Whole Wheat Potato & Nuts Bread

After all these weeks of crazy indulgence (dessert-wise in my case) I think it's time to behave for a while and cut back on sugar. I know it's gonna be hard for me not to fall into temptation when I'm browsing through the hundreds of cookbooks and all the yummy recipes I find daily on Pinterest. Now that I'm talking about Pinterest...it is seriously addicting, one of the main causes of my latest procrastination, hehe. So many cute and perfect things! One day I'll be baking in a luminous, super big, cozy and industrial vintage-styled kitchen like the ones I'm constantly pinning!

Back to the clean eating: today I'm sharing with you something sugar-free (almost, because of the molasses) , wholesome, delicious and with that good ol' homemade touch. Nothing beats the toasty aroma of fresh-baked bread and this Whole Wheat Potato & Nuts Bread is one of a kind! It's a combination of different recipes and breads I've tasted over the years and I finally made my own healthier version. Since it's a very customized and personal recipe I suggest you to begin with 3 cups of whole wheat flour (approximately 400 grams) but, most probably, you will need to add extra flour until the dough is pliable and holds a round shape.

This is one of those kind of breads that taste heavenly good "au natural", the crumb is tender yet with a dense, cake-like texture and the mix of walnuts, hazelnuts and raisins makes it the perfect choice for a mid-morning or an afternoon snack; it is also good for those who work out like me since whole grain breads are a good source of complex carbohydrates (right after writing this recipe I'm going to kick my own butt at a CXWORX session). Needless to say one slice of this bread with an ounce of dark chocolate is to die for! Other favorite combinations of mine are a generous spread of almond butter (homemade please!) or a drizzle of extra-virgin olive oil. The good thing about this bread is that you can make multiple variations and add your favorite nuts, some chocolate chips, dried fruits, etc.

Pssst, this bread makes the best french toast...just sayin'! ;-)

Receta en español aquí!

Whole Wheat Potato & Nuts Bread
(yield: two 8-inch/20cm loaves)

Ingredients
6 ounces (170 g) mashed potato.
3/4 cup (180 ml) lukewarm water, divided.
1 tbsp (22 g) molasses.
1 tsp active dry yeast.
3 cups (400 g approx.) whole wheat flour, more as needed.
1 tsp salt.
2 tbsp (30 ml) mild-tasting extra virgin olive oil.
3/4 cup approximately mix of walnuts and hazelnuts (coarsely chopped), and raisins.

Directions

Boil potatoes in a large pot until tender, mash well with a fork. Set aside.

In a medium bowl mix together 1/4 cup of the water, molasses and dry yeast. Let sit for 5 minutes for the yeast to activate.

In the bowl of your stand mixer stir together flour and salt. Combine the mashed potato, the remaining 1/2 cup of water and the olive oil in a medium bowl and add it to the flour mixture. 

Finally add in yeast mixture and start mixing until a dough forms, around 8 minutes. Incorporate the mix of walnuts, hazelnuts and raisins after 4 minutes of kneading time. You might need to add extra flour so do it one tablespoon at a time until the dough is smooth, it doesn't stick too much to your hands and it's pliable.

Shape dough into a ball.

Place the dough in a large bowl, cover with plastic wrap and let rise for 90 minutes.

Flatten the dough a bit to force out any excess gas. Divide it into 2 equal portions and shape each one into an approximately 8-inch (20 cm) loaf. Place the loaves on a lightly floured baking sheet and sprinkle some flour on the tops. Loosely cover with plastic wrap and let rise for 30 minutes, until puffed.

Preheat oven to 400ºF (200ºC).

Remove the plastic wrap from the loaves and bake for 25-30 minutes, or until the loaves are deep brown and sound hollow when the bottoms are tapped.

Let cool on a wire rack.