Walnut Bread

For me this recipe was not sweet enough, especially since it has walnuts in it. I added 1C raisins and a 1/4C granulated sugar. Without the sugar the bread had a bitter taste to it. This helped with the sweetness and also with the flavor of the loafs. I also after cutting my ball in half made 2 loafs that I baked on baking sheets. I put 2 diagonal cuts on each loaf. Granted this was just my families preference but I hope this may help someone else who's making this recipe for the 1st time,

Oven at 425, do not let second rise go too long or it will deflate!

Excellent. If you were thinking of halving the recipe, don't. First loaf was gone in 24 hrs. The walnuts sink while proofing. If possible, fold them in at the end and towards the top, vice distributing evenly. I tried the Thomas Keller super-soaker on rocks technique, water on the base of the oven, and ice - ice works best... I definitely wouldn't use a spray bottle every minute for 5 minutes... that's a lot of precious hot air escaping while your crust is developing.

I used a spray bottle with water to create the steam - spraying it once a minute (on the loaves, rack and walls of the oven) for the first 5 minutes.

this was easy and delicious. i only had king arthur white whole wheat flour so used that adding 3 tbs gluten to the flour. it kneaded well and rose beautifully. definitely a keeper.

I made this recipe as directed, but used a 425 oven for the first 20 mins. I also added raisins to one loaf with the chopped nuts. Make sure you don’t go too long on the second rise or the loaf will deflate when you slash it.

This bread is delicious! I bake a half recipe in a regular bread pan, with the chopped walnuts rolled up in the dough like a jelly roll so I have no burnt exterior nuts.

Unfortunately, this recipe gives a 2nd rising time, not an indication of how much the shaped loaves should rise, so this is bound to happen. If you use the full measure of yeast (less will allow for a slower rise and more flavor), 1 hr will be too long in many warm American kitchens. You're looking for something a bit less than doubling in the 2nd rise, and all-over puffiness.

This bread is simply delicious, made exactly as written. Someone mentioned that it was bitter without added sugar. To my taste (and others), it was perfect and does not need the sugar. But be sure your nuts and oil are not leaning toward rancid, or that will come thru in the bread. This is one of my favorite NYT recipes, and that's saying a LOT!

I added a handful of chopped dates to the dough. It seems more like the walnut bread I remember from Burgundy.

So delicious! Used white whole wheat and bread flour. Had pecans but no walnuts. Pecans work well, too.

Love this bread! Flavor is beyond great. I preheated the oven to 450 but when I put the bread in turned it to 350, based on other notes. Absolutely delicious.

This is a fantastic bread recipe and easy to do. Perfect for a luncheon or any entertaining. I used the Indian whole wheat atta available in Indian grocery stores. Perfect. Wouldn't change a thing.

Fabulous recipe! Loved the flavor, texture, great crust and ease of preparation. I used all white whole wheat flour instead of whole wheat and bread flour. I used instant yeast and 2 cups of 105F water (not lukewarm) and rising time for the first rise was less than 1 hour. Thanks for this great recipe!

Temp. is a little bit too high for my oven. After 20 mins, the breads were already well browned. I'll try at 400 next time so I can bake the second round. Smells amazing! Can't wait to try it in an hour.