You don't see much of this bake here but Forkish's Walnut Levain bread is absolutely delicious! Burnt the Walnuts so substituted them with Pumpkin Seeds which I also highly recommend.
Think it'd be a good idea if you have a liquid bread flour starter to turn some of it into an 80% hydration starter with 20% wholegrain before moving onto the levain build. It does have a little added dried yeast but I left it out and it does not alter much if anything at all. The dough should be shaped and refrigerated for 8 hours. Don't skip this step. And go for a bold bake with a dark crust.
Enjoy!
I have made this bread a few times. Agree, it's a keeper. One time I threw some dates in with the walnuts....now that was an amazing one. My local Persian nut roaster told me that the real answer to walnuts is black raisins. Apparently if you buy (or sell) one you must have the other, as they are a normal snack. A walnut half and a few raisins. It is delicious. These raisins aren't the Sunkist variety, they are basically sun dried black grapes, no oil or additives. They are my new addiction.
Flicking through the book I saw the Walnut recipe. Decided to try it and glad I did. A very tasty bread. Thanks for the idea of adding in black raisins. I'll need to find some.