Savory walnut bread: Five loaves in one

One thing I love about baking bread is making it look beautiful. I like to mix it up between topping with sesame seeds, parmesan, poppy seeds, coarse salt, brushing with egg wash vs. egg white wash vs. milk wash vs. no wash. Sometimes I put a pan of boiling water into the oven while my bread bakes to make for a crunchier crust. Sometimes I don't. I find it a very artistic undertaking.

The Family Circle Cookbook: New Tastes for New Times (not so new by now, and maybe not available in stores, but you can still find a copy on Amazon) has a recipe that allows me to put lots of different toppings on one loaf of really lovely bread. This bread is terrific to take along when someone invites you over for dinner. Works great for sandwiches.

Walnut Bread with Five Toppings

1 teaspoon sugar
1/4 cup warm water (105 to 115 degrees)
1 envelope active dry yeast
1-1/4 cup milk
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 teaspoons salt
4 to 4-1/2 cups all-purpose flour (I use half white all-purpose and half white whole wheat)
1/3 cup ground walnuts
1 egg white, slightly beaten
Toppings: Poppy seeds, sesame seeds, caraway seeds, grated Parmesan cheese, coarse salt

Combine 1/4 teaspoon sugar and water in small bowl. Sprinkle yeast over top; stir to dissolve. Let stand 'til foamy, about 10 minutes.

Heat remaining sugar, milk, butter and salt in medium saucepan to mel butter. Pour into bowl of standing mixer; let to 105-1115 degrees. Add yeast mixture. Stir in 2-1/2 cups flour and ground nuts. Beat until smooth. Stire in enough flour to make soft, sticky dough. Knead dough with bread hook for 10 minutes. Place in large buttered bowl, turn to coat. Cover. Let rise until doubled in volume, 1 to 1-1/2 hours.

Punch dough down. Pinch off one-third. On floured surface, pat remainder into 8-inch circle. Sprinkle with chopped nuts; press in gently. Fold edges to meet in center, shape into ball. Flatten ball. Push fingertips into center, gently pulling to form a 2-inch hole. Place on parchment-paper-covered baking sheet.

Divide reserved dough into five equal pieces. Roll each into thin 12-inch rope; fold each in half; twist together to form braid. Arrange on top of loaf from center to outside edge, spacing evenly, like spokes on a wheel. Tuck ends under loaf. Cover. Let rise until doubled in volume, about 1 hour.

Brush loaf with egg white. Sprinkle each section marked off with the braids with a different topping. Bake in 400 oven (375 if using convection, which of course I recommend) for 15 minutes. Lower oven temperature by 25 degrees. Bake 15 to 20 minutes until golden brown and hollow sounding when tapped with fingertips. Makes one elegant loaf.