Baking•healthy

Maple-Walnut Oat Bread

Whole wheat and oats are the featured whole grains in this soft, high-rising sandwich loaf.

Ingredients

Quantities are shown as originally provided.

1 cup plus 2 tablespoons (255g) lukewarm water
2 tablespoons (39g) maple syrup
4 tablespoons (57g) unsalted butter, softened
1 1/2 cups (134g) old-fashioned rolled oats, ground for 30 seconds in a blender or food processor*
3/4 cup (85g) King Arthur Whole Wheat Flour
2 cups (240g) King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
3 tablespoons (29g) maple sugar or brown sugar, packed
1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon natural maple flavor, to taste, optional
1 1/4 teaspoons (8g) table salt
2 1/2 teaspoons instant yeast
1 cup (113g) chopped walnuts

1
Weigh your flour; or measure it by gently spooning it into a cup, then sweeping off any excess. Combine all the dough ingredients, and mix and knead them — by hand, mixer, or bread machine — until you have a soft, smooth dough.
2
Place the dough in a lightly greased bowl or 8-cup measure (the measure lets you track the dough's progress as it rises), and let it rise until nearly doubled in bulk, 1 to 2 hours.
3
Lightly grease a 9" x 5" loaf pan.
4
Gently deflate the dough, and shape it into a 9" log. Place it in the prepared pan. Cover the pan and let the bread rise until it crowns about 1 ½" over the rim of the pan, 1 ½ to 2 ½ hours.
5
Preheat the oven to 350°F.
6
Uncover the bread, and bake it for 40 to 45 minutes, tenting it with foil after 15 minutes. An instant-read thermometer inserted into the center will register 190°F when the loaf is done. Remove the bread from the oven, and after about a minute turn out onto a rack to cool.