I just loooove walnut and fig bread, when I lived alone and was a student, I practically lived on just that ahah... And I also love making bread, it's so satisfying to go from a pot of flour to a loaf of bread!

For this recipe, I made sure that it would be really accessible to everyone, so I chose to create a recipe based on dehydrated yeast. If you've been following me, you know it's not really my usual style to use that ;) But hey, it's so much more accessible that way!

Quick lesson! Sourdough is the oldest method of making bread. We then talk about "sourdough bread," you know. It is a lactic fermentation of flour and water that will allow the development of yeasts and bacteria. When you have a sourdough starter, it requires a lot of maintenance, you need to refresh it daily with flour and water. I loved maintaining sourdough starters, but... right now, it's not at all part of my life; I don't have the time or energy for that, like most people, I suppose ;) Sourdough is still really awesome for its taste qualities and for its more digestible properties!

The other method, more recent in history, is baker's yeast. These are simply industrially cultivated yeasts that cause an alcoholic fermentation. It is sold fresh as a cube or in dehydrated powder form. Generally, you need about 3 times less dehydrated yeast than fresh yeast if you want to replace it in a recipe! Fresh yeast lasts about a week in the fridge and is available at bakeries or some supermarkets. Dry yeast, or "instant" yeast, can be stored for months and is found absolutely everywhere in supermarkets, grocery stores... So in that sense, it's more accessible, and that's why I chose this yeast.