Marche-style walnut bread is a dessert prepared throughout the fall season and often found on tables during Christmas.
In the Macerata area, it’s typically prepared at Christmas and eaten after midnight Mass on Christmas Eve, although not all areas have this tradition.
The walnut bread is made by working a leavened dough and adding walnuts, raisins, and chopped dried figs in the final phase before baking.
You can prepare it whole, as I did, or make smaller portions like buns, which might be more practical.
A little-known dessert, but you know I always seek out recipes familiar to few, and rarely reproduced.
I recommend trying it, especially coming from me, who doesn’t particularly enjoy dried fruit in desserts, trust me, you will be really satisfied.
If you consider replicating my recipe, I will be delighted, and if you wish, send me a photo of the recipe made by you, and I will post it on my FB page with your name.
About 370 Kcal per person
- Difficulty: Easy
- Cost: Medium
- Rest time: 1 Hour 30 Minutes
- Preparation time: 20 Minutes
- Portions: 10 People
- Cooking methods: Electric Oven
- Cuisine: Regional Italian
- Region: Marche
- Seasonality: Fall, Winter, Christmas
Ingredients for Making Marche-Style Walnut Bread
- 7 oz water
- 0.5 oz fresh brewer's yeast
- 0.5 cup sugar
- 5 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 0.5 cup raisins
- 0.75 cup walnuts
- 0.75 cup dried figs
- 4 cups all-purpose flour
- zest of 1 orange
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
Tools
- 1 Baking Tray baking tray
Preparation of Marche-Style Walnut Bread
First, soak the dried figs and raisins in separate bowls for about half an hour in hot water, and in another small bowl, the walnuts.
In a separate bowl, combine the water with the yeast, dissolve it, add the oil, and stir.
Then add the grated orange zest, cinnamon, and part of the flour, mix well, add the sugar and the remaining flour, and continue working until you get a well-mixed dough.
I did everything by hand, but you can certainly use a stand mixer for extra help.
Let it rest covered in the bowl for 30 minutes.
After the time has passed, drain the raisins, drain the figs, and cut them into pieces, take up the dough, flatten, and spread it inside the bowl, place the raisins, chopped figs, and walnuts in the center.
Close all the fruit inside the dough and work the dough to incorporate the added fruits.
Take a long baking tray and with the obtained dough, create a loaf like bread, I put parchment paper on the base and closed it a bit around the shape given to the dough to prevent it from spreading.
At this point, let it rise for 1 hour, the time will depend on the temperature of the environment, but it should still double.
Once risen, heat the oven to 350°F and bake for about 25-30 minutes.
Alternatively, instead of shaping it as a loaf, you can create small buns, let them rise, then bake at the same temperature for about 15-20 minutes, depending on the size.
