Walnut bread help?!


Question: I need help... My Granmother used to make a walnut bread that was light and airy. It always rose up out of the pan and had a thin layer of ground walnuts, butter and brown sugar rolled inside. I have a recipe for Provatica bread and have made it the last three years, however all I get is 2-21/2" slab of bread. It tastes ok but is does not come out the way Gma used to make it. I am using Fleischmens regular yeast and use the wet method of hot water to activate it. Yesterday I made two loaves as per recipe and it rose well in the bowl. I then punched it down, let it rest 5 minutes, rolled it out and filled it. I then let it "raise" for 1 1/2 hours, but it did the same thing, only getting 2" thick. I need a different way of doing this because it is not working. I use all purpose flour and even used a Kithenaid mixer, but it is sad. Please, if anyone can help either with a different recipe or different procedure, ingredients I really need it.


Answers: I need help... My Granmother used to make a walnut bread that was light and airy. It always rose up out of the pan and had a thin layer of ground walnuts, butter and brown sugar rolled inside. I have a recipe for Provatica bread and have made it the last three years, however all I get is 2-21/2" slab of bread. It tastes ok but is does not come out the way Gma used to make it. I am using Fleischmens regular yeast and use the wet method of hot water to activate it. Yesterday I made two loaves as per recipe and it rose well in the bowl. I then punched it down, let it rest 5 minutes, rolled it out and filled it. I then let it "raise" for 1 1/2 hours, but it did the same thing, only getting 2" thick. I need a different way of doing this because it is not working. I use all purpose flour and even used a Kithenaid mixer, but it is sad. Please, if anyone can help either with a different recipe or different procedure, ingredients I really need it.

You don't say what type of pan you are using, but here are some ideas to start with in your hunt for perfection.

I bake a lot of bread and I have found over the years that while those little packets of yeast might be fine for someone who bakes bread just every once in a while, I have much better results with yeast that I buy in bulk at the local food co-op. (Natural food store.) It is always fresh and costs pennies compared to the packet stuff.

You also say you are using the "wet method of hot water" to activate the yeast. You don't really need to activate yeast - that is why it is called "active dry yeast." What you do need to do is "proof" the yeast. This step lets you check that the yeast is as active as you would like it to be and gives the yeast a boost so that your rising time is reduced. HOT water (or anything else) should never go near your yeast. You want any liquid that you use to be at "baby bottle" temperature - just about the same temperature as your own body. Quite literally sprinkle a tiny drop on the inside of your wrist. If it feels anything warmer than barely warm, it is too hot and will kill your yeast.

Using a Kitchen Aid to do your kneading saves your arms from the task, but I have also found that it can be pretty easy to overwork doughs intended for sweet breads, where you don't want as much gluten development as you might with a baguette. (I also find taking my frustrations out on the dough lump to be great stress relief. Running the mixer just isn't the same.) Remember - you are trying to achieve a dough that is barely not sticky and feels like the fat part of a baby's behind when you push it.

Every batch of dough and every kitchen is unique. Two especially problematic areas are the amount of flour and rising time, both of which can fluctuate wildly from whatever the recipe dictates. One and one-half hours simply might not have been enough rising time.

I would suspect, however, that the problem is more related to your pan size. Grandma did not have all of the various pan sizes, shapes and materials available to her that we do. She might very well have been using a different size pan. Or a different size recipe. If you are sure that your pan size is correct, try altering your recipe to produce 3 loaves of bread and then making only the two with it.

Whole Wheat-Walnut Bread Recipe
Source: Rustic European Breads

Makes 1 large round loaf
Chunks of roasted walnut mixed with white and whole-wheat flours, a poolish, water, salt and yeast; such simple ingredients. Such stunning results. A round free-form loaf, deep mahogany in color, with slashes around the edges and a rich chewy taste--it's heaven with butter and one of our favorites. We use organic flours and pure spring water for best results.

RECIPE INGREDIENTS
For Poolish:

1/3 cup plus 1 tablespoon water

1/4 teaspoon bread machine yeast

1/2 cup bread flour

1/4 cup organic whole-wheat flour


For Dough:

2 cups walnut pieces

1-1/8 cups water

1/2 teaspoon bread machine yeast

1-3/4 cups bread flour

1 cup whole-wheat flour

1/2 cup medium rye flour or meal

1 teaspoon salt

Cornmeal for dusting the top

FOR POOLISH: In the bread machine on the dough setting by combining the water with the yeast and flours. Let the poolish sit in the machine from 2 to 10 hours before completing the bread.

FOR DOUGH: While the poolish is standing, toast the walnuts in the oven or a toaster oven. Arrange the walnut pieces on a baking sheet and bake in a 350 degrees F oven until lightly toasted, 10 to 15 minutes. Stir a time or two and taste to see when they begin to taste toasted. Don't burn them. Transfer the nuts to a cool plate and refrigerate until baking time.

When you're ready to make the bread, add the nuts, water, yeast, flours, and salt to the bread machine pan with the poolish and process on the dough setting again.

