This bread is a combination of sweet and tart crunchy flavors bursting with walnuts and cranberries. Succulent apple cider and tangy orange zest make this bread extraordinarily tasty. This bread is a wonderful addition to any holiday dinner. It also makes a hearty breakfast bread, toasted and served with butter, or a delicious sandwich bread.

Did you know that walnuts are one of the healthiest foods you can eat?  Walnuts are the only nut that contain a significant amount of omega-3 fatty acids. No other nut even comes close.  Eating a handful of walnuts every day is one small step you can take to protect your heart.  The U.S. Food and Drug Administration even approved a qualified health claim for walnuts, the first ever for a whole food.

Sponge Starter:
1 cup bread flour
1/4 cup white rye flour
1/2 package fresh yeast
2/3 cup water – lukewarm

Bread:
1 package fresh yeast
1/2 cup water – lukewarm
1/3 cup apple cider – lukewarm
1 egg
1.2 cup bread flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup whole wheat flour
1/3 cup white rye flour
1 1/2 cups walnuts, roughly chopped
1 cup dried cranberries
1 teaspoon orange zest

Prepare Starter:
In a mixing bowl, dissolve the yeast in the water. Add flours and mix for 5 minutes on slow speed with a dough hook. Let rise for one hour. In a bowl, dissolve the yeast in lukewarm water.

MakeBread:
Add the apple cider, egg, salt, flours and sponge starter and mix the dough 6 to 8 minutes on medium speed until fully developed. Add the walnuts, cranberries and orange zest and mix on slow speed until fully incorporated.

Let the dough rise to double in volume, then punch it down and divide the dough into 2 even pieces.

Preheat the oven to 400ºF.

Form each piece of dough into a greased loaf pan. Let the dough rise to its maximum volume, about double in size. Place the loaves in the oven and bake until golden brown and a good crust is formed, approximately 25 minutes. Remove from the pans and let cool on a rack.

Makes 2 loaves (8 slices per loaf, 16 slices total; serving=1 slice) Nutrition information per serving:
184 calories, 5g protein, 17mg cholesterol, 26g carbohydrate, 50mg sodium, 2g fiber, 8g total fat, .7g saturated fat.