Nuts to You: BBD 31 Anniversary Bread

It's hard to believe that Bread Baking Day is already three years old! Started by Zorra, each month brings a surprise challenge resulting in some delicious bread.


To celebrate the anniversary, Zorra asked us to bake a bread with nuts. Looking for something special, I searched my bread cookbooks and, with a few tweaks to the recipe, came up with a bread that offered a unique taste:

Curried Pistachio-Cashew Bread





It turned out to be an interesting bread, both in appearance and flavor, with the curry adding a subtle, spicy undertone and the nuts adding a lovely crunch.




I tested it both untoasted and toasted. Toasting really brings out the flavors, so that is what I would recommend.


I also used my bread machine for the kneading and rising segments, making this an easy bread to prepare. I combined pistachios and cashews, coarsely chopped, and added them towards the end of the second kneading stage. They were incorporated perfectly.




The next time around, I would make two braided loaves instead of just one, strictly for appearance not taste.


I'm sending this bread over to Zorra to celebrate BBD's anniversary.



Curried Pistachio-Cashew Bread

1 tablespoon yeast
4 tablespoons nonfat dry milk
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
2 teaspoons curry powder
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup oat or bran flakes
1/2 cup oatmeal
1 large or extra-large egg
3/4 cup warm water
2 tablespoons honey
2 tablespoons soft butter
1/2 cup pistachios or cashews or both, coarsely chopped

Place all ingredients except the nuts into the bread machine container in the order listed. Select the manual bread setting. When the beeper sounds towards the end of the second kneading, add the nuts. Continue with the second rise, then remove dough and shape as desired.

Bake at 400°F for about 20 minutes, or until browned. Make sure the internal temperature is around 190°F. Let cool on a rack. Slice, toast, butter, and enjoy.