Hazelnut Pistachio Bread

Hazelnut Pistachio Bread

Fall has once again arrived too fast. Each summer seems to slip by faster than the last. Baking bread is one of the ways I help to acclimate myself to the new season. This bread is based on a recipe from "Beard on Bread" by James Beard. He is one-third of my "holy trinity" of cooking muses, JJ&J. Julia Child, Jaques Pepin and James Beard. Apart from my family, these three have shaped my culinary edcuation. This book is out of print. But if you can find a copy, snap it up. You won't be sorry.

Here's the recipe:

Hazelnut Pistachio Bread

Ingredients:

2 1/4 tsp yeast

1/3c +1 tbl granulated sugar
1/4c warm water (about 110-115 degrees)

1c warm, whole milk

1/2c melted butter (divided: 1/4c softened, 1/4c melted)

2tsp salt

4c bread flour 

1 tbl cinnanmon (I like Saigon cinnamon)

1/2c chopped hazelnuts 

1/2c chopped pistachios 

egg wash (1 egg, lightly beaten with a splash of water)

Directions:

1. In the bowl of a standing mixer fitted with a dough hook (or a large mixing bowl*) combine yeast, 1tbl of sugar and water. Let it rest to proof. The ingredients will dissolve and begin to bubble slightly when they are ready for the next step.

2. With the mixer set to a low speed, slowly add the milk by pouring it gently down the side of the bowl. This helps to avoid deflating the yeast mixture. With the mixer running, add the softened butter and the milk.

3. Begin the add the flour, 1 cup at a time, until the mixture begins to hold together in a sticky ball. Turn the mixer up to a medium speed and knead for 8-10 minutes or until the dough looks smooth and less sticky. At this point I usually remove the dough and knead it by hand a few times until it feels right. Sorry to be vague-but once you do this a few times, you'll begin to recognize what "feels right."

4. Lighlty oil or butter the bowl of your mixer and place the dough in the bowl. Cover it with plastic wrap and then a cotton cloth (I can't really explain why I use plastic wrap and a cloth-but this usually works for me, so I don't question it:) Let it rest in warm, draft free place until doubled in size. Depending on the weather and season, this usually takes about an hour and a half.

*If you are not usuing a standing mixer: follow the directions above, using a wodden spoon the combine your ingredients. Knead by hand until the dough reaches the desired consistency and then place in the buttered bowl to rise.

5. Once the dough has doubled, remove it from the bowl and place on a lightly floured board. Roll it out into a rectangle, about 18"X12".

6. Brush the dough with the melted butter. Combine 1/3c sugar with the cinnamon and sprinkle it over the buttered dough. Distribute the chopped nuts evently over the dough.

7. Beginnig from a long side, roll the dough up, like a jelly roll. Connect the roll to form a circle and place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Make slits in the dough, about 2/3 of the way down-but not completly through. Twist the cuts in the dough toexpose the filling. Cover loosely with a cotton cloth and let it rise for 45 minutes to an hour.

8. Preheat your oven to 375 degrees. Uncover the dough and brush with your egg wash.

Place in the midlle of your oven and bake for about a half hour,or until the top is golden.

Enjoy!

**One small note-it's usually best to let any bread cool before cutting to avoid damaging the stucture of the crumb. However, in my family we rarely have the willpower to resist cutting into a hot bread. You make the call.