To help bread cook well, mist the inside of the oven with a water spray just before baking the dough. The loaf is cooked if it sounds hollow when tapped on the base. If you want to reheat it in the oven, rub a little water over it before warming to prevent it from drying out. These quantities will make two ring loaves that can easily be frozen.

Ingredients

3 1/4 cups all-purpose white bread flour
3/4 cup dark rye flour
1 1/2 tsp. dried yeast
2 tsp. salt
1 1/2 cups tepid water
2 cups walnuts, crushed

Directions

1. First, preheat the oven to 450 degrees F. Mix the flour together, and then add the yeast and salt. Add a little of the water and mix the ingredients. Gradually add more water until the mixture becomes a dough.

2. Add the nuts to the dough, and knead the dough for five to eight minutes until pliable. Place it in a lightly oiled bowl, cover with a damp dishcloth and let it sit until it doubles in size. Tip: The action of kneading warms and stretches the gluten in flour. This elasticity, and the action of yeast, gives bread its light, springy texture. Press and stretch the dough away from you, then lift the edges into the middle, give it a quarter turn and repeat.

3. Turn the rested dough out onto a clean, lightly floured surface again and divide it into two equal amounts. Knead each half of the dough into a tight ball.

4. Shape each ball into a ring with a hole the size of a fist. Place each ball on a lightly floured baking sheet and cover with a damp dishcloth until they double in size. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes.