This bread is incredibly good, especially toasted and with butter oozing all over it. The bread is soft, lightly sweetened with maple syrup, and studded with crunchy walnuts. The sourdough discard/starter provides a bit of tang and keeps the bread from being too sweet. You'll taste the sourdough, but it's not overwhelming. It will give your bread a deeper, more interesting flavor than run-of-the-mill loaves. The bread is great for breakfast, and you can also serve it alongside dinner. I like a slice with a piece of cheese for a nice, filling snack. Enjoy!
Sourdough Maple Walnut Bread -- Makes 1 Loaf
1 cup of starter/discard
1/4 cup of canola oil
1/3 cup of maple syrup (use the real stuff, not the flavored pancake version, if you can)
1 large egg
1/4 cup of milk
1/2 teaspoon of maple extract (optional--it will enhance the maple flavor)
1/2 cup of white whole-wheat or whole-wheat flour
1/2 cup of all-purpose flour
In a large bowl, mix all of the ingredients listed above well and then cover the bowl loosely with plastic wrap. Let the mixture sit for at least an hour. I let mine go for four or five hours in the morning while I work. When you're ready, add the following:
1 cup of all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon of salt
1/2 teaspoon of grated orange or clementine zest
1 cup of chopped or broken walnuts
Stir then knead the dough for 3-5 minutes, kneading in an additional 1/4-1/2 cup of flour if necessary so the dough isn't too sticky to knead. Spritz a loaf pan with non-stick cooking spray or line a loaf pan with aluminum foil and spritz the foil with spray for easier removal/storage of the bread later. Form the dough into a log and place it in the prepared pan. Spritz the top of the dough with non-stick cooking spray and loosely cover the pan with plastic wrap. Let the dough rise for 2-4 hours (depending on the temperature of your kitchen). The dough won't rise much. It should just barely crest the top of the pan. Preheat the oven to 350 and bake the bread for 35-45 minutes or until the top is golden brown and the bread reaches an internal temperature of about 190 degrees. Let the bread cool in its pan for 10 minutes before turning it out to cool completely.
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