Almond-Milk Loaf

It's been about a year since I began my bread baking journey, and although I love to bake breads from a variety of sources, and have found a collection of delicious recipes, I'm never more excited than when I bake a new Dan Lepard bread. His method of kneading is so unusual and fun that it hardly seems like work, and his ingredient combinations are equally unique.

I'm not often drawn to white loaf breads but the inclusion of pureed almonds in this recipe for Almond Milk Loaf sounded too interesting to pass by without trying.

n.o.e.'s notes:

- This recipe is from Dan Lepard's book The Art of Homemade Bread; Contemporary European Recipes for the Home Baker, (first published in a British edition called The Handmade Loaf). You can also find the recipe online here from my baking friend Ulrike in Germany.

- I used a blender to grind almonds with sugar and water (I needed additional water). At first I tried my mini prep food processor but didn't get the almond mixture as smooth as I wanted.

- The actual mixing and kneading technique is typical of Dan Lepard's bread recipes: a series of resting times punctuated by 10-second kneading, then forming, proofing and baking.


the verdict:

This is an unusual white bread with a lovely texture and subtle almond flavor. Almond baked goods are usually of the sweet variety, so it's refreshing to come across a recipe that tastes distinctly almond but is not sweet.

[edit to add: I'm sending this bread to Yeastspotting, a weekly compendium of all things yeasted]