Raisin Walnut Bread

Raisin Walnut Bread | Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day

We addRaisin Walnut Bread | Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day

Raisin Walnut Bread Ingredients | Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day

Raisin Walnut Bread

3 cups lukewarm water

1 tablespoon instant or active dry yeast

1 tablespoon kosher salt

1 cup whole wheat flour

5 1/2 cups all-purpose flour (if you use King Arthur or other high protein flours, you may need to add up to a 1/4 cup more water)

1 cup raisins

1 cup walnuts

2 teaspoons cinnamon

In a 6-Quart Round Storage Container add the water, yeast, salt, flours

Adding raisins to bread dough | Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day

raisins

A bowl of raisins and walnuts | Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day

walnuts and cinnamon.

Raisin Walnut Bread | Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day

Mix with a Danish Dough Whisk, a wooden spoon or a stand mixer.

Raisin Walnut Bread Dough | Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day

Let the dough rise for 2 hours and then you can use it right away or it can be stored for about 7 days.

Raisin Walnut Bread Dough | Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day

Pull out a 2-pound piece of dough, about half the dough in the bucket.

Raisin Walnut Bread Dough | Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day

Quickly shape it into a smooth oval.

Floured ceramic bread pan | Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day

Generously grease and flour the base of the bread baker.

Raisin Walnut Bread Dough | Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day

Place the dough into Bread Loaf Baker.

Bread Dough Baker | Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day

Cover and let rest for 1 1/2 to 2 hours. This will depend on what else you have going on and how chilly your kitchen is.

Raisin Walnut Bread Dough Rising | Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day

Preheat the oven to 450°F.

Uncover the loaf and use a Pastry Brush to paint with water.

Raisin Walnut Bread | Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day

Because this baker has a lid it traps the internal moisture of the dough, almost like a Dutch Oven, to create a shiny, crisp crust. Since it has the small holes, the crust will also color nicely during the baking without having to remove the cover.

Bake for about 45 minutes. If you open the lid and it is not yet golden brown, let it bake another 5 minutes.

Let the bread cool in the baker for 5 minutes

Raisin Walnut Bread Turned Out of a Bread Pan | Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day

Turn the loaf out of the pan after 5 minutes and then let cool completely.

Raisin Walnut Bread | Breadin5 17

After you’ve enjoyed some of your bread you can slip it back into the baker to store it on the counter.

Raisin Walnut Bread | Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day

Since the cover has holes the loaf won’t get soggy, but it is protected enough to keep the bread from staling as quickly. It also happens to keep nosey puppies from the counter.

Raisin Walnut Bread | Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day

Here is the loaf baked in a regular loaf pan. You can see that the crust is pale and dull looking in comparison. It was still as tasty, but without the trapped steam the loaf just wasn’t as appealing. You’d have to add steam to the oven if you were to bake it in this style pan.

Lesaffre Yeast Corp. (Red Star) provided samples of yeast for recipe testing, and sponsors BreadIn5’s website and other promotional activities. Emile Henry provided bakeware and sponsorship.

Whole Grain Christmas Stollen

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Christmas Stollen is a wonderful German baking tradition this time of year. A sweet loaf that is studded with dried fruit, spiced with cardamom and a special treat of almond paste runs through it. Once it comes out of the oven it is traditional to slather the warm loaf in butter then roll it in sugar, but we skip the extra butter and dust it with a thick layer of confectioners’ sugar to look like the snow outside. This loaf actually holds up very well for a couple of days and that makes it a great gift for the holidays.
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How to Slash Dough – Video

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Slashing your dough properly creates a beautiful loaf of bread, but can also help it rise in the oven. If your slashes are not deep enough, the dough may tear open on the top or bottom of the loaf. Leaving you with bread that tastes delicious, but doesn’t live up to its artistic potential. The loaf can also end up being a touch dense if you don’t slash deep enough, because it won’t open up and make way for a dramatic oven spring. So, for the most beautiful crust and best interior crumb, you’ll want to follow these few tricks for slashing. Read More

