The title alone should make you want to bake this walnut & golden raisin whole wheat bread. It is sweet, savoury, nutty and super easy to make!
Another one for the New Year’s Resolution series. I’m sure most of us were a bit naughty over the holidays, so now is the time to try something healthier. Whole wheat flour contains the bran of the wheat berry and that is the most nutritious part of it.
Natural sweetness of golden raisins replaces sugar or other sweeteners. And the walnuts are a great flavour and texture addition with their own nutritional benefits.
Toast it or eat it as it is. It will make the best peanut butter & jam sandwiches!
You can replace the walnuts with any nuts you like, and you can replace the golden raisins with any other dried fruit to suit your taste.
The loaf can be shaped into a boule or batard. You can bake it in a tin or free-standing.
Watch the video down below for detailed instructions.
Ingredients
For the dough –
250g (8.8oz) white bread flour
250g (8.8oz) whole wheat flour
10g (0.35oz) salt
6g (0.21oz) instant dry yeast or 7.2g (0.25oz) active dry yeast or 18g (0.63oz) fresh yeast
75g (2.65oz) raisins
75g (2.65oz) chopped walnuts
340g (12oz) cool water *
*To learn more about dough temperature control click here.
Method
- Soak the raisins. Pour enough water over the raisins to cover them. Leave to soak for 30 minutes. Drain well and leave on the side for later.
- In a large bowl combine the water, yeast, and salt. Mix well to dissolve the salt and hydrate the yeast. Add both the white and whole wheat flours. Mix to a dough.
- Tip the dough out on your table and knead for 7 minutes.
- Spread the dough out and top with the raisins and walnuts. Fold it up and keep kneading for another 2 minutes. *Desired dough temperature 24 – 25C (75F – 77F). If your dough is warmer, then it will ferment more rapidly. If it is cooler, then it will take longer. Adjust proofing time accordingly.
- Place the dough in bowl, cover, and ferment for 1.5 hours.
- Fold.
- Cover and ferment for 1.5 hours.
- Shape and place into a baking tin. The tin I use is a 1kg loaf tin. You can find it in my Amazon shop linked below.
- Final proof 1.5 -2 hours. *During the final hour of fermentation preheat your oven to 210C (410F) fan off.
- Bake covered for 20 minutes. Take the cover off and bake for 15 minutes. Lastly, remove the loaf from the tin and bake for 5 more minutes to set the crust.
Leave to cool down and enjoy!
Keep in mind that the conditions in each kitchen are different, so fermentation times may vary for you. It is up to the baker to control the bread and react accordingly.
Your oven may be different too, so your baking time may vary.
Watch the video here
