The whole wheat-walnut quick bread from Williams-Sonoma Cooking at Home by Chuck Williams (Weldon Owen, Oct.) is wonderfully wheaty and nutty and, for being egg- and sugar-free, is much tastier than I’d expected. The molasses and toasted walnuts give this bread a lot of depth and flavor. It’s incredibly easy to throw together, no mixer required, and pairs well with a slice of sharp cheese or a sweet jam, but it’s also great plain or simply toasted with butter. I’m sure this is just one of the many keepers in a book brimming with classic recipes.
Makes 1 large loaf
1 ½ cups (7 ½ oz/235 g) whole-wheat (wholemeal) flour
1 cup (5 oz/155 g) all-purpose (plain) flour
1 teaspoon each baking powder and baking soda (bicarbonate of soda)
½ teaspoon salt
1 ½ cups (12 fl oz/375 ml) buttermilk
1/3 cup (3 fl oz/80 ml) canola oil
1/3 cup (4 oz/125 g) unsulfured light molasses
1 cup (4 oz/125 g) chopped walnuts, toasted
Preheat the oven to 350˚F (180˚C). Oil and flour a 9-by-5-inch (12-by-13-cm) loaf pan and tap out the excess flour.
In a bowl, stir together the flours, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside. In another bowl, whisk together the buttermilk, oil, and molasses until smooth. Stir in the walnuts. Add the buttermilk mixture to the flour mixture and stir just until blended.
Pour and scrape the batter into the prepared loaf pan and spread evenly. Bake until a toothpick inserted into the center of the loaf comes out clean, about 55 minutes. Let cool in the pan on a wire rack for 10 minutes, then turn out onto the rack to cool completely.
