Toasted Pine Nut Bread from Hensperger

Dylan and I were adventurous today. We made bread with toasted pine nuts! This recipe is from Hensperger's book: Bread for All Seasons. It's almost March and this is one of the March recipes.

First you preheat the oven to 325. Spread 1 1/2 cups pine nuts in a single layer on an ungreased cookie sheet. Toast in the oven for 12 minutes, stirring once during the process. Don't let the nuts get dark. Remove from the oven and cool.

Sprinkle 2 packages of yeast and a pinch of brown sugar over 1/4 cup of warm water. Let it stand for about 10 minutes to begin proofing.

Put the pine nuts in a blender or food processor with 1 cup whole-wheat flour and process until it's like coarse meal.
It should look like this mixture below.

In the mixer, combine 1 cup warm water, 2 T brown sugar, 1 cup warm milk, 2 T of butter, melted, and the remaining 1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour. Beat about 1 minute. Add the yeast and the nut flour mix. Beat another minute. Then gradually add flour - about 3 - 3 1/2 cups - about 1/2 cup at a time until a soft dough forms.

Turn the dough out and knead it until firm and springy, adding as little flour as possible. Place in a greased container and allow to rise for about 2 to 2 1/2 hours. Divide the risen dough into two portions. Form each into a round. Place the loaves seam side down on a greased or parchment lined cookie sheet. Cover with plastic wrap and allow to rise again - about 50 minutes.

Preheat oven to 425. Slash the tops of the loaves with sharp knife. Don't make the cuts more than 1/4 inch deep. Put the loaves in the oven and immediately turn the oven down to 400. Bake for about 40 - 45 minutes.


The is a rich, tender, interesting bread. We ate half a loaf for dinner.