Brown Nut Bread

This is world class! I used hickory nuts instead of walnuts and recommend the substitution (if you can find them). I also packed then soaked the raisins in 3-4 T brandy and 1 tsp orange extract overnight and threw the whole lot into the mix. I'll bet Grand Marnier would be even better. I used Brer Rabbit full flavored molassas in the green bottle because I'm partial to the taste but the lighter flavored might be better. Under no circumstances should blackstrap be used. I found that the bread cooked faster than advertised, 48 minutes, but my oven might be hot.

This is an excellent bread, and I've wavered between 4 and 5 stars. It is WOW-hearty and definitely for the mature palate. I found myself putting inordinant amounts of butter on it to compensate for the dryness (I used med. wholemeal flour -- perhaps too course a choice?). Guy T's recommendation of raisin-soaking wd introduce more moisture which wd not go amiss. (I actually used dates, less moist again.) I regret omitting the orange rind, because I was searching for another flavour, and wondered if more salt would've made the flavour really "pop". My bread also finished in 48 min.. I noticed that the loaf-ends at the hotter (back) end of the oven did not rise as nicely, and I wonder if a slightly lower heat for a bit longer would give a better rise. There aren't many savoury bread recipes on RZ, so I really appreciate this one. I'll probably give it another go, with some minor tweaks.... (Loved using MIXED nuts with it, BTW!)