Recipe: Chestnut Bread

Recipe Source: Shapter, Jennie.  Bread Machine.  Anness Publishing, London, 2002 p. 51

I'm pretty sure that this has come up before, but I have all of the artistic ability of a drunken vole.  It is nigh impossible for me to make something that actually looks good.  I made this bread to bring to the family Thanksgiving celebration, and I actually didn't want to bring it I was so ashamed of how it looked.  Our hostess, Aunt Angie, kindly described it as looking like a "giant walnut."  That is not how I described it, but Angie is much nicer and more tactful than I am.  Anyway, the giant walnut (or whatever) was actually very tasty, and it matched well with the chestnuts in the stuffing. 

Chestnut Bread (serves 16; approx. $0.47/ea)

1/2 cup unsweetened chestnut puree

1 1/4 cups lukewarm water

1 tablespoon brown sugar

1 1/2 teaspoons active dry yeast

4 cups bread flour

1/2 cup whole wheat flour

2 tablespoons nonfat dry milk

1/2 teaspoons ground cloves

1 teaspoon nutmeg

3 tablespoons butter

1 teaspoon salt

Equipment:

• 2 loaf pans
• Stand mixer with dough hook attachment

1. Combine the water, sugar and yeast.  Set aside until frothy.
2. Combine the remaining ingredients in the bowl of the stand mixer. 
3. When the yeast mixture is proofed, add it to the dry ingredients.  Mix 2 minutes on very slow and then 3 minutes on slow. 
4. Cover and let stand until approximately doubled in size, about 1 1/2 hours.
5. Shape the bread into loaves.  Put them in the loaf pans and let them sit until they have risen over the edge of your loaf pan.  Slice vertically down the middle about 5/8". 
6. Preheat your oven to 400 degrees.
7. Bake at 400 20 minutes.  Cool in pans.