Rustic Walnut Bread Recipe

Fall is really here! It's been getting darker in the evenings, and last week we had several days of rain. I've been going into fall mode by cooking hearty (and probably not-so-healthy) dinners - and baking!

Walnut bread is a favorite of mine - so simple to make and always turns out well. This time I made one small loaf and several hamburger buns (to go with this awesome recipe for black bean burgers - seriously, try it!).

This recipe is easy to vary according to your own tastes (and what you happen to have in your cupboards). You can use any type of milk and experiment with different types of flour. I added in some spelt flour this time, because I love it's rich nutty flavor. It's also easy to veganize the recipe - just leave out the egg for brushing.

My recipe uses fresh yeast because that's the kind that is most widely available in Sweden, but you can easily adapt the recipe to use dry yeast if that's what you prefer.

Rustic walnut bread

Makes 2 small loaves or 15 buns

Ingredients

50 grams fresh yeast
2 dl cashew milk (or any other plant based milk)
4 dl hot water
2 teaspoons sugar
2 teaspoons salt
750-850 grams flour (I used mostly all-purpose white flour,  with some spelt and rye mixed in)
3 dl chopped walnuts

Optional:
1 egg (to brush)
1 dl white sesame seeds 

Instructions

1. Crumble yeast into a large bowl.
2. Mix cashew milk with hot water (the mixture should be warm, not hot). Pour mixture over the yeast and stir until the yeast is completely dissolved.
3. Add sugar, salt and about 2/3 of the flour. Combine well.
4. Add the chopped walnuts, mix well. Knead the dough for a few minutes, adding more flour as necessary until the dough is firm and doesn't stick to your fingers.
5. Cover the bowl with a tea towel and allow to rise for 45 minutes.
6. Pick up the dough and knead it lightly. Shape the dough - here you can choose either to make two larger loaves or about 15 individual buns. Or a combination if the two, like I did! For loaves, shape into two loaves and score the top lightly with a sharp knife. For buns, separate the dough into 15 balls and flatten each ball until roughly 2 cm thick. Use a fork to poke some holes in the top of each bun (this prevents large air bubbles from forming inside the bread).
7. Cover the bread with the tea towel again and allow to rise for another 20 minutes. If you are planning to brush the bread, crack your egg into a glass and stir with a fork until the yolk and egg white are combined.Set aside.
8. When the bread has risen, brush the egg over the top and sprinkle with sesame seeds.
9. Bake at 225 degrees Celsius (roughly 440 Fahrenheit). Loaves will take about 25 minutes, buns about 15. Allow to cool.

Enjoy!