Honey & Toasted Walnut Bread with Icing

I’m a big fan of quick bread, and most often turn to pumpkin or banana when whipping up a loaf. However, I wanted another variation in my usual rotation, so I came up with this honey walnut bread. It is a delicious change of pace, and perfect for those in-between spring days, when citrus is fleeting and we are anxiously awaiting on berries.

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A few things:

*If you are a Minneapolis reader, I highly recommend checking out this documentary on one of my favorite bands, Luxury. It’s the story of their almost rise to fame and then tragic van accident while on tour, which changed the course of their lives.

*I started an Amazon storefront with all my favorite kitchen essentials and whatnot, but I also have a section for my favorite cookbooks and books I love or am currently reading, if you are interested in that; I am always updating it. 

More Quick bread Recipes:

• Pumpkin Spice Bread with Cream Cheese Icing
• Blood Orange Bread with Cream Cheese Icing
• Pumpkin Bread with Chocolate + Ginger

Honey & Toasted Walnut Bread with Icing

Servings: 1 loaf

Prep Time: 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 1 hour hour

Cooling Time: 20 minutes minutes

A moist honey walnut quickbread with creamy honey icing and candied walnuts.

Sarah Kieffer

5 from 2 votes

Print Pin Rate

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup (25g) toasted walnuts
• 2 cups (284g) all-purpose flour
• 1 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 10 tablespoons (142g) unsalted butter room temperature
• 1 1/4 cup (250g) granulated sugar
• 1/4 cup (85g) honey
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 2 large eggs, at room temperature
• 1/2 cup (120g) sour cream, at room temperature
• 1/2 cup (120g) whole milk, at room temperature

Honey Icing

• 1 ounce (28g) cream cheese, room temperature
• 2 tablespoons (29g) unsalted butter, room temperature
• 2 tablespoons honey
• 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• Pinch salt
• 1 cup (120g) confectioners’ sugar

Candied Walnuts

• 1 cup (100g) walnuts
• 1/4 cup (50g) granulated sugar
• Pinch salt

Equipment

• 9x4x4 inch Pullman pan

Instructions

• Adjust an oven rack to the lower middle position. Preheat the oven to 350F. Grease a 9 x 4 x 4-inch Pullman pan (affiliate link) and line with a parchment sling.
• In the bowl of a food processor, pulse the walnuts until finely ground.
• In a small bowl, whisk the pulsed walnuts, flour, baking soda, and salt together. In a separate bowl, combine the sour cream and milk and mix until combined.
• In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle, cream the butter, sugar, and honey together until fluffy, 2 to 3 minutes. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and add the eggs, mixing on medium until combined. Add the vanilla and mix until combined. Add 1/3 of the flour mixture and mix on low until almost incorporated. Add half the sour cream mixture and mix on low until combined. Add another 1/3 of the flour mixture and mix together. Add the remaining sour cream mixture, followed by the flour, and mix until just combined. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and finish mixing with a spatula until the batter is completely combined. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake 45 to 60 minutes, until the top is dark brown and a wooden skewer or toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
• Transfer the pan to a wire rack and let cool for 20 minutes. Using the parchment sling, lift the loaves out of the pan, peel off the paper, and let the bread finish cooling on the wire rack. Top with the honey icing and candied walnuts.
• For the Honey Icing: In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle, combine the cream cheese, butter, and honey, beating on medium until smooth. Add the salt and vanilla and mix again on low until combined. With the mixer still running on low, add the confectioners' sugar and beat until combined, scraping down the sides as needed. Mix until the icing is smooth and creamy.
• For the Candied Walnuts: Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. In a large skillet, stir together the walnuts, sugar, and salt. Cook over medium heat until the sugar begins to melt and the nuts begin to toast, stirring almost constantly. Once the sugar begins to melt, turn the heat down to low and cook until the nuts are lightly caramelized. Pour the nuts onto the baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Let them cool completely before chopping into small pieces.

Notes

Note: I use a Pullman pan here to give the bread nice, tall sides (and this is my preferred pan for making quick breads).