Wreath Bread
Ingredients:
- 1 cup all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting and sprinkling
- ½ cup rye flour
- 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons bread flour
- 2 teaspoons coarse salt
- 1 ½ teaspoons dry active yeast (from one ¼-ounce envelope)
- 1 ¼ cups warm water (110 degrees), plus 1 cup water for metal baking pan
Directions:
Mix together ¾ cup all-purpose flour, the rye and bread flours, salt, yeast, and warm water in a large bowl with a wooden spoon. (Dough will be sticky.) Cover bowl with a kitchen towel and let rise in a warm place until doubled in size, 2 to 2 ½ hours. Refrigerate dough in bowl until cold, about 1 hour.
Preheat oven to 475 degrees, with a pizza stone or inverted rimmed baking sheet on rack in top position and a metal baking pan on rack in lowest position. Transfer dough to a lightly floured work surface and sprinkle with remaining ¼ cup all-purpose flour. Knead briefly to incorporate, then form into a smooth ball. Return to bowl, cover with towel, and refrigerate 30 minutes.
Invert a cookie sheet, cover with parchment, and dust with all-purpose flour. Place dough in center. Poke a hole in center of dough with your thumbs and stretch it until dough measures 9 inches in diameter and hole measures 4 ½ inches in diameter. Generously sprinkle with all-purpose flour and let rest, uncovered, 15 minutes. Using kitchen shears, cut 14 deep Vs into top of dough, going almost all of the way through. Pull points of cut Vs away from center to create 14 leaves around wreath. Let rest, uncovered, 15 minutes.
In one quick motion, slide wreath on parchment onto pizza stone, then pour water into metal baking pan. Bake until bread is golden brown, about 20 minutes. Slide wreath on parchment onto a baking sheet, then slide wreath off parchment onto a wire rack. Let cool at least 30 minutes before serving. Bread is best eaten same day it is made.
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Lammas Lentil Pot Pie
Ingredients:
- ½ cup red lentils
- 2 cups water
- 2 cups butternut squash, peeled and ½" cubed
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- ½ cup onions
- 2 tablespoons whole wheat pastry flour
- 2 tablespoons white wine
- ¾ cup veggie broth
- 1 teaspoon dried rosemary
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon pepper
- Pie Crust:
- ¾ cup whole wheat pastry flour
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
- 4 tablespoons butter, chilled
- 1 oz cream cheese, chilled
- 2-4 tablespoons of ice water
Directions:
In a food processor (or a medium bowl) combine flour and salt for crust. Pulse (or cut) in butter. Once butter is mostly into small chunks, pulse (or cut) in cream cheese. Once butter and cream cheese are in pea size pieces, pulse in ¼ cup of water until dough begins to come together (adding a 1 tablespoon of water extra as needed.) Remove from food processor and shape into a disc (without handling the dough too much.) Wrap in plastic and place in refrigerator.
Preheat oven to 400˚.
Combine lentils and 2 cups of water together in a pot. Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer and let cook until lentils have softened and most of the water has been soaked up. Set aside.
In another pot, heat olive oil of medium-low. Cook onions until they become fragrant and translucent, about 4-5 minutes. Stir in butternut squash and continue to cook for five more minutes or until butternut squash begins to soften. Next, add in rosemary and flour, stirring so that the flour covers the butternut squash and onion mixture.
Pour in white wine and loosen anything that may have stuck to the bottom of the pan. Finally, stir in cooked lentils and veggie broth. Bring to a boil and stir for one minute then remove from heat and pour into a small casserole dish (mine was about 4".)
On a floured surface, roll out dough and you can use the dough as is and crimp it over the entire pot pie. The dough can also be cut with cookie cutters and places on top of the pot pie.
Brush pie crust with olive oil and bake for 25-30 minutes or until the crust is golden brown and the filling is bubbling.
Preheat oven to 400˚.
Combine lentils and 2 cups of water together in a pot. Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer and let cook until lentils have softened and most of the water has been soaked up. Set aside.
In another pot, heat olive oil of medium-low. Cook onions until they become fragrant and translucent, about 4-5 minutes. Stir in butternut squash and continue to cook for five more minutes or until butternut squash begins to soften. Next, add in rosemary and flour, stirring so that the flour covers the butternut squash and onion mixture.
Pour in white wine and loosen anything that may have stuck to the bottom of the pan. Finally, stir in cooked lentils and veggie broth. Bring to a boil and stir for one minute then remove from heat and pour into a small casserole dish (mine was about 4".)
On a floured surface, roll out dough and you can use the dough as is and crimp it over the entire pot pie. The dough can also be cut with cookie cutters and places on top of the pot pie.
Brush pie crust with olive oil and bake for 25-30 minutes or until the crust is golden brown and the filling is bubbling.
P.S. This pot pie has everything I was searching for and more. I get the creamy texture, the chunks of veggies, the intoxicating aroma, and more over: it’s healthy. The filling is actually vegan and made creamy by the lentils.
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Lammas Colcannon Recipe
Colcannon is traditionally eaten for Lammas in August, the use of fresh potatoes and cabbage makes it a perfect harvest meal. You can eliminate the bacon for a vegetarian option.
Serve up a pot of Colcannon for your Lughnasadh celebrations!
Ingredients:
- 3 lbs potatoes, washed and peeled
- 1 small head cabbage, washed and finely chopped
- 2 sticks butter (use the real thing, not margarine)
- 1 1/2 C. cream or milk
- 1/2 lb. bacon, cooked and diced
- 4 leeks, chopped
- Salt and pepper
Preparation:
Steam the potatoes until they are soft, and then drain and rinse. Place them back in the pot and mash thoroughly, so you remove all the lumpy bits. Gradually add one stick butter, in small pieces, stirring into the potatoes so that it melts. Add the milk in and mix.
While you’re working with the potatoes, boil the cabbage. Some people like to use the potato water, and that’s fine. Once it’s soft, about 8 minutes, drain and add into the potatoes. Add the second stick of butter — again, put it in using small pieces so that it melts and coats all the cabbage.
Add bacon and leeks. Simmer for about half and hour, and then season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve with hearty bread.
