Honey Walnut Soda Bread (c)2011 LaDomestique.com

I am so excited about this bread recipe I found in the River Cottage Bread Handbook! It’s quick, easy, and perfect for fall. Walnut and Honey Bread is a soda bread recipe made with whole wheat flour. No yeast, no kneading, no waiting for dough to rise. Just throw the ingredients into a bowl, stir to combine, shape into round loaves and bake. My husband grew up in Ireland, and soda bread is nothing new in our house. We go through times when we crave it and keep it on hand until we’re sick of it. The recipe for Walnut and Honey Bread is unique and a wonderful fall version of the classic that I can’t wait to make again.

Daniel Stevens uses one little technique I really like in this recipe. He instructs to crush half of the 7 ounces of walnuts into a powder with a mortar and pestle. It’s like making your own walnut flour. The other half of the walnuts are only lightly crushed so large chunks remain. He writes, “This gives the ideal combination-lots of flavor from the crushed nuts, and texture from the large pieces.” The resulting bread has an intense nutty flavor that’s really special. Oh, and don’t think I’ve forgotten it’s honey week here at la domestique. This bread recipe calls for 7 ounces of honey! I used a wildflower honey, and I think it would be great fun to experiment with different varieties to find the best flavor for this bread. I’ve got some apple blossom honey to try next time.

Since the only flour used for this recipe is whole wheat, the texture of the bread is moist and dense, while the flavor is sweet and wheaty. Walnut and Honey Bread would make great toast. I enjoyed it as the author suggests- with Stilton blue cheese and a ripe pear. Either a cup of tea or a glass of port would be a welcome accompaniment.

Honey Walnut Soda Bread (c)2011 LaDomestique.com

Recipe: Walnut Honey Bread from the River Cottage Bread Handbook

makes 2 loaves

Ingredients

7 ounces honey
7 ounces walnuts
1 pound, 2 ounces all-purpose whole-wheat flour, plus extra for dusting
2 teaspoons fine salt
4 teaspoons baking powder
1 1/4 cups water

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Pour the honey into a small sauce pot and soften over low heat. Using a mortar and pestle, crush half the walnuts into a fine powder. Coarsely crush the other half of the walnuts so that large pieces remain.

Combine the flour, salt, baking powder, and walnuts in a bowl. Pour in the honey and water into the bowl of flour and mix well to combine. Briefly knead the dough until firm.

Divide the dough into 2 and shape each piece into a rough round, about 2 inches high. Use a bench scraper to cut a cross in each, pressing down almost to the base of the dough. Bake for 25 minutes or until the crust is golden brown and the bread sounds hollow when tapped on the bottom.

Allow the loaves to cool on a wire rack.

Honey Walnut Soda Bread (c)2011 LaDomestique.com