Whole Grain Farro Nut Bread

Whole Grain Farro Nut Bread

Farro is an ancient grain that dates back 7000 years and is a mainstay of the Italian diet. It’s especially prevalent in the land-locked Umbria region, just north of Rome. Farro has a crunchy, chewy and delicious texture and is wonderful in soups and as a substitute for rice in risottos and other rice-based dishes. It’s low in gluten and high in protein and fiber.

A few years back I purchased a grain mill attachment for my KitchenAid mixer so I now mill my own farro flour to make this delicious Whole Grain Farro Nut Bread. Sometimes I mill corn and other grains to vary the flour mixture but I’ve found that this is by far my favorite farro bread recipe. If you don’t have a grain mill attachment then purchase farro flour; not always easy to find but available at specialty stores, and well worth the search! One online shop you might try is Bluebird Grain Farms.

Ingredients:
300 g whole-grain farro flour
200 g whole-wheat flour
325 mL tepid water
25 g fresh compressed yeast
2 tablespoons honey
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 tablespoon salt
100 g mixture of walnut and pecan halves, and sunflower seeds

Procedure:

Use the dough hook on a KitchenAid, or other similar mixer, to prepare the dough.
Mix the tepid water, honey and yeast until dissolved directly in the mixing bowl.
Add the olive oil, and then the two flours and salt.
With the mixer set on number six, or a medium-high setting, knead the dough for about 10 minutes or until it separates from the sides of the mixing bowl and forms a round and uniform dough ball.
With the mixer still running add the nut mixture to the dough and knead until fully incorporated.

Allow the dough to rise until doubled in bulk directly in the mixing bowl. This can take anywhere from 1 to 2 hours.
I usually place dough in the oven to rise, with the oven light turned on. It’s a dry and draft free spot that’s sufficiently warm to favor dough risings.
Cover the dough with plastic wrap or a damp dishtowel while it’s rising. I find that a hotel variety showercap is a great way to cover rising dough as it fits snugly around the bowl and is loose enough for the dough to rise unimpeded.
While the dough is rising grease the sides of a loaf pan and place a piece of oven paper on the bottom of the loaf pan.
Once the dough has doubled in bulk remove it from the mixing bowl, need it for about 30 seconds, and shape it so that it will fit in the loaf pan.
Cover and allow to rise for 30 minutes, until it’s nearly doubled in bulk.
Place in a 350°F preheated oven and bake for one hour.
Allow to cool for 15 to 30 minutes then gently removed the loaf from the loaf pan.
Once the bread is completely cool wrap it in tinfoil to keep the bread from drying out. You can also store it in the refrigerator.
This Whole Grain Farro Nut Bread freezes well and will last for up to six months.

Note: Whole grain farro flour is not always easy to come by. When I make Whole Grain Farro Nut Bread I mill the grains myself as I find it yields a fresher tasting bread. The KitchenAid mixer has a fantastic milling attachment. With it can use almost any grain to mill flour yourself when you make bread.

Please note that the below printable recipe can be viewed in metric or U.S. conventional measurements; just click on your preference within the recipe.

Whole-Grain Farro Nut Bread

Print

Course Bread

Cuisine Italian

Prep Time 3 hours

Cook Time 1 hour

Total Time 4 hours

Ingredients

• 300 g whole-grain farro flour
• 200 g whole-wheat flour
• 325 mL tepid water
• 25 g fresh compressed yeast
• 2 tablespoons honey
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1/2 tablespoon salt
• 100 g mixture of walnut and pecan halves and sunflower seeds

Metric - U.S. Customary

Instructions

1. Use the dough hook on a KitchenAid, or other similar mixer, to prepare the dough.
2. Mix the tepid water, honey and yeast until dissolved directly in the mixing bowl.
3. Add the olive oil, and then the two flours and salt.
4. With the mixer set on number six, or a medium-high setting, knead the dough for about 10 minutes or until it separates from the sides of the mixing bowl and forms a round and uniform dough ball.
5. With the mixer still running add the nut mixture to the dough and knead until fully incorporated.
   
6. Allow the dough to rise until doubled in bulk directly in the mixing bowl. This can take anywhere from 1 to 2 hours.
7. I usually place dough in the oven to rise, with the oven light turned on. It's a dry and draft free spot that's sufficiently warm to favor dough risings.
8. Cover the dough with plastic wrap or a damp dishtowel while it's rising. I find that a hotel variety showercap is a great way to cover rising dough as it fits snugly around the bowl and is loose enough for the dough to rise unimpeded.
9. While the dough is rising grease the sides of a loaf pan and place a piece of oven paper on the bottom of the loaf pan.
10. Once the dough has doubled in bulk remove it from the mixing bowl, need it for about 30 seconds, and shape it so that it will fit in the loaf pan.
11. Cover and allow to rise for 30 minutes, until it's nearly doubled in bulk.
12. Place in a 350°F preheated oven and bake for one hour.
13. Allow to cool for 15 to 30 minutes then gently removed the loaf from the loaf pan.
14. Once the bread is completely cool wrap it in tinfoil to keep the bread from drying out. You can also store it in the refrigerator.
15. This bread freezes well and will last for up to six months.

Recipe Notes

Note: Whole-grain farro flour is not always easy to come by. When I make bread I mill the grains myself as I find it yields a fresher tasting bread. The KitchenAid mixer has a fantastic milling attachment. You can use almost any grain to mill your own flour when you make bread.

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