Walnut bread or venison loin: Save the nuts for your favorite holiday dessert
Soft walnut bread with walnuts is a simple dessert recipe that anyone can make. It smells beautifully of vanilla, stays moist even the next day, and is perfect with morning coffee or as a sweet dessert for the whole family.
Our family never had a shortage of walnuts and hazelnuts – rather, there were few willing hands to shell them. Even though we ran away from the unpleasant work wherever we could, we all loved the nutty treats that Mom baked. One of them was a sweet venison saddle full of nuts and candied fruit.
Nuts for desserts
The most commonly used nuts in the kitchen are walnuts and hazelnuts. Less commonly used are almonds, pistachios, macadamia nuts and pecans, which we buy ready-made to add to cake batter. When we didn't want to crack nuts as children, we had to at least pick out the remaining shells. There is nothing more painful than a broken tooth or a broken filling. When the shell rattled in the grater despite all the attention, my mother was really angry. The shelled nuts were preserved dry in jars.
How to prepare walnut bread or venison loin
There are two molds for preparation – a semi-circular one with transverse embossing and a long square one. My mother greased them with butter and sprinkled them with coarse flour. We have other options – lining them with baking paper or using a non-stick or silicone mold.
- For the dough we will need: 200 g of semi-coarse flour, 150 g of sugar, 100 g of ground walnuts, 100 g of softened butter, 1 baking powder and 3 eggs. We will prepare a little milk to thin the dough.
- Separate the egg whites from the yolks and beat them until stiff peaks form. Beat the yolks with the sugar and gradually add the softened butter.
- Add the sifted flour mixed with baking powder, spoon by spoon. Carefully thin the dough with milk as needed.
- Stir the nuts into the dough, and when they are combined, add the egg whites and fold them into the dough with a spatula.
- Pour the dough into the mold, put it in the oven and bake at 180 ° C. After the surface turns red, test with a skewer to see if the cake is cooked inside.
How to improve walnut bread
Sweet crumbs
Many people find walnut bread too dry. Try adding sweet or sour cream, plain yogurt, or cottage cheese to the dough instead of milk to give the dessert a fresher taste. Grated apples, carrots, or zucchini go wonderfully with the nuts, adding softness and juiciness. Once baked, simply dust the dessert with powdered sugar. A delicious crust can be created with chocolate or lemon icing, decorated with chopped and whole nuts.
Check out my sweet recipes in the Home Confectionery series and start trying!
