For the longest time, Dan Lepard’s Cobnut Loaf with Honey and Grains has been calling to me from my well-worn copy of The Handmade Loaf.
The problem is, cobnuts aren’t readily available here in Australia. Hazelnuts are a reasonable substitute, but as I’ve mentioned before, I’ve always been too lazy to roast and skin them.
So one of the first things I did with my newly discovered blanched roasted hazelnuts was to give this daisy-shaped loaf a go. It’s a wet, sticky dough, but the final shaping is quite easy, and can take a reasonably heavy flouring. I simplified Dan’s methodology a little, but found it still worked well.
As I didn’t have straight rye grains, I used a grain mix that I found in the fridge. On cooking and soaking, the grains swelled up to several times their starting weight, which meant I had enough for these loaves plus a couple of others (more on those soon).
Here are some photos of the process…
My friend Joanna has baked this recipe several times, in a variety of different shapes – please have a look at her post here. I can now understand why she finds this bread so appealing!
The hazelnuts and tender, sweet grains are a delicious combination, and the loaf kept surprisingly well – it was still soft after three days on the kitchen bench. I took one loaf to a barbeque, and sliced the other for breakfast – it was a great foil to our poached eggs. Definitely a bread I’ll be baking again!
Fig Jam and Lime Cordial 