Once the cycle is completed, turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Punch down the dough and form into a tight ball. Cover with the bread machine pan and let it rest for 30 minutes. Flatten the dough with the heel of your hand into an 8x10-inch rectangle. Form into a round loaf.

Place the loaf on a peel generously sprinkled with cornmeal. Cover the loaf with plastic wrap or a clean towel and set it aside to rise in a warm, draft-free place until nearly doubled in bulk. Preheat the oven with a baking stone in place on the middle rack to 400°F for 30 minutes. Just before baking, slash 4 straight lines around the edges of the loaf, forming a box design. Give the peel a trial shake before opening the oven.

Bake on the stone in the preheated oven until the crust is a deep mahogany color and the bread is done through, about 40 minutes. Spritz the oven 6 or 7 times with plain water during the first ten minutes of baking. Cool on a rack. Store in a paper bag.

OR TRY..
Ingredients:
2 cups walnut pieces
2 cups active sourdough starter
2 1/4 cups spring water
5 1/2 - 6 1/2 cups 20% bran flour (see flour note, below )
2 tsp salt

Method:

Preheat your oven to 350F. Arrange the walnuts on a baking sheet in a single layer. Bake them, stirring from time to time, until the walnuts are fragrant and lightly toasted. This takes about 10 - 12 minutes in my oven. WARNING - if you burn the walnuts, even a little, don't use them in this recipe! Burned walnuts are nasty!

Put 3/4 cup of the toasted walnuts into a food processor with 2 TBSP of flour. Pulse the nuts and flour in the processor until they are finely ground. Coarsely crush the remaining walnuts. Set aside, and let the walnut flour and the crushed nuts cool.

Mix the starter and water. add 1 cup of flour and mix. Add the salt, ground walnuts, and just enough of the remaining flour to make a thick mass that is difficult to stir.

Turn out the dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead for around 10 minutes, until the dough is firm and smooth. Add flour sparingly, but as needed.

Add the broken up walnuts a bit at a time and knead in until the dough is again smooth, another 5 to 7 minutes.

Shape the dough into a ball, place in a lightly oiled mixing bowl, turn the dough, and cover with a Saran Wrap Quick Cover. Allow to rise in a warm place until doubled in size.

Gently deflate the dough, transfer to a floured work surface and knead briefly. Divide into two equal pieces, form the pieces into balls, cover and let rest for 1/2 hour.

Shape the loaves as you prefer, and let them rise again, probably around two hours.

Preheat the oven to 450F, which should take 45 minutes to an hour with stones in the oven.

When the oven is ready, slash the loaves and slide them into the oven. Put a cup or so of hot water into the bottom of the oven. Then let the loaves bake about 25 to 30 minutes.

Walnut Bread:
Total time: 3 hours 55 minutes
Preheat oven at 250°C. (500°F.)
Preparation time: 15 minutes
Rising time: 3 hours
Baking time: 30 to 40 minutes

I suggest serving this bread with meats or cheeses.
If you have time, let the dough rise longer (12 hours); it will make the bread even lighter and you won't need to add the baking powder.
If you don't have time, I suggest Gérard du Cannet's method, in which he lets the dough rise in the microwave oven on the defrost setting until the dough has doubled in volume.

Ingredients:
400 g (14 oz.) all-purpose flour
150 ml (10 tbsp.) walnut oil
100 ml (6 tbsp.) water
2 packets of yeast
1 packet of baking powder
250 g (9 oz.) walnuts
Salt

Method :
Shell the walnuts.
In a large bowl, combine the flour, yeast and baking powder and combine well.
Add the walnut oil, water, salt (very little) and mix;
add a little more flour if necessary so that the dough is not sticky.
Add the shelled walnuts and knead slowly.
Form the dough into a ball and let rise for at least 3 hours in the bowl, covered with a cloth, near a radiator.
Place the dough, without disturbing it too much, into an oiled dish and lightly oil the surface.
Place into a cold oven and heat to 250° C (500° F) for 25 to 30 minutes, depending on the desired doneness.

This is the way i bake this bread and it comes out really nice. Do try this recipe.

STRAWBERRY NUT BREAD

1 16-oz. bag frozen strawberries, thawed & drained
2 cups granulated sugar
1-? cups oil
2 large eggs
3 cups flour
3 tsp. ground cinnamon
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt
1 cup coarsely-chopped walnuts

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease bottoms only of two 9” loaf pans & set pans aside. Slightly mash berries; set aside. In large bowl, mix sugar & oil. Stir in berries until well mixed. Stir in eggs until well blended. Stir in remaining ingredients, except walnuts., just until moistened. Gently stir in walnuts. Turn into prepared pans & bake for 60 to 70 minutes, or until done. Cool for 10 minutes in pans. Transfer to wire racks & cool completely. Wrap tightly in plastic wrap. Store at room temperature for up to four days or refrigerate for up to 10 days

Yield: 2 Loaves





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