Walnut Rosemary Bread

After 9 months of quarantine and 6 bread episodes on GBBO, I've started to understand the delicacy that is good bread. These are my go-to flavors, and I'm taking the time to perfect the knead, rise, and bake. Each step matters, so here is my progress. If you're having trouble with your bread, do some research online and understand the purpose of the main processes and how to time each one. I found a guide that compares the final structure of bread with the issues it faced while rising so you can easily trouble shoot what went wrong. Anyways, my family absolutely loves this bread (I made it last night and it's almost over), so I hope you do too. The loaf can be somewhat soft and delicate right after it's baked, but tastes perfect after resting overnight!

My Tips for Bread

• Make sure bread has been kneaded enough to develop gluten. The bread will start out really sticky and become more elastic as you knead.

• Use the windowpane test to check when enough gluten has developed.

• Rise bread at the right temperature. Yeast likes to be at 75˚F. If it is a particularly cold day, heat the oven to the lowest temperature possible (I use 150˚F) while the dough is kneading. Then, turn the heat off and leave the door open until the oven thermometer reads 100˚F or below. Place the dough inside to rise and close the door. The heat inside the oven will allow the bread to rise in a warm environment.

• Make sure your bread doubles in size during the first rise. No more, no less. More rise does not always equal more fluffiness!

• Do not overproof during the second rise or your bread might deflate in the oven.

• Make sure oven is preheated before placing your bread in. The high heat will create a final burst in the yeast and give it good rise.

• Use steam to create a crispy crust.

• If bread is too dry, store it with something that gives off moisture. If bread is too moist, let it sit out overnight and "air dry."

Resources for Bread

• Breadmaking 101: How to Troubleshoot Bread

• Breadmaking 101: All About Proofing and Fermentation

• 5 Ways to Tell when Dough is Kneaded

• Baker’s Techniques: How to do the Windowpane Test when Kneading Bread

• The Best Way to Tell when Bread is Proofed

• Bread Baking for Beginners: Everything You Need to Know

Ingredients

• 2 1/4 c all-purpose flour

• 1 1/2 t instant yeast (use 2 t if yeast is old, bloom in water for 10 mins if active dry)

• 1 t salt

• 1 t black pepper

• 1/2 c walnuts, chopped

• 1 t fresh rosemary (sub 1/2 t dried rosemary)

• 1 c water (warmed in the microwave for 20 seconds)

• Semolina flour

Directions

1. Bloom yeast in water if using active dry yeast.

2. Mix together flour, yeast, salt, black pepper, walnuts, and rosemary. Add water.

3. Knead dough for 20 minutes in bread maker. If kneading by hand, knead until gluten is developed.

4. Let dough rest at room temperature until it doubles in size (~1 hour).

5. Pour a little bit of semolina flour at the bottom of the bread pan. Transfer dough to the bread pan.

6. Let dough rise overnight in the refrigerator (for better flavor) or at room temperature until it doubles in size (~40 mins - 1 hour). Make sure it is proved correctly before moving on.

7. Preheat oven to 450˚F. Add a pan of water inside to create steam.

8. Bake loaf for 35 minutes until bread has a golden color and sounds hollow when tapped.