I wanted to say hello to Kan-E-Senna in Gridania since I missed her when she last visited Moghome. I told her it was because I’m rarely home, Kupo, but she’s very kind and didn’t mind at all. Unfortunately, she had no Kupo nuts to share, but she did have something close: glorious Gridanian walnuts that she used when showing Gyohan one of her favorite recipes, Walnut Bread!
Difficulty: Medium • Prep Time: 45 minutes • Rest Time: 3 hours • Cook Time: 40 to 55 minutes Yield: 1 loaf • Dietary Notes: Dairy, Vegetarian
Equipment:
Small frying pan, food processor, large bowl, whisk, spatula, 8 ½-by-4 ½-inch (22-by-11-cm) loaf pan, kitchen thermometer
- 2 cups (190 g) walnuts
- 4 cups (600 g) bread flour
- 1 tablespoon salt
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- 1 cup (250 ml) lukewarm water
- 2 ¼ teaspoons active dry yeast
- ¼ cup (85 g) maple cream
- ¼ cup (60 g) butter, melted and cooled
- Olive oil for greasing
- In a medium pan over medium-high heat, toast the walnuts. Toss them frequently to avoid burning them. Transfer the walnuts to a food processor and blend until finely crumbled. Transfer to a bowl, add the bread flour, salt, and sugar, and stir to combine. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, combine the water and yeast. Let rest for 5 minutes, allowing the yeast to become active. Whisk in the maple cream and melted butter.
- Add the flour mixture to the maple cream mixture in two batches, stirring until fully combined after each addition, then knead the dough for 5 minutes.
- Brush a bowl with oil. Transfer the dough to the oiled bowl, cover, and let rest until doubled in size, 2 hours. This dough takes a little longer to rise because of the weight of the walnuts.
- Punch the dough down, transfer it to a clean surface, and knead slightly. Form the dough into a log shape that will fit into a loaf pan. Grease the loaf pan and place the dough in it. Cover with a kitchen towel and let rise for one hour.
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C). Bake the loaf until the top has begun to brown, 20 to 25 minutes. Remove the pan from the oven and cover it with aluminum foil. This will help prevent the crust from turning too dark or burning.
- Return the pan to the oven and bake until a kitchen thermometer registers 190°F (87°C) when inserted into the center of the loaf, 20 to 30 minutes. Transfer the loaf to a cooling rack and let cool completely, for at least 30 minutes.
