Dining with Dave

I’ve had this recipe for 15-20 years and make it at least three times a year and always for holidays. It’s a great bread for savory or rich food and I will usually pair it with our 2016 Reserve Chardonnay. The sweetness of the walnuts and the onions in the bread complements the tartness and the lean nature of the chardonnay and is always well appreciated. I have also served this with our 2016 Corral Creek Pinot Noir for the same reason. The bread is a popular recipe from Southern Burgundy and it pairs well with foods that are common to that region such as lamb, beef and poultry dishes that are in richer sauces. I modified this recipe by adding butter and halving the walnut oil and changed the sugar from only refined white to include brown sugar to make to bump up the depth of flavor and earthiness. You can serve it simply with salted butter, but I like to include a chevre cheese or a soft cheese. It is excellent toasted and on a rare occasion, if there is slice or two left over I will make croutons for salads or soups, HINT-it’s especially good in French Onion soup. The recipe originally instructs you to divide the dough into 4 small loaves, but I find they can be quite dry. By making two larger loaves, I think it bakes better and tastes better. One loaf usually equals 16 slices of bread, so I use one and freeze one, just remember when you pull the one from the freezer out, make sure to toast it slightly and it’s good as new. Cheers! ~ Dave Rice, Chehalem Director of Hospitality

Jane Grigson’s Walnut Bread from Southern Burgundy

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
• 5 cups all-purpose flour (preferably unbleached)
• 1 Tablespoon salt
• 1 Tablespoon white granulated sugar
• 1 Tablespoon brown sugar
• 2 packages active dry yeast
• 2 cups warm milk
• 4 Tablespoon walnut oil
• 4 Tablespoon melted and cooled butter
• 1/2 cup walnuts, roughly chopped
• 3/4 cup onion, finely chopped
Sift flour, salt, and sugar into a big, warm bread bowl. Dissolve the yeast in 1/2 cup of the warm milk. Pour it into the middle of the flour with the butter and walnut oil and the rest of the milk. Knead in an electric mixer using a paddle attachment. The dough is ready when it leaves the sides of the bowl and forms a smooth ball. Leave it in a warm place to rise, covered with buttered plastic wrap for 2 hours. Punch down, mix in walnuts and onions. Shape into 2 large or 4 small rounds. Leave on a greased baking sheet, covered with the buttered plastic wrap for 45 minutes. Bake at 400 degrees F for 45 minutes or until the loaves sound hollow when tapped underneath.

An acknowledgment: This recipe is adapted from an original recipe by English writer, Jane Grigson in the cookbook, Good Things. Tell us what you think of it!