Fig and walnut bread

4.67 from 3 votes

A simple but delicious twist on a simple white loaf.

Prep Time10

Cook Time20

Total Time30

Course: Side Dish

Cuisine: American

Servings: approx (or more, depending on portion size)

Calories: 185kcal

Author: Caroline's Cooking

Mix together the flours, yeast and salt. Add the oil, honey and warm water and mix so that is comes together. Add the figs and walnuts and mix through so that they are well distributed - at this point you will probably need to turn it out on to a lightly floured surface and gently knead it.
Knead the dough for a couple of minutes to stretch the dough a little and avoid it being too sticky. It won't need as much as some breads, but a little will help. Lightly oil a large bowl then put the dough inside, cover and transfer to a warm, draft-free spot. It shouldn't be hot, but an oven that has almost cooled will be great and will reduce the rising time. Leave to roughly double in size, around 1-2 hours depending on how warm it is.
Once it has risen, tip the dough onto a lightly floured surface and knock it back (press into the dough with your fingers a few times to get out the excess bubbles).
Dust a baking sheet with a little cornmeal (or flour, if you don't have). Form the dough into a loaf - I'd suggest an oval - and place on top. Leave to rise a little more for approx 30 minutes. As you need to for your oven, preheat it during this time to 450F/230C.
As you put the loaf into the oven, spray the sides of the oven with some water to help create steam (this helps to make the loaf crustier on the outside, although it didn't really work for me I admit!). Bake for approximately 20 minutes until the loaf is brown and sounds hollow when you turn it over and tap the bottom.