Whole Wheat Honey-Walnut Bread

Bread machine loaves earned a bad reputation in the 90s for being dense and bricklike, but the trick is choosing recipes built for the format. This one nails it because the whole wheat flour is supported by a small dose of milk powder and honey, both of which feed the yeast and tenderize the gluten so the loaf rises tall instead of squat.

Layering matters with these machines. Dry ingredients go in first, liquids next, and yeast stays in the dispenser (or on top of the flour) so it doesn’t activate prematurely against the wet ingredients.

Toasting the walnuts for a few minutes in a dry pan before chopping deepens their flavor and keeps them from going soft and bitter inside the dough. It’s a 60 second step that completely changes the finished loaf.

The honey does double duty here, sweetening the crumb just enough to balance the wheaty bran flavor and giving the crust a richer brown.

Kitchen Tips

• Use bread machine yeast or instant yeast. Active dry works in this format but instant is more reliable.
• Measure flour by spooning it into the cup and leveling. Scooping packs the flour and leads to a dry loaf.
• Add the walnuts at the mix-in beep if your machine has one. Otherwise they’ll get pulverized into walnut dust.
• Cool the loaf on a wire rack for at least 30 minutes before slicing. Cutting hot bread compresses the crumb.

Variations

• Swap walnuts for pecans or sunflower seeds.
• Add 2 tablespoons rolled oats to the dough for extra texture.
• Replace the honey with maple syrup for a different sweet note.