Walnut Bread

Hello everyone, today's speciality in my bread basket is the walnut bread.  I have been wanting to bake some nutty bread for awhile now, and while thumbing through my cookbooks earlier this evening, the image of this walnut bread in Bread Magic by Alan Ooi sold me.

This bread is studded with juicy sultanas and has a generous amount of walnuts for that nice nutty crunch.  By the way, if you are nuts about health, the walnut is the healthiest of all nuts.  It is the source of healthy omega-3 essential fatty acids, which have been found to protect the heart, promote better cognitive function, and provide anti-inflammatory benefits for asthma, rheumatoid arthritis, eczema and psoriasis.  Trust me, I didn't make any of this up, read more about it here.

So here you go, my healthy-for-the heart walnut bread.

You will need:

Dough:

300 g bread flour

1/2 tsp salt

50 g castor sugar

1 1/2 tsp instant yeast

170 ml fresh milk

1 large egg yolk

45 g butter

80 g walnuts, lightly toasted and chopped

80 g sultanas

Glaze:

1 egg, beaten with 1/8 tsp salt

Topping:

Adequate white sesame seeds

Preparation:

Combine the flour, sugar and yeast in a mixer.  Mix well before adding the milk and egg yolk.  Beat well for about 1 minute then add in the salt.  Continue to knead until a smooth dough is formed, and then add in the butter.  Knead until the dough is smooth and elastic and no longer sticking to the sides of the bowl.  Add in walnuts and sultanas and knead until they are fully incorporated into the dough.

Leave dough in a lightly oiled bowl, covered with cling film for about 1 hour, or until the dough rises to double its size.

Divide dough into 3 equal portions.  Mould into balls and leave on a greased tray, covered for about 30 minutes.  Cut proofed dough into big walnut shape.  Leave to proof for another 45 minutes.  Meanwhile, preheat oven at 180 deg C.

Glaze with beaten egg and sprinkle white sesame seeds on top.  Bake for about 20 - 25 minutes, or until golden brown.