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Mar 16, 2016

Pain aux Noix - Auberge Walnut Bread

Pain aux Noix - Auberge Walnut Bread

This Pain aux Noix, loaded with toasted chopped walnuts, is incredibly delicious. What I mean is, it is jump-up-and-down, I-can't-believe-how-tasty-this-is, delicious. The bread is wonderful spread with butter or a soft cheese such as brie. Try topping the cheese with a bit of prosciutto or even a little honey. So good. The bread stays nice and fresh for a couple of days, perhaps from the ground walnuts in the dough. It also makes amazing toast.


Pain aux Noix - Auberge Walnut Bread

Pain aux Noix, or Pane di Noci in Italian, gets much of its gorgeous color from the walnuts. In fact, while the original recipe calls for half whole wheat flour and half white flour, I used all white flour and still got this lovely brown interior.

This recipe was introduced to the Bread Baking Babes by Elizabeth, the author of the hilarious Blog from OUR Kitchen. She found an old copy of the book, Auberge of the Flowering Heart by Roy Andries De Groot. It was published in 1973 and chronicles the author's experience in an Alpine French country inn. It also includes the recipes for the meals he enjoyed while staying there. I had never heard of the book, and now I'm totally obsessed with ordering a copy. Elizabeth also found a version of the recipe in The Italian Baker by Carol Field, and gained inspiration from both books.

Pain aux Noix - Auberge Walnut Bread

The dough for this bread is really sticky, but easy to work with and shape nonetheless.

The original recipe calls for some ground walnuts and some walnut chunks. I just pulsed toasted walnut halves a few times in my food processor until I had a nice mixture of both. Can I just tell you? A slice of this bread with butter is just heaven.

Who are the Bread Baking Babes? We are a group of women who get together (virtually) on the 16th of every month to bake a new (to us) loaf of bread. We take turns being the host kitchen and providing the recipe for the bread of the month.

Pain aux Noix - Auberge Walnut Bread

After the recipe, check out the rest of the Babes' takes on this bread (I'll be adding their links as they post).

Note: Elizabeth's recipe also includes some milk powder, ginger, wheat germ, flax seeds, butter instead of olive oil, and vital wheat gluten. She also brushes her loaves with an egg wash.

Auberge Walnut Bread

Makes one large loaf

Ingredients

170 grams walnut pieces
7 grams (one package) active dry yeast
85 grams (1/4 cup) dark honey
320 grams (1 1/3 cups) warm (about 100 degrees F) water
30 grams (2 tablespoons) olive oil
500 grams (3 3/4 cups) bread flour (you can use a mixture of bread and whole wheat flour)
7.5 grams (1 1/2 tsps fine sea salt)

Instructions

  1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Spread the walnut pieces in a baking sheet and toast them in the oven for about 7 minutes. Let the walnuts cool. Pulse them them in a food processor until you have both crumbs and medium pieces. 
  2. In the bowl of a stand mixer, add the yeast, honey, and warm water. Stir and let stand for about 10 minutes. 
  3. Add the olive oil, flour, sea salt, and walnut pieces. Stir with a dough whisk or wooden spoon until the ingredients are combined. Knead with the dough hook for about 5 minutes, until the dough is fairly smooth. 
  4. Place the dough into an oiled bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Let rise until doubled, about 75 minutes. 
  5. Lightly flour your work surface and turn the dough out without deflating it. 
  6. Shape the dough into a log and place it onto a piece of parchment paper. Cover with oiled plastic wrap and let rise until doubled, about 60 minutes. 
  7. Preheat the oven, with a baking stone (if you have one) on the middle rack, to 400 degrees F. Place a broiler or another type of pan under the stone. 
  8. When the dough has doubled, slide it, parchment and all, onto the stone. If you don't have a baking stone, use a baking sheet and place it on the center rack. 
  9. Toss a cup of ice cubes into the broiler pan. Shut the oven door. 
  10. Bake for 10 minutes. Reduce the oven temperature to 350 degrees F and bake for an additional 40 minutes. 
  11. Cool on a wire rack. 



For more wonderful versions of this bread, please visit these Babes!

Would you like to comment?

  1. I love the colour of the crumb! And the loft! How interesting that it is so dark, just from the addition of the walnuts (just as Field said!)

    I'm so glad you like the bread, Karen. And aren't you clever to have eaten it with cheese. We managed to finish ours before remembering to get the cheese out....

    (It's good bread, isn't it?)

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    1. Yes, it is Elizabeth! So happy you introduced it to me!

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  2. I so agree with your: I cannot believe how wonderful.. We loved it! I do love your pictures Karen, really great crumb and such a loft on your loaves!

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  3. I am seriously in love with those crumb shots. :D

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    1. The walnuts just lend themselves to crumb shots, don't they?

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  4. Beautiful crumb texture! What a lovely fun write up. If I didn't have two breads to make this week I'd give it a go! Now about that book Auberge of the Flowering Heart.....

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    1. I know what you mean Vicki. Our freezer is loaded with breads!

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  5. We LOVE walnut bread, and will be definitely trying a recipe provided by a bread expert like you Karen!:)
    Sending you lots of greetings from Athens!
    Panos and Mirella

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  6. Love this bread with walnuts Karen, and the crumbs are nice too I'm absolutely going to be making your wonderful bread , thank you for sharing the recipe. P.S . When you are having a moment please stop by.

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    1. Just stopped by and love your sandies!!

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    2. Thank you Karen, you know my sister "Autoliv3" she was talking to me and said that she can't wait to make the walnuts bread. ��

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  7. ok, note to self check Blog from OUR Kitchen... cannot pass anything that you consider hilarious...

    great looking crumb, Karen! I love an open crumb for its artistic impact, but I must say nothing beats a tighter crumb to make a toast and devour it smeared with butter or a slice of brie cheese

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    1. Ha ha! For sure the open crumb is the holy grail, and I'll alway love it. The holey-er the better, but this bread is killer good and nothing leaks through =)

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  8. Karen, those are gorgeous crumb shots! Love the photos and this bread.

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  9. Will you please come to my house and bake bread with me! Somehow your loaves always come out so incredibly perfect and I can almost smell them through the screen. I love them all, but this one is definitely among my favorites.

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  10. All of those lovely nuts.... It must be heavenly toasted with butter.... lots of butter!

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  11. That picture of the crumb is just so good.... and the bread to ofcourse! it looks so airy.

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  12. Hi Karen, love bread with nuts, like you said this must be delicious toasted.

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  13. Hi Karen - Wondering - why can't I find a print button for thos or any recipe on this site? Am I just being dense?

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    1. There's one at the bottom of the recipe. It's a little green rectangle. You have to click on any verbiage you want to remove before you print.

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  14. "Incredibly delicious" doesn't begin to describe this bread! Thanks Karen! Glad you turned me on to this bread.

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    1. I'm so happy to hear this Ivy!! I always worry about my posts turning out well for others!

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  15. I finally made it came it came out very beautiful

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