This is the easiest, no-knead walnut raisin bread perfect for first time bakers and any home bakers really.
This was the first bread I've had ever baked. If watching hours of Bake-off shows thought me anything, it is that the bread making is hard. And precision is the key.
At this point the experiences nightmares of me cooking something for the first time start to haunt me… I am expecting a catastrophe for sure.
Under baked, over proofed, needs more salt? The lingo I learned from TV shows echoes in my head.
To my surprise it turned out AMAZING.
I give credit to this recipe, not myself for it though.
Alright, a little credit to myself. Baking is precise and I am an engineer, I am trained to be precise, yes?
Still... it took a great recipe to make it happen.
If you don’t want to add raisin, just add 2 cups of walnut instead. I recently baked it for my sibling, who is sensitive to dried fruits like raisins and it turned out great.
Ingredients
3 cups of strong flour
1.5 cups of warm water
¼ tablespoon of dry yeast
2 tablespoons of salt
1 cup of walnuts
½ cup of Mixed Raisins or Cranberries or Fig
1 tablespoon of Cinnamon
Preparation
1. Add the flour, walnuts, salt and raisins in a bowl. Give it a good mix.
2. Add the yeast and then warm water, mix it until all dough is mixed evenly. (Putting yeast separately helps it from keep away from high concentrates of salt in the mixture, as salt can slow down the yeast’s rising process)
3. Make it a ball and put it in a clean bowl, covering it with a tea towel or a stretch film. Let it rise overnight in a cool, dry place like a cupboard.
4. In the morning, cover your baking tray with baking paper.
5. Take the dough out of the bowl, it should be doubled in size and sticky. Gently play with your dough to flat it down – this makes any air bubbles inside the dough to disappear, so you can have an even shape.
6. Shape it into a ball and put it on to the baking tray, cover with tea towel. Let it rise for about another hour.
7. Pre-heat your oven to 250 Celsius/480 Fahrenheit.
8. Remove the tea towel and place the tray into the oven for 30 minutes. Bake it until the toothpick or your knife comes out clean when placed in the middle.
9. Let it cool down for 15 minutes and cut it to serve.
Enjoy xx