Bread is an essential part of our lives, it’s the base of our diet, and it has been that way for thousands of years. Bread is incredibly nutritious, entire kingdoms have risen thanks to bread! OK, you get it, bread is very important.
What we often forget, though, is that bread is beautiful too, it’s not just food, it’s an art form, and some types of bread are simply too pretty to eat. That’s the case with this homemade flower bread, it looks (and smells) so nice you can use it as a table centerpiece.
There are times when you have to bake to impress. Perhaps you have an important home dinner coming soon, or you’re expecting special guests; maybe you’re celebrating something special, or you simply want to bake something pretty for your loved ones. Then you must make this flower bread.
In a way, this six-petal flower bread is not one but seven-round pieces of bread that together form a golden-crusted flower that is very fun to tear apart.
An egg wash, black and white sesame seeds, and caraway will give the flower bread the final touch, and the seeds will add subtle but enticing aromatics to it.
Caraway is one of my favorite aromatics, but it’s often misunderstood! Actually, caraway is not a seed, herb, or spice, but the tiny dried fruits of the caraway plant.
The aromatic caraway is quite good for you too; it has iron, magnesium and manganese, and plenty of zinc.
Pro tips
Before we get our hands dirty, there are a few key points I want to underline:
- We’ll be adding flour into wet ingredients, and this must be done gradually, this is essential for the dough to form correctly. Remember — Slowly but surely wins the race.
- We’re letting the dough rise twice, once after kneading it, and another one once placed on the tray, and it’s imperative to be patient. If you’re not, your flower bread will not look much like a flower.
- You might think setting the balls of dough in place is the easiest part, but there’s a trick to it. You must start with the center and then place the “petals.” If you leave the center last in will not sit justly, and your flower will not be that pretty.
One last thing: Get everyone to help out, especially the kids. This one is a project best enjoyed as part of a team, and baking is the best way of bonding with your kin.
Now we’re ready to start cooking, so let’s get this homemade flower bread going!
Homemade Flower Bread
Ingredients
- 2.5 cups milk (750ml)
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- 1 tablespoon salt
- 1 tablespoon active dry yeast
- 2 tablespoons butter (melted)
- 6 cups (720g) bread flour + 1/2 cup (60g) for kneading.
- 1 egg yolk, lightly beaten with 1 teaspoon water for glaze
- Seeds of choice (black and white sesame seeds, caraway)
Instructions
- Heat the milk (110-115F). pour into a mixer bowl.
- Add yeast and sugar, mix, let it stand until bubbly.
- Add melted butter.
- Add 2 cups of flour to the mixture and starting mixing on a low speed.
- Add salt.
- Gradually add the remaining flour.
- Transfer the dough to the floured surface.
- Knead to form a ball.
- Place the dough into a lightly greased bowl, turning few times to coat all sides.
- Leave to rise until it doubles in volume.
- Divide the dough into 7 parts, forming each into a ball.
- Put one in the center of the round baking pan and arrange the rest around the center one to form a flower.
- Glaze the breads with egg wash and sprinkle with your seeds of choice.
- Leave to rise again for at least 1/2 hour.
- Preheat the oven to 400F. Bake for 30-35 min.
For a similarly beautiful bread, try my Pull-Apart Croissant Bread.
