What is Walnut Bread Made of?

The best walnut bread starts with the best walnuts. And those come from California, of course! Did you know that over 99% of walnuts grown in the United States are grown in California? Our gluten free bread recipe also has a healthy dose of flavorful raisins from the Golden State. Add in a dash of cinnamon for flavor, California olive oil to keep the crumb moist, and a some honey for sweetness and you’ve got yourself one delicious Walnut + Raisin Bread!

What Gluten Free Flour is Best for Bread?

If you’ve never made gluten free bread, or maybe you haven’t found a recipe that you love, this gluten free bread recipe could be life altering. There are two secrets to success that are non-negotiable: one is you must use Caputo Fioreglut flour. We’ve found that this gluten free flour blend really does make the most delicious breads, pizzas, and focaccias. The other non-negotiable is to bake the bread in a Dutch oven. Le Creuset makes a bread oven solely for this purpose. But any heavy Dutch oven with a lid will work. Baking bread in a Dutch oven helps keep the crust extra crispy — the gold standard for a rustic loaf!

How to Make Gluten Free Bread

You might be worried that the dough is too sticky or it feels like it won’t come together. Don’t worry, it will seem very sticky and shaggy at first but will come together with time. Begin by stirring and kneading the bread in the bowl (it helps contain the mess). When it becomes easier to work with, turn it out onto a lightly dusted work surface so you can shape it. If the bread is sticking to your hands too much, you can lightly oil them with olive oil.

Nobody Will Believe This Walnut + Raisin Bread is Gluten Free

This bread is so delicious it’s practically impossible to tell it’s gluten free. Baking the bread in a Dutch oven ensures a super crispy crust. And the crumb inside is light and airy. We love it on it’s own, but it’s especially delicious when toasted smeared with butter and drizzled with honey. The bread will keep well at room temperature for a few days. If you haven’t used it up by then, slice it, wrap tightly with a layer of plastic wrap then foil and freeze.

The most delicious recipes with walnuts or raisins are just one click away!

Here are a few more recipes from our California Grown Creators with walnuts and raisins to try.

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Easy and Delicious Walnut + Raisin Gluten Free Bread Recipe

Alison Needham | A Girl Defloured

Believe it or not, this delicious Walnut + Raisin Gluten Free Bread recipe really is easy to make – no mixer required! We love it toasted and topped with a thick smear of butter and honey, but it also makes a scrumptious French Toast or grilled cheese sandwich. What we’re saying here is the bread is versatile! The crumb is so light and springy that nobody will know it’s gluten-free!

3.81 from 36 votes

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Prep Time 15 minutes mins

Cook Time 45 minutes mins

Proof Time 2 hours hrs

Total Time 3 hours hrs

Course Side Dish

Cuisine American

Servings 10 servings

Calories 226 kcal

Equipment

• Le Creuset Enameled Cast Iron Bread Oven or Medium Dutch Oven with Lid
• 9" round proofing basket or medium bowl

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

• 3 ¼ cups Caputo FioreGlut Flour 450 g
• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 2 ¼ teaspoons instant yeast 8 g
• 2 teaspoons fine sea salt 7 g
• 1 teaspoon honey
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 10-12 ounces warm water 105°F, 300 – 325 mls
• ½ cup chopped walnuts
• ½ cup raisins

Instructions

 

• Place the flour in a large mixing bowl. Add the yeast and stir to combine. Stir in the sea salt and ground cinnamon. Add the water, olive oil, and honey and using a rubber spatula or your hands stir to combine. The dough will feel very shaggy adn stiff and will seem like it’s not going to come together. Keep stirring and scraping down the sides of the bowl. Eventually, it will come together into a ball. It should feel very tacky and moist – this is a high-hydration dough. If it doesn’t feel moist enough (when you’ve formed it into a ball it should still feel very moist and tacky) then add a little more water. When you add additional water the dough may begin to feel slippery. Keep stirring and it will come back together again.
• Once the dough is evenly combined flatten out into a disk inside the bowl and add the walnuts. Fold them in using your hands or a rubber spatula. When they are evenly incorporated, flatten the dough again and add the raisins and repeat the folding process. When the walnuts and raisins are evenly incorporated, turn the dough out onto a work surface that has been lightly dusted with rice flour.
• Knead the dough until it is smooth, pulling it into a neat ball. Pinch any open seams closed. Dust the smoothest side of the dough with rice flour and place it upside down into a proofing basket (or medium, greased bowl) that has been lightly dusted with flour. Cover with a towel and let rise in a warm place for 1-2 hours until doubled in size.
• When the dough is just about ready to bake, preheat your oven to 450°F with the bread oven inside. When the oven comes to temperature, leave the bread oven inside for an additional 15 minutes to make sure it’s really hot when you put the dough in. Remove the towel from the top of the risen dough. Line a baking sheet with parchment and place parchment side down over the risen bread in the basket. With one hand under the basket and one hand on top of the bottom of the baking sheet, carefully flip everything over and set the baking sheet down on the counter. Lift the basket off of the bread. Score the top of the bread in an X pattern with a sharp knife or razor.
• Remove the bread oven from the oven and lift off the lid. Carefully transfer the scored loaf into the bottom of the bread oven. If you want an extra crispy crust (you do), slip a few ice cubes around the outside of the parchment on the sides of the bread and quickly close the lid to trap steam. Put the bread oven back into the oven and bake for 30 minutes. Remove the lid and bake for an additional 15 minutes or until the crust is deeply colored and the bread sounds hollow when thumped on the bottom of the loaf. Now this is the hardest part….for best results, let the bread cool completely before slicing.

Notes

FioreGlut flour can be purchased online. It is the best gluten free flour blend for bread and we don’t recommend substituting it with anything else.

Baking the bread in a heavy Dutch oven helps create a crisp crust. Any heavy Dutch oven will work, just make sure it can go in a very hot oven.

Cooling the bread completely will ensure that the crumb will be tender and not gummy. 

Nutrition

Serving: 1sliceCalories: 226kcalCarbohydrates: 37gProtein: 6gFat: 8gSaturated Fat: 1gPolyunsaturated Fat: 3gMonounsaturated Fat: 3gSodium: 469mgPotassium: 113mgFiber: 6gSugar: 2gVitamin A: 2IUVitamin C: 0.5mgCalcium: 37mgIron: 2mg

Keyword dried on vine raisins, extra virgin olive oil, Gluten Free Bread Recipe, honey, Walnut Raisin Bread, walnuts

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