World Bread Day ’06 – After Hours Party II : Walnut Bread
For the past two weeks I’ve been having thick slices of Sonoma’s walnut and fig bread for breakfast. It’s great with some gingered marmalade, or a piece of goats cheese. I find I tend to go through phases of having the one thing for breakfast. There was the eggs (every which way) phase, the yogurt ‘n’ granola one, and the oatmeal phase which usually lasts for the whole of winter. Right now, it’s decent bread with decent jam.
Over at Spitoon, Andrew recently had a go at my wheaten bread recipe, so I thought I would give his Walnut Bread dough a bash …and a pummel. Over the kitchen counter. With my bare fists for at least ten minutes. While I tried to think of something angry. Which didn’t really work because I had Sigur Rós playing at the time and it was too soothing.
Nevertheless, the dough rose with great enthusiasm, and now I have two craggy, walnut-studded, donut-shaped loaves – which for some reason I find very evocative of hernia pillows or neck braces – to tide me over a few more breakfasts. I love the smell of the rye and the amount of walnuts in the loaves. I’m not one to snack on walnuts on their own, but they taste great in breads or tossed through salads. And having once shelled a whole bag of walnuts, and only managing to yield maybe five unblemished nuts, I now also have great respect for a perfectly shelled walnut.
