.jpg) What do I need?
250g strong wholemeal flour
250g strong white flour
2 tsp easy-blend yeast
1 tsp salt
4 tbsp clear honey
25g butter, melted
100g walnut pieces, lightly toasted
How long will it take?
Preparation time: 20 minutes, plus proving
Cooking time: 30 minutes
Makes: 950g loaf, about 12 chunky slices
What do I do?
Grease a 900g loaf tin. Put the flours, yeast and salt in a large bowl. Add the honey, butter and 250ml hand hot water. Mix to a soft dough with a round bladed knife, adding a dash more water if the dough feels dry.
Knead on a floured surface for 10 minutes, until smooth and elastic. Alternatively use a mixer, fitted with a dough hook and knead for 5 minutes. Add the walnuts and knead until evenly distributed.
Put the dough in a lightly oiled bowl; cover with cling film and leave to prove for about 1½ hours or until doubled in size. Punch the dough to deflate it and tip out onto a work surface.
Shape into an oval and drop the dough into the tin. Cover loosely with greased cling film and leave to prove for a further hour, until well risen.
Preheat the oven to 200°C, Gas Mark 4. Brush the top of the dough with water and sprinkle with a little wholemeal flour. Score the surface of the bread with a knife and bake for 30 minutes until risen and golden.
Turn the loaf out of the tin and tap the base – it should sound hollow. If necessary, bake for a little longer. Cool on a wire rack.
Variation: use 100g mixed seeds, lightly toasted, instead of the walnuts.
Aga method
Bake in the roasting oven on the grid shelf on the floor of the oven, for about 30 minutes. If the loaf is browning too quickly protect with the cold plain shelf on the second set of runners down. |
