April 27, 2010

Nutty Stollen Wreath Bread (Whole wheat)

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Stollen is usually a holiday bread made with dried fruits and nuts and citrus peel.
When I say "usually" you might have gotten the drift. Yes, my recipe here is not the traditional one, neither is it holiday time, nor is it sweet.
I know someone in the far corner of this world is probably shaking their head, going... why does this woman have to twist up every single traditional recipe that ever existed!
Sorry, can't help it!

I do like the sweet kind, but once in a while I do like them savory especially when I load them with nuts like this one. Oh, those delightful little mixed nuts that come in a jar! What is your favorite kind of nut in the medley? Mine is hazelnuts. Why, oh why do they put so few of them in there?
But that said, not many can keep their hands off of the salty golden brown cashews in them.
Ahem... the cashews in the jar keep disappearing magically and ever so slowly in our household! Just when there are just a few broken lone peanuts left, the vanishing act stops. If that person is reading this, then I think its time to own up!

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So, for this recipe I also used some roasted sunflower seeds (I always have a few of those and pumpkin seeds on hand.) Like I have mentioned in the past... Always keep nuts in the freezer (especially if you have a large quantity), this prevents the natural oils in them from turning rancid quickly. They stay fresh longer, and if you are worried that they might turn hard, not to worry...they do not freeze.

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Nutty Stollen Wreath Bread (Whole wheat)

Ingredients:

Whole wheat pastry flour - 3 1/4 cup
All purpose flour - 3/4 cup
Vital Gluten - 1 tbsp
Sea Salt - To taste
Baker's yeast - 2 tsp
Warm water - 1/4 cup (to activate yeast, more for making the bread dough)
Sugar - 1/2 tsp
Roasted sunflower seeds - 1/4 cup
Salted mixed nuts - 1/3 cup (Peanuts, Cashews, Filberts, Pecans, Hazelnuts, Walnuts, Brazil nuts)
Coarse chop them if they are too large.
Egg wash - For brushing on top (One whole egg, mixed with a teaspoon of water) You will not need the entire egg.

Method:

Mix warm water, yeast and sugar and let it sit for about 10 min. The water should not be too hot or too cold. The former kills the yeast and the latter fails to activate the yeast. Yes, it is a little tricky if you are a first timer.

After the yeast starts to bloom, add the flour, vital gluten salt and form a dough by adding more water. Just enough to form a soft loose dough.

Knead for about 15 minutes by hand or use a dough hook attachment and knead till it is soft and supple.

Oil a large bowl, and let the dough sit in it covered for about a couple of hours. This is the first rise.

After it has doubled in size, add the nuts and knead just enough to distribute the nuts evenly.

first rise

Time to pre-heat the oven to 375F.

Using a rolling pin, roll out to about 1/2 inch thickness and slightly elongated as shown in picture.

roll out

Roll the dough (just like you would roll the cake for a jelly roll)

roll in

Seal both edges by inserting one into another and making into a round wreath shape. The seam will be visible.

seal

Let it sit for about 10 minutes on a baking tray that you are going to use to bake. This is the second rise.

Then, using a pair of scissors cut the wreath partially (not entirely) into sections. The round shape should still be intact.

wreath

Brush lightly with a egg wash if desired.

wash

Bake at 375F for about 45-50 min till golden brown, and it should sound hollow when tapped.

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Let it rest for 10 minutes. Serve with warm butter/spread. I like mine with a little dollop of jalapeno jam.

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32 comments:

  1. That is one gorgeous looking bread! a beautiful twist to the usual kind. I love the nuts and the shape you done.

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  2. Çok güzel ve nefis görünüyor.

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  3. Thats a beautiful bread, looks prefect and scrumptious..

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  4. Pretty and wholesome bread. Seeing the first picture, I thought u had used some mould to shape this bread. Love the shape!

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  5. Lovely looking bread Divya, I love the savory ones. I am yet to venture into the world of baking, the reason is nobody in my house seem to like the baked goodies.

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  6. This looks yummy and delicious..

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  7. whattay beautiful looking bread Divya! looks amazing,like the fact its savory and not sweet :)
    BTW where did u get the jalapeno jam :P email me wen ur free.

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  8. Beautiful bread Anu. It come out perfect brown! I love baking but still long way to go.

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  9. I know what you mean about the problem of claiming one's dish to be called "such and such" when one has dropped or substituted 10 things to one's own liking. What can we do though! Your bread looks great!! :)

    Jalapeno Jam? Have recipe?

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  10. This bread is looks great Divya. I was wondering how you got the wheel effect and the photos explained it. Nice.

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  11. OMG...perfectly baked bread...I want to try this...What is Vital Gluten? What wud be the impact if I dont use it?

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  12. Wowo that is a beauitful and delicous looking bread.

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  13. Wow, this looks beautiful and delicious. Same question. What is Vital Gluten?

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  14. aha! you snip with scissors to get that shape. awesome! i too store bulk nuts in the freezer successfully..

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  15. Not sure beautiful is right a word to descrive this recipe!!! excellent-e pictures too.

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  16. @Ivy, Sharmilee - Wheat gluten is used to add chewiness to the bread. I use it whenever I use whole wheat flour as opposed to bread flour.
    If you are using bread flour, then you may skip on the gluten powder.

    @ Laks - Got the jalapeno jelly from Pike place. There is this little shop for jellies/preserves/jams. I love their rose jelly too... it is just divine.

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  17. lovely shape... love how it has a lot of whole wheat flour... :)
    now, I have to find this place in pike market..

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  18. Beautiful colour and so full of wholesome goodness with all the seeds and nuts. I love this type of bread...mmm

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  19. That is a great presentation! Looks filling and delicious :)

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  20. Beautiful looking bread!!

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  21. Beautiful bread..looks gud

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  22. Healthy and delicious.. nice clicks!!

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  23. wow what a delicious wreath bread..liked the shape..lovely pictures..
    BTW new here..lovely blog u have ..do visit my blog when u find time.

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  24. AnonymousMay 03, 2010

    Hi Anu
    I bumped in to this space thru kaipunyam.you have a beautiful blog and all ur baked goodies are already driving me crazy.hopinh to be a regular here.

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  25. so tempting! all those nuts in it makes it all the more tempting!

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  26. That's just gorgeous, Divya. What a fantastic bread!

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  27. this looks so nice. i love the smell of baking in my house...

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  28. Just the way I love my bread :D

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  29. the bread is quite a looker!

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  30. Beautiful and perfectly baked!

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Thank you for taking the time to comment on this post. I will try to respond to queries as soon as I can. If I miss anything that needs to be addressed... please feel free to ping me again.
Happy cooking/baking or whatever it is you are doing in the kitchen! :)