Crock-Pot Nutella Swirl Bread

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Last weekend I lived the ultimate bread bakers’ dream. Thanks to my friends at Red Star Yeast I travelled to the heart of wheat country in Kansas and had the great honor of judging the National Festival of Breads baking contest. The contestants submitted their recipes and were chosen from hundreds of bread bakers from across the country. Eight women came to Manhattan, KS and baked in a theatre-style kitchen in front of about 1,500 bread lovers. They deserve a prize for that alone. The breads were all amazing, but one by Lisa Keys of Good Grief Cooks was the one that stood out to all the judges. Her Smokehouse Cranberry Cheese Bread had a combination of flavors, texture and beauty made this the clear winner. You can read all about the contest (you should consider entering for the next one), the contestants and their winning recipes at the National Festival of Breads.

Another absolutely gorgeous loaf that was baked for us was a chocolate swirl bread. I’ve recreated that idea with our Whole Wheat Brioche dough and a swirl of Nutella. It is healthy and decadent all at the same time and it’s baked in a crock-pot. I turned to my crock-pot when I turned on the AC for the first time yesterday and I really didn’t want to heat up the kitchen by cranking up the oven. The crock-pot is ideal for this Nutella swirl bread, since it fits the shape and we want a soft crust. The result was perfect.

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Super Peel Giveaway CONTEST CLOSED, WINNER HAS BEEN ANNOUNCED

Super Peel | Breadin5 04

This is a Super Peel. It is one of those products, like the Danish Dough Whisk, that changes the game for baking with our dough. I was skeptical that this cloth-covered peel would do the trick of transferring our wet dough onto the hot stone in the oven without sticking. I’ve come to use parchment to guarantee the dough won’t stick to the peel, but that’s not at all necessary with the Super Peel. Even after an 1 1/2 hour resting time the dough slid right off the cloth, no sticking, no prying it off with a dough scraper. Voila! The most exciting part is that it scoops the loaf off the hot stone with as much ease. No more chasing the loaf to the back of the oven while trying to get it back on the peel.

Now that we are heading into grilling season, and there is nothing better than pizza on the grill, you have to watch this video about using the Super Peel for transferring pizzas. Gary Casper invented the Super Peel and generously shared the Peel with me to try out. I loved it so much I asked him to do a giveaway so we could share one with you. *Leave a note in the comments below and you will be eligible to win a Super Peel. The winner is: Sandy! We’ll be in touch, Sandy. Read More

Shopping for Bread-Bakers

People always ask us about our favorite bread-baking tools, so here are some of them, with links to Amazon:

Thermometer

A thermometer: you really can’t get a good crust until you know your oven’s temp. They’re cheap and effective.

Baking Stone

Baking stone: For a great, crisp, crust, you really need one, and this 1/2-inch thick Old Stone brand has been very durable for us. There are other stone/iron options, see our post on that. Read More

Gluten-Free Crock-Pot Bread

YES, it you can also make gluten-free crock-pot bread! This is the “Not Rye (But So Very Close)” recipe from The New Healthy Bread in Five Minutes a Day. Check with your slow-cooker’s manufacturer before trying this, since some model’s instructions specify that the pot has to be at least partially filled with liquid to avoid safety or durability problems.  And never bake in a slow-cooker unattended. Read More

Crock Pot Bread Baking (Fast Bread in a Slow Cooker)

Crock Pot Bread Baking (Fast Bread in a Slow Cooker) | Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day

Bread in a crock pot? Over the years there’ve been reader requests to develop a method of baking dough in a crock pot. The crock pot does indeed get hot enough, and it takes less time than using your oven, because the rising time is included in the baking. The crust, however, is very soft and quite pale when it comes out of the slow cooker, but just a few minutes under a broiler and you get a gorgeous loaf. It is just perfect for summer baking when you don’t want to heat up your oven. You could even amaze your friends at work by baking a loaf under your desk! Check with your crock-pot’s manufacturer before trying this, since some model’s instructions specify that the pot has to be at least partially filled with liquid to avoid safety or durability problems.  And never bake  in a crock-pot unattended.

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