The Fresh Loaf

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Hazelnuts and figs in bread

caryn's picture
caryn

Hazelnuts and figs in bread

I am wondering if it is necessary to chop hazelnuts and figs when making bread. I am about to make Hamelman's Hazelnut and fig bread and he does not instruct to chop either ingredient. I may even have made this bread a long tome ago, but probably thought chopping was necessary. Has anyone made this or other loaves without chopping the fruit and nuts? Thank you.

Mini Oven's picture
Mini Oven

Either way works.  Nuts, I use what I have handy.  When the bread eaters are picky and don't like seeds, then I run nuts thru a barrel grater to blend in like flour, the oils then soften the crumb, crops up as a whole wheat crumb look.   

 I might chop up the figs a little bit just so I don't have one huge bite of dried fig, they might hydrate better in cut pieces as compared to whole fruits.  Dried figs have tiny little seeds that crunch.   Remove fig seeds for a topping if no one likes the crunch.  That hasn't happened to me yet, in fact the kids like more crunch!   Fresh figs (on buttered bread) or rehydrated dried figs in a little hot water and lemon juice are also great toppings.  Remind me of Fig Newtons.

lepainSamidien's picture
lepainSamidien

At the bakery where I'm working, we make a hazelnut bread by incorporating whole hazelnuts immediately before shaping and proofing, and this method produces a fine bread. Bringing figs into the party can't be all that much more complicated, chopped or whole. Chopped figs would provide a more even fig-distribution and would probably yield a more supple crumb, but whole figs could produce a nice effect when the bread is sliced, revealing nice hearty rondelles of shimmering fruit, though I imagine that the crumb surrounding the figs would be more dense (at least, in my experience this has been the case.)

drogon's picture
drogon

Only because cutting through them in bread sometimes rips them out of the bread leaving big holes for the next slice.

Handy tip - use a good pair of kitchen scissors to cut big soft fruit like figs. Also pull/cut the stalk bit off & bin it.

-Gordon

caryn's picture
caryn

i thank all of you for your very helpful comments. One of the reasons that I inquired is that chopping hazelnuts is very tedious- and frustrating as some inevitably roll on the floor! I thought maybe the whole nuts would come out while slicing, though I have made biscotti with whole nuts.

So thank you all. I will make the bread today, leaving the hazelnuts whole and cutting the figs.

-Caryn

dabrownman's picture
dabrownman

nuts like Brazil nuts and hazelnuts in half.I also re-hydrate dried fruits in water and use the soaking and squeezed out water for the dough or autolyse liquid.

caryn's picture
caryn

Thanks, dabrownma. I made my bread yesterday and cut the dried figs and left the hazelnuts whole. It came out just fine. I was glad to be relieved from chopping the hazelnuts. I have also soaked the dried fruit on occasion when the dried fruit is hard. I can see how it would be good to use the soaking liquid in the bread.