Bran Bread with Dates and Toasted Walnuts

This month, the Bread Baking Babes are making Bran Bread. The original recipe comes from the book Pane e Roba Dolce from the Italian sisters Margherita and Valeria Simili, and was chosen by Lien of Notitie van Lien.
This Bran Bread with Dates and Toasted Walnuts reminds me of the "hippie" days when it was considered both "healthy" and kind of exotic to eat whole wheat, bran, and wheat germ. Bran was "roughage" to aid in digestion, if you know what I mean.

This bread is 100 percent whole wheat. In addition, it also includes even more bran.

The key to turning out a nice moist loaf of bread (and not a brick) with 100 percent whole wheat plus more bran is to soak the bran and the added fruit and nuts in water.

While I did not quite get the "lift" that I wanted with this bread, I was very happy with the flavor. It makes an excellent breakfast toast with butter.

Lien added raisins and walnuts to her loaves. Instead of the raisins, I used chopped dates. Any dried fruit will work just fine.

For a quick bread with dates, be sure to try Date and Rooibos Loaf Cake. 

Bran Bread

(makes 2 small or 1 large loaf)

Ingredients

7 grams of instant yeast

380 grams water 

500 grams whole wheat flour

50 grams wheat bran soaked in 100 grams of water

1 tablespoon barley malt flour or honey
30 grams olive oil
1 1/2 tsp salt
50 grams dried milk powder
100 grams toasted walnuts

100 grams chopped dates

Instructions

1. In the bowl of a stand mixer, add the yeast, water, flour, soaked bran, barley malt flour, olive oil, salt, and milk powder. Stir the ingredients to moisten, cover, and let rest for about 10 minutes. 
2. Knead the dough with the dough hook for about 7 minutes, adding flour or water to adjust the moistness of the dough. The finally dough should be tacky, but not sticky. 
3. Put the dough in a lightly greased bowl, cover and let rise for about 1 hour.
4. While the dough is rising, soak the dates and walnuts for about 30 minutes in water. Pat them dry with a kitchen towel and leave them on a paper towel to dry a little further. 
5. Turn the dough out on a lightly floured surface and press or roll it out flat in a big oval. Divide ⅔ of the nuts and dates over the dough, fold the dough in two, press or roll out again and sprinkle on the remaining nuts/dates. Roll the dough (jelly roll style) and divide in two. 
6. Shape each half of the dough into a loaf and place into an oiled 4 inch by 8 inch loaf pan.
7. Cover each loaf with lightly greased plastic plastic. 
8. Let rise for about 45 minutes to one hour. Check if it's ready to bake by pressing a floured finger in the dough, it the dent springs back, leave it to rise longer, if the dent doesn't disappear, it's ready to bake.
9. Preheat your oven (preferably with an oven stone and a steam pan on the lowest rack of the oven) to 400 degrees F.
10. Slash the dough and put the loaves in the oven (on the stone if you have it), pour some water in the steam pan to create steam and quickly close the oven door. Bake for about 30-40 minutes. Check the temperature of the bread (200ºF) to be sure it is done.
11. De-pan the loaves and cool them completely on a wire rack.

Who are the Babes? We get together each month and "virtually" bake a bread recipe chosen the kitchen of the month. This month, the Bread Baking Babes are making Bran Bread, chosen by Notitie van Lien. Check out the results of the rest of the Babes who also baked this loaf.

Notitie van Lien - Lien

A Messy Kitchen - Kelly

Feeding My Enthusiasms - Pat

Blog from OUR Kitchen - Elizabeth

Bread Experience - Cathy

My Kitchen in Half Cups - Tanna

Thyme for Cooking - Katie

Bake My Day - Karen

My Diverse Kitchen - Aparna
Judy's Gross Eats - Judy