Walnut Raisin Bread

There is nothing better than waking up on a snowy December morning to a big cup of coffee and a delicious slice of buttery toast. This recipe for walnut raisin bread (adapted from King Arthur Flour) is the perfect treat for winter mornings, to bring to a holiday party, or to keep around the house - it won't last long!

Baking yeast breads can seem intimidating, but fear not! It seems much more challenging than it really is. No special tools are needed! Just be sure to set aside enough time to allow this dough to rise twice. This particular recipe makes two small loaves. The dough can be baked as one large loaf, but the baking time will vary.

Ingredients:

1.5 cups warm water (for yeast), + .5 cup warm water (for raisins)

1 tablespoon active dry yeast

1/2 cup honey

1/4 cup of high quality olive oil

1.5 teaspoons salt

6 cups of all-purpose flour

1.5 cups walnut pieces

1 cup raisins (dark or golden - or both!)

1 cup dark rum

Tools:

1 small bowl

1 medium mixing bowl

1 baking sheet, lined with parchment paper

1 stovetop pan

Plastic wrap or damp towel(s)

Cooling rack

😍😍😍

Instructions:

Part I: Work That Dough 💁🏼

1. In a small bowl, combine raisins, .5 cup warm water and rum. Set aside to allow the raisins to soak up the rum flavor.
2. Dissolve yeast in warm water. Add the water to the yeast so that the yeast is covered and you don't need to stir. Once dissolved, add .5 cup of flour. Let sit for 10 minutes.
3. Stir in honey, oil and salt.
4. Add flour one cup at a time. The dough should look a little ragged.
5. Turn the dough out onto a floured surface (I like to flour my nonstick baking mat on top of my counter for less mess - see my tips and variations below!). Knead the dough for about two minutes, adding flour as necessary, until you form a round ball.
6.  Put your dough ball in a medium mixing bowl and add the olive oil. Turn the dough to coat it.
7. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap or a damp kitchen towel and allow to rise until it has doubled in size, about 1.5 hours.

Part II: Walnut Prep 🐿

While waiting for your dough to rise, start prepping the walnuts. They need to be toasted, either on the stovetop or in the oven.

Stovetop:

1. Heat the walnut pieces in a pan - DO NOT coat the pan in oil! As the walnuts heat up, the natural oil they contain will be released. They're strong, independent nuts that don't need no oil.
2. Stir occasionally, and wait for the nuts to get slightly toasty and beautifully fragrant. This could take anywhere form 5-10 minutes. Just watch them like a hawk - they can go from deliciously toasty to nastily burned in about .5 seconds.
3. Once all of the pieces have been toasted, allow them to cool on a cutting board.
4. Once cool, chop them into smaller pieces, slightly bigger than the raisins.

Oven:

1. Heat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Spread nuts out onto a parchment paper-lined baking sheet.
3. Allow to bake for 10-12 minutes or until browned and fragrant.
4. Allow the nuts to cool on a cutting board before chopping them into smaller pieces.

 Part III: Bring It All Together 👭👫👬

1. Drain and dry your raisins on a paper towel. 
2. Once your dough has doubled in size, deflate it in the bowl.  Knead in the toasted, chopped walnuts and dried rum-soaked raisins. It will seem like all of the filling won't fit in the dough, but keep kneading! 
3. Divide the dough in half and form each into a ball. Place them on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet.
4. Cover the loaves with a damp towel or lay plastic wrap over the top and allow them to rise for an additional 30-45 minutes.
5. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
6. After the final rise, sprinkle with flour and use a knife to cut X shapes into the top of your loaves, about one inch deep.
7. Bake for 35-45 minutes. The loaves should be browned and sound hollow when you tap the bottom with your knuckle.
8. Allow the loaves to cool on a wire rack. Serve toasted with butter and honey, use as sandwich bread, or eat as is!

Tips and Variations:

• Invest in a large Silpat or other nonstick baking mat. They are dishwasher safe and can be used in the oven too! I always put mine on my countertop when baking - it makes cleanup a breeze, especially when you need to roll out a dough!
• Try using other dried fruits in place of the raisins, like currants or even dried cherries. Just be sure your pieces of fruit are small - otherwise their weight will make them sink to the bottom of the bread! Chocolate chips could also be a delicious variation!
• This bread can be made without nuts, or even using a whole wheat flour instead of white.
• Consider adding other types of oil, like walnut (as called for in the original recipe). Honey can also be substituted for agave, or try experimenting with maple syrup!
• The rum can be substituted for brandy, whiskey, orange liqueur... the possibilities are endless. Or for an alcohol-free version, just double the amount of warm water you add to the raisins.
• When allowing the dough to rise, I usually put my dough in a warm area of the kitchen, usually on my stovetop (without any heat). The warmer environment helps give the yeast a boost.
• If you notice the tops of your loaves getting too brown before the middle is baked, cover them with tin foil. This will allow them to bake longer without adding any additional color.

Happy Baking!! 🙌🏻🍞🙌🏻