Toasted Almond Garlic Butter Pan Loaf

Steps

1. Prepare the almonds first: toast all of the almonds in a dry skillet over medium-low heat for 5 to 6 minutes until fragrant. Coarsely chop 60 g for the dough and thinly slice or finely chop the remaining 15 g for the topping. Let cool.
2. Make the garlic butter: melt 15 g of the butter (three-fifths) in the same skillet over low heat, add the garlic and cook gently for 2 minutes until soft and pale golden, not browned. Set aside to cool for 10 minutes.
3. In a large bowl, whisk 285 g of the milk (all but 15 g, which you'll save for brushing) with the water, honey, almond butter and the cooled garlic butter until smooth.
4. In another bowl, whisk the flour, yeast, salt and flaxseed. Add the flour mixture to the milk mixture and stir into a shaggy dough. The dough is about 63% hydration (counting the water in the milk) and about 2% salt.
5. Knead on a clean counter for 10 minutes until smooth and elastic, then flatten the dough and knead in the 60 g of chopped almonds for 1 to 2 minutes until evenly spread.
6. Grease a bowl and a 9x5-inch loaf pan with the canola oil. Place the dough in the bowl, cover and let rise at about 75°F (24°C) for 60 to 90 minutes, until doubled in size.
7. Press the dough into a rectangle about 9 inches wide, roll it up tightly from the short side, pinch the seam closed and set it seam-side down in the pan.
8. Cover and proof at about 75°F (24°C) for 45 to 60 minutes, until the dough crowns about 1 inch above the pan and springs back slowly when poked. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C).
9. Brush the top with the reserved 15 g of milk, then scatter on the remaining 15 g of toasted almonds and the sesame seeds, pressing lightly so they stick.
10. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes, tenting with foil after 20 minutes if the top browns fast, until deep golden and 190°F (88°C) in the center.
11. Brush the hot crust with the remaining 10 g of butter (melted) to keep it soft. Cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then turn out and cool completely on a rack, about 90 minutes, before cutting into 12 slices.