Stilton, Pear and Walnut Bread

[beren_writes]

It WORKED! :D

The bread is out of the oven and it very tasty. It has a background of the sharp cheese, but with the sweetness brought by the pear and the nuttiness of the walnuts. I just had a bit for my lunch, was very nice :) This recipe made two medium loaves.

Ingredients

• 500g Strong White Bread Flour
  
• 200g Pear purée (my Morrisons didn't sell pear purée in a can so I bought a can of pear halves in juice and blitzed the halves with a hand blender)
  
• 7g (1 sachet) Allinson's easy bake yeast
  
• approx 100 ml warm water (1 part boiling to 2 parts cold - I used the pear juice from the can as the two parts cold)
  
• 1.5 tspn salt
  
• 1 tsp sugar
  
• 50g Blue Stilton cheese (or any other strong blue cheese with the same soft wax type texture)
  
• 50g chopped walnuts

Equipment

• Large mixing bowl
  
• large baking tray
  
• measuring equipment
  
• eating knife
  
• Sharp knife

Instructions

1. If you do not have another warm place to prove the dough, put the oven on to about 160C/320F and place a baking tray in the bottom with just a little bit of water in it
   
2. In the bowl mix the flour and the salt
   
3. Add the easy bake yeast and sugar and stir in (if using yeast you have to mix with warm water and sugar, do that now, but leave the adding until step 5 - only use about 60ml or the water with the yeast and keep the rest in case you do not need it all)
   
4. Crumble in the stilton cheese and then rub through the flour until it has almost disappeared
   
5. Make a well in the flour and add the pear puree, mixing through with a knife
   
6. Add some of the water (or water and juice mix) and begin to bring the dough together, keep adding water until you have a slightly sticky, but firmish dough (you may not need all the water)
   
7. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead for at least ten mins (until the dough is elastic) - you can use a dough hook and a mixer if you like and this reduces the time from somewhere between 4 and 5 mins. If you are going to prove the dough in the oven turn it off with about 5 mins to go on the kneading and leave the door open. For the last couple of mins of kneading, knead in the walnuts.
   
8. Put the dough back in the bowl and cover with a damp tea towel, then put in your warm place to prove for about an hour
   
9. Reflour your surface lightly and empty the proved dough onto it, then punch it for all you are worth to knock it back. (This bit's fun)
   
10. Divide your dough into two parts (using the sharp knife is easiest) if you want two med loaves and shape into mounds (tuck the edges under and pat until circular), or make one big loaf if you wish.
    
11. Lightly oil and flour your baking tray and place the loaves on it as far apart as possible, but equidistant from the edge of the tray.
    
12. Brush the loaves with a little salt water and flour them lightly.
    
13. Put them back in the warm place to prove for between 30 mins and an hour, until they have risen to twice their original size.
    
14. If using the oven to prove, when they are almost there take them out of the oven and place them in another warm place (I used the grill, I put it on for a min or two to warm up, then turned it off and popped them in). Pre-heat the oven on to 240C/460F
    
15. When the oven is hot cut an X in the top of the loaves and bake them for 8 mins
    
16. Open the door of the oven and bake them for another 2 mins
    
17. Turn the oven down to 180C/360F (fan/convection) or 190C/375F (normal) and bake for between 20 and 30 mins until the loaves make a hollow sound when tapped on the bottom.
    
18. Leave to cool on a wire rack (or dive in and eat while hot ;))