Beetroot Bread

My spirit seems to resurrect: Christmas Cookies in March? C'mon Sabrina, it's definitely time for a new recipe! The current abundance of sunshine and warmer temperatures in London seems to stick me onto the bike 24/7 and I am literally all day (or at least during my free time) out and about, soaking in every impression and thinking about loads (!) of meals and dishes that I'd like to cook/bake. So far so good - blogging when staying abroad is far more challenging then I'd like to admit.. Neglecting my passion for food photography and writing over the past few months and not keeping you as up to date as possible makes me feel terrible.. I still have a few recipes on my computer, so be sure that I will keep giving you some culinary input during the next months on the island ;-). 

Staying abroad doesn't only involve a new culture, etc. - I also realize the few things that matter most to me in life: family, friends, quality time with good food and a lot of sketching/painting - life is good! While the abundance of nice coffee shops around (if you follow me on instagram you're probably sick of yet another coffee shot, sorry for that, I can't help myself, caffeinating is GOOD) makes it easy to balance out my need for a good home brew in the morning I do miss getting creative in the kitchen, on the stovetop and in the oven... Time is just incredibely precious and priorities have to be made.. For now new culinary experiments out of my own hands have to take a step back until summer - just as the joy of some fresh homemade bread with either olive oil+salt or butter.

When you stroll through UK supermarkets you hardly get a feeling for seasonal vegetables and fruits.. Yes, sometimes you can spot a sign saying "new season" yet berries, rhubarb and all kinds of exotic fruits and vegetables seem to be around all year long. You can hardly get strawberries in Germany during the winter and if you are lucky enough to find some be sure to pay at least half of your monthly salary for a small punnet of pale small fruits that taste like nothing.. While it might be nice to just go out and grab a few berries whenever you want to, I'd much rather run on all sorts of cabbage, root vegetables and apples during the winter instead of using artifical produce.. 

So this beetroot bread is the perfect little loaf to incorporate into your pre-spring baking routine using the little dark red gem that lingers around before all the fresh spring/summer produce comes into season! I am a huge fan of incorporating veggies or fruit into the good ol' loaf of bread and adding pureed cooked beetroot gives the bread a rich purple/red crust. I used fresh cooked beetroot for the loaf in the pictures yet canned ones will work equally as well. Despite the colour the beetroot gives the bread just a slight earthy taste, not overpowering at all so even the non-beetroot-eater will like it. It works perfect plain, with just a little butter or a nice soft or hard (goat) cheese. Enjoy!

Beetroot Bread

- makes one loaf

- 300g Beetroots, cooked or canned (I used 3)

- 500g Whole Wheat or All-purpose flour

- up to 250 ml water

- 1 tsp honey or molasses

- 1 Packet Dry Yeast

- 1 tsp Salt

1. Puree the beetroot until completely creamy. 

2. Mix 100 ml of warm tap water with the honey and yeast. Let sit for 5 minutes, until foamy.

3. Knead the pureed beetroots together with the salt and flour, gradually adding in the yeast mixture and then more water until a smooth dough starts to form. Keep kneading for five to ten minutes, then place in a slightly oiled bowl and cover with a kitchen towel. Let the dough rise for 1.5-2h, until doubled in size.

4. Preheat your oven to 220 °C. Fill a small deep oven-proof dish with about 300-400ml water and place on the bottom of the oven.

5. Remove dough from the bowl, place on a lightly floured working surface and stretch into a small rectangle. Fold into thirds lengthwise and place on the surface seam side down. Let rest for another 15 minutes. Shape into a loaf, place seam side down on a parchment lined baking sheet and slash deeply.

6. Bake for 20 minutes, then remove the water dish from the oven before continuing to bake the bread for a further 15-30 minutes. The loaf is done if it sounds hollow when bottom is tapped. Remove and let cool for at least 30 minutes or completely before slicing. Enjoy!