Walnut bread

Lots of flavour from the nuts..
It has this beautiful pale colour like the  Simple Walnut Tin Loaf I made before,  I have no idea how is this happened :) Anyway, it is a good healthy bread.

From: The Complete Bread and Baking book
Ingredients
Makes 2 medium loaves ( I made a large one)

455g whole wheat bread flour
230g unbleached white bread flour
2 and 1/2 teaspoon salt
2 and 1/2 teaspoon instant dry yeast
460ml lukewarm water
1 and 1/2 tablespoon flavoured honey
1 tablespoon walnut oil or melted butter (optional)

extra flour for dusting
230g walnut halves, toasted, cooled and roughly chopped

1 or 2 baking sheets, greased

Risen well at room temperature

I made a few slashes just before baking

 Method (with alteration)
1.  In a large bowl, stir together the whole wheat and white flours and salt.  Make a well in the centre.
Stir in half of the lukewarm water and honey in a small bowl containing yeast.  Let it stand for about 5 to 10 minutes until foamy. Pour yeast mixture into the well in the flour. Re-heat the remaining water to lukewarm and pour into the sponge.  Mix until it become a thick batter.  Add in walnuts and mix evenly.  Cover and leave for 10 minutes. Knead, fold and stretch for 10 seconds. Cover and leave for 10 minutes. Do twice more for the 10 minute interval. Dough should be smooth and glossy.
(Note: I noticed my dough was a bit sticky still, so I added in a little extra flour also,  I used Dan Lepard's kneading technique here instead).

2.  Shape dough into a ball. Oil the bowl, return dough to the bowl. Turn the dough over so the top is oiled.  Cover with a damp towel and let it rise in room temperature, until doubled in size, about 2 hours.

3. Punch down the dough. Knead gently for 1 minute. Roll like the way you would do to a swiss roll, seal the seams, tuck two ends in.  Cover with damp towel and let it rise again in room temperature until it doubled in size , about 1 and 1/2 hours.  During the last 15 minutes of rising, heat the oven to 425F/ 210C.  Cut three slashes in the top of the loaf.  Bake for 15 minutes.  Lower temperature to 375F/ 190C  and bake for 20 to 30 minutes longer, or until the loaf sound hollow when tapped underneath. Cool on wire racks.
(Note:  If you are making two loaves, divide dough in half and shape into a neat ball and place on the baking sheet.  For my loaf, I used steam baked method, meaning a pan filled with hot water is placed at the bottom of the oven ).