dough. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface.Pat the dough into a rectangle. Roll up jelly roll style, taking care to seal as you roll so that there are no air pockets.Tuck the ends of the roll inside to form a log like this. Place in a 8 x4 inch loaf pan and set aside to proof. Preheat the oven to 350.Here is the proofed loaf. It isnt such a dramatic riser. Place the loaf into the preheated oven and bake until the loaf registers around 190 degrees. This should take about 30-40 minutes depending on your oven. Immediately turn the loaf out and place on a cooling rack so that it doesnt steam itself. Cool completely and enjoy! (Yes, that is indeed a punctured top from my thermometer check. Not asthetically pleasing, but who cares?!)