Professor Butter Beard’s Guinness Walnut Bread
2 Round Loaves
1 ½ cups walnut halves, toasted with 1 Tbsp kosher salt and tossed warm with 2 tsp sugar
1 bottle of Guinness Stout (11.2 ounces)
Cool water (enough to bring the stout to 2 ½ cups liquid
1 Tbsp honey (or dark molasses)
Optional – ½ cup of your sourdough starter
1 ½ tsp instant dry yeast
5 ½ cups bread flour
½ cup rye flour
2 tsp fine sea salt
1) Pour the Guinness into a 4-cup glass measuring cup and add enough cool water to bring to 2½ cups liquid. Whisk in the honey and the dry yeast. (If adding starter, whisk it also into the mix.) Set aside to allow the yeast to bloom.
2) Toast the walnut halves and salt in a cast iron skillet over medium heat until aromatic and just starting to brown, shaking the pan often. Remove from the heat and toss the nuts with the 2 tsp sugar. Spread onto a parchment paper-lined tray and set aside to cool. When cool, coarsely chop them into ½” pieces.
3) In the bowl of a standing mixer, whisk together the bread and rye flours and the salt. Add the dough hook and turn the mixer on low. Slowly pour in the liquid and let the mixer do the work to bring the contents into a smooth elastic dough. This should take roughly 8-10 minutes. Depending on the weather, feel free to cautiously add more water or flour. Add the cooled walnuts and mix just until the nuts are evenly distributed.
4) Spray a large bowl with non-stick spray and scrape the dough into the bowl. Roll the dough to cover with a skin of the oil and then cover the bowl with plastic wrap. Set aside to double in size. This could take anywhere from 3-4 hours depending on the weather and heat of the room.
5) Punch down the dough and divide in half. Form each half into a smooth ball and place them into floured bannetons. Cover again with plastic wrap and proof for another hour or so.
6) Preheat your oven to 425 degrees. Place a small baking tray on the lower shelf of the oven.
7) Carefully turn the loaves over onto a parchment-lined baking sheet. Score the top with a sharp blade or knife.
8) When ready to bake, open the oven door and drop 6-8 ice cubes into the small baking tray. Place the breads on their sheet on the middle shelf and close the oven door. Bake the loaves for 45-50 minutes until deep golden brown. They should sound hollow when tapped on the base. Transfer the loaves to a wire rack to cool.
