Maple Walnut Bread

This white and whole wheat bread is maple-sweet and nutty. It's delicious as is, or makes great French toast or bread pudding.

2 cups King Arthur 100% White Whole Wheat Flour
1 cup King Arthur Unbleached Special Bread Flour
2 1/2 teaspoons instant yeast
1 tablespoon Lora Brody Bread Dough Enhancer(tm) (optional, but very helpful)
1 1/4 teaspoons salt
1/4 cup maple syrup
1/2 cup maple or cinnamon flav-r-bites or cinnamon chips
1 cup chopped walnuts
1 teaspoon maple flavor powder
1/4 cup Baker's Special Dry Milk or nonfat dry milk
2 tablespoons butter
1 1/8 to 1 1/4 cups water*
*You'll need the greater amount in winter, the lesser amount in summer.

Combine all of the dough ingredients, and mix and knead them together -- by hand, mixer or bread machine -- till you've made a soft, smooth dough. Allow the dough to rise, covered, for 1 to 1 1/2 hours.

Shape the dough into a loaf, and place it in a lightly greased 8 1/2 x 4 1/2-inch loaf pan. Or divide it into 16 pieces, round each piece into a ball, and place the balls in a large pan, such as our 12 x 12-inch sticky bun pan or our 14 x 2-inch round multi-purpose bread pan. Allow the loaf or rolls to rise, covered, for about 1 1/2 hours, or till the loaf has crowned about 1 inch over the rim of the pan, or the rolls are puffy.

Bake the bread in a preheated 350°F oven for 40 to 45 minutes, tenting it lightly with aluminum foil after the first 25 minutes. Bake the rolls for 20 to 23 minutes. Remove from the oven, and cool completely on a wire rack. Yield: 1 loaf or 16 rolls.