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Wishing everyone a Happy May Day with this Whole Wheat Ramp Walnut Bread! To celebrate I’m continuing my parade of ramp recipes using these fresh onion/garlic-flavored lovelies. These recipes are marching from April right into the early days of May.
Breadmaking is always a bit challenging for me. I don’t always have the patience and skill to turn out gorgeous golden bread. So I still hold my breath when I take a loaf out of the oven. It’s a toss-up if the result is hard as a rock or fluffy and/or chewy. I understand breadmaking takes practice and patience.
This huge whole wheat bread is not only big in size but also in flavor. I am in love with its dark golden crust. It is dense and chewy. I love nuts in bread and the combination of the toasted walnuts, buttermilk, and ramps make this loaf extra delicious.
This Whole Wheat Ramp Walnut Bread recipe uses a chilling technique in the rise phase of making the bread. I’ve never done this before and was hugely skeptical. As I stored the loaf in the fridge for 30 minutes, I had 75% given up on the recipe working and was already lamenting the waste of such beautiful ingredients.
It was a happy surprise the bread turned out so beautiful and tasty. I wanted to hug this loaf and will make this bread again outside of ramp season. Good substitution suggestions for the ramps are roasted garlic or charred scallions. Also, feel free to switch up the walnuts for your preference. I think hazelnuts would be a gorgeous addition. Or, a mix of your favorites is also a lovely idea.
Slather this gorgeous Bread with high-quality salted or unsalted butter and enjoy!
Whole Wheat Ramp Walnut Bread
Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour 30 minutes
Rise time 40 minutes
Servings 8
Ingredients
- 8 ramps cleaned, trimmed, and chopped into small pieces.
- 1 tablespoon walnut or olive oil
- 1 cup chopped walnut pieces
- 8 cups whole wheat flour
- 2 tablespoons salt use a herbed salt if you have some
- 2 packages 7grams each of active dry yeast
- 1 cup lukewarm water
- 2 cups buttermilk
- 1 egg yolk
Instructions
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In a separate small bowl, toss the chopped ramps with the walnut or olive oil and set aside.
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Lightly toast the chopped walnuts in a naked frying pan over a low flame and set aside.
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Place the flour in a mixing bowl. Make a well in the middle of the flour and sprinkle in the salt.
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Sprinkle the yeast in the well and pour in the lukewarm water. Let the yeast dissolve for a few minutes
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Add the buttermilk to the mixture and use your hands or the dough hook of your mixer to knead everything into a dough.
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Add the ramps in oil to the dough and knead once more to thoroughly incorporate.
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Add the walnuts and knead until just combined.
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Cover the bowl with a clean dishcloth and let it stand in a warm place for 20 minutes.
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Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
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Turn the dough out onto a floured workspace. Knead the bread hard until the dough loosens up and the ingredients are well combined. Alternatively, use the dough hook of your mixer.
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Shape the dough into a loaf on the parchment paper. Brush the loaf with the egg yolk. Use a sharp knife to create diagonal cuts 1/8 inch deep across the top.
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Place the baking sheet in the refrigerator for 20 minutes.
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Preheat the oven to 200 degrees F.
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Place the bread in the oven and cook for 30 minutes.
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Raise the oven temperature to 375 F and bake for another hour.
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Remove from the oven, and transfer to a wire rack to cool.
Like this Whole Wheat Ramp Walnut Bread? Also, Check out some of these other recipes:
WHOLE WHEAT ESPRESSO DATE BREAD
CREAMY RAMP HORSERADISH NOODLES
RAMP SUNFLOWER SEED POTATO SALAD
