The best (and healthiest!) breakfast

Healthy. Delicious. Overall amazing.

What am I rambling on about, you ask? These are all words I would use to describe what I baked a few days ago. It started out as a basic loaf of sourdough bread. But my starter has been left sitting out for too many days now, and the taste has developed to be QUITE sour... so I figured that I would add some honey for balance. And then maybe some nuts for texture... no, some ROASTED nuts! And warming spices, like cinnamon and nutmeg perhaps! Let's just say that it steamrolled a little.

Well, a few hours later, I pulled this "Frankenloaf" out of my oven and waited for it to cool before diving in.

The results? Amazingly soft, fluffy bread with bites that were slightly chewy from the walnuts and slightly spicy from the cinnamon and the nutmeg. The first piece that I had was smeared with almond butter, which I fully recommend. Just an amazing thing to have on hand to send out the door with my man on his way to work so that he has an amazing, healthy breakfast that he can just bring to work with him and eat in the car. Epic win!

So seriously though, try this recipe. Switch up the flavours you use and see what you can come up with. My next one is I think going to have pistachios and cacao nibs in it perhaps....

Honey Sourdough Bread with Roasted Walnuts:

·         100 grams walnuts, toasted on stovetop or in oven

·         ½ banana, mashed

·         1 tsp. cinnamon

·         ½ tsp. ground nutmeg

·         53 grams sourdough starter, at its peak

·         380 grams room temperature water

·         30 grams raw honey

·         360 grams bread flour

·         90 grams all-purpose flour

·         50 grams whole wheat flour

·         9 grams sea salt (roughly 1½ tsp.)

1)    Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F

2)    Spread walnuts on a cookie sheet and bake for 6 minutes, or until they are just fragrant (you can also do this on the stovetop if you prefer). Remove from oven and pour the walnuts onto a plate. Toss with cinnamon and let cool

3)    In a large bowl, mix banana, starter, water and honey. Add flours and salt, stirring with a fork to combine, then use your hands to combine until dough is shaggy and flour is worked into the dough. Cover with a damp cloth and let rest for one hour

4)    After one hour, perform two sets of stretch and folds, 30 minutes apart. Wait another 30 minutes, then gently stretch and fold the walnuts into the dough. Cover with a damp cloth and let rise until doubled, about 7 to 8 hours at 70 F (it will take longer if it is cooler in your home)

5)    Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and let rest for 20 minutes, then gently fold its shape into a circle, pulling the dough towards you to create tension. Place into lined banneton, seam side up

6)    The second rise can happen on the counter, or if it works better for your schedule, overnight in the refrigerator. On the counter it will take about 90 minutes for the second rise, until it has slightly risen and dough is a bit jiggly. If you do the second rise in the refrigerator, remove it in the morning when your oven is preheated. It will have risen properly by then

7)    When you are ready to bake, preheat the oven to 450 F. Turn the dough out on a piece of parchment paper (gently!) and score lightly, as to not disturb the walnuts inside. Place the loaf into a Dutch oven and cover

8)    Bake for 20 minutes, then remove cover and bake for another 30 minutes

9)    Remove the loaf from the oven and place it on a cooling rack. Slice and enjoy once fully cooled, at least an hour after removing from oven

Add some almond butter and you have a solid, protein-packed breakfast!