Toasted Hazelnut Bread

Ingredients

• 1 1/4 cups hazelnuts
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup whole-wheat flour
• 1/3 cup firmly packed brown sugar
• 1 1/2 tablespoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon fresh-grated or ground nutmeg
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• 1 large egg
• 1 cup buttermilk
• About 1/4 cup salad oil

Preparation

1. 1. Place nuts in an 8- or 9-inch-wide pan. Bake in a 375° oven until golden under skin, about 10 minutes. Pour nuts onto a towel and rub briskly to remove as much skin as possible. Let nuts cool about 5 minutes, then lift from towel; discard skins. In a food processor or blender, whirl nuts until finely ground.
2. 2. In a bowl, mix nuts, all-purpose flour, whole-wheat flour, brown sugar, baking powder, baking soda, nutmeg, salt, and pepper.
3. 3. In another bowl, beat egg to blend with buttermilk and 1/4 cup oil.
4. 4. Add egg mixture to flour mixture. Stir just to evenly moisten. Scrape batter (it is very thick) into an oiled 5- by 9-inch loaf pan and spread level.
5. 5. Bake in a 375° oven until bread is browned and just begins to pull from pan sides, and a toothpick inserted into center comes out clean, about 45 minutes (about 40 minutes in a convection oven).
6. 6. Cool in pan on rack about 15 minutes. Invert loaf onto rack and let cool at least 1 hour. If making ahead, store airtight up to 2 days; freeze to store longer.