Cherry Walnut Bread

Bill and I appreciate the serenity of the Corn Maiden restaurant at the Tamaya Resort in New Mexico. The food is interesting--based on Native American cuisine with twists of current, fresh trends. The bread basket is super. I tried to recreate the flavor and texture of our favorite in this recipe. The smell always takes me back to dusk in the tremendous cottonwood grove on the banks of the Rio Grande just outside the Corn Maiden's doors.


 

 









Cherry Walnut Bread

2 cups warm water

1 1/2 teaspoons yeast

1 tablespoon raw sugar 

1 teaspoon sea salt

2 cups white bread flour

1 1/2 cups* whole wheat flour

3/4 cup rolled oats

3 tablespoons gluten powder

1/2 teaspoon powdered ginger  

3/4 cup dried cherries, roughly chopped

3/4 cup walnut pieces, roughly chopped

Place warm water in a mixing bowl. Sprinkle yeast over water. Add sugar and salt. Using dough hooks, mix in flours, oats, gluten and ginger. Knead for a few minutes then add cherries and walnuts. Use additional whole wheat flour to make an elastic dough that is not sticky. Cover bowl and allow dough to rise until nearly double in bulk. Punch down dough and shape into two loaves about 15 inches long. Place onto a cornmeal dusted baking stone. With a sharp knife, slash 4 or 5 angled cuts into tops. Allow to rise until nearly double again then bake in a 325 degree oven for 30 to 35 minutes.

Hints: This recipe works well in a bread machine. Chopping the cherries and walnuts is unnecessary in a machine. Add them at the very end of mixing. You may need to adjust the amount of yeast depending on whether you use rapid rise (a bit more) or regular yeast. Dried cranberries can be used instead of cherries. As with all bread, fresh and warm out of the oven is primo. However this particular bread is also smashing used for French Toast, served with cherry preserves.