Yeasted Walnut Bread from Southern Burgundy - World Bread Day

Today is World Bread Day and I almost - almost - forgot. I'm sneaking under the wire with a yeasted walnut bread from Southern Burgundy that was developed by Jane Grigson, an English food writer. She was a good friend of James Beard and had the unique honor of having her work translated into French. That was an uncommon occurrence 40 years ago. I've had her recipe for decades and never made it for want of walnut oil. Fortunately, I've remedied that and was able to make the bread for this event. The bread is simple to do, and while it's a bit costly to make, it is delicious. The only change I would make is to increase the measure of walnuts used in the bread. I can't wait to see how it tastes tomorrow after it's had time to ripen. This recipe makes 4 small loaves of a bread that is flavored with onions, chopped walnuts and walnut oil. The aroma of this bread when it is baking will bring you to your knees and the trick will be allowing it to cool before you slice into it. The bread has a lovely crust and a very mild onion flavor. Here, just in time for World Bread Day, is Jane Grigson's Yeasted Walnut Bread from Southern Burgundy. Enjoy!

Yeasted Walnut Bread from Southern Burgundy...from the kitchen of One Perfect Bite, courtesy of Jane Grigson from James Beard's Beard on Bread

Ingredients:
5 cups all purpose flour (preferably unbleached)
1 tablespoon salt
2 tablespoons sugar
2 packages active dry yeast or 4-1/2 teaspoons active dry yeast
2 cups warm milk
1/2 cups walnut oil or olive oil or 8 tablespoons (1 stick) butter, melted but cool
1/2 to 1 cup walnuts, roughly chopped
3/4 cup onion, finely chopped

Directions:
1) Sift flour, salt, and sugar into a warm bowl. Dissolve yeast in 1/2 cup of warm milk, and pour it into middle of the flour, together with walnut oil (or butter) and remainder of milk. Knead well until dough is firm and blended into a smooth, springy ball, about 10 minutes.
2) Leave in a warm place to rise for 2 hours. Punch down dough, mix in walnuts and onions, shape into four rounds, and leave on a greased baking tray to rise for 45 minutes. Bake at 400 degrees F for 45 minutes or until loaves sound hollow when tapped underneath. Yield: 4 small loaves.

This post is being linked to:

World Bread Day

Wild Yeast - Yeast Spotting