Braided Beet Swirl Bread (Vegan)



Our pathways are littered with leaves of various shapes and hues. It is late spring and the trees are shedding leaves. A gust of wind blows and there is a shower of mottled brown and yellow leaves. Massive magnolia leaves waft rhythmically till they meet the ground while Ashoka leaves come trilling from higher branches. Jamun leaves rock and sway in the gentle wind. More and more leaves keep piling up, making the walkways cushiony. The leaves rustle and crackle and crush as we walk on them. Ultimately, each will become one  with  the Earth, enriching it.


Early in the morning we heard a Bush Chat. Soon we spotted it. It looked at us curiously and carried on with its high notes.




Yesterday, I baked a bread with beets. The colours came out brilliant, celebrating the spirit of spring.




Braided Beet Swirl Bread
Ingredients
Beet Dough
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 ½ teaspoon instant dry yeast
¾ teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon olive oil
½ tablespoon sugar
½ cup beet puree (boiled and pureed beets).
Method
Whisk together first four ingredients. Add sugar to beet puree and mix till sugar dissolves.
Add this to flour mix. Knead till the dough comes together. Add some warm water if it feels dry. Knead for 6 to 8 minutes till soft and elastic. Transfer dough to an oiled bowl. Turn around the dough so that it is coated with oil.   Cover and keep in a warm place till it becomes double in size.
Plain Dough
1 cup all-purpose flour
¾ teaspoon instant dry yeast
½ teaspoon salt
½ tablespoon olive oil
½ tablespoon sugar
½ cup warm water
Method
Whisk together first four ingredients. Add sugar to water and mix till sugar dissolves.
Add this to flour mix. Knead till the dough comes together. Add some warm water if it feels dry. Knead for 6 to 8 minutes till soft and elastic. Transfer dough to an oiled bowl. Turn around the dough so that it is coated with oil.   Cover and keep in a warm place till it becomes double in size.





Shaping the braided loaf
Punch plain dough and knead for 2 minutes. Roll it into a rope about 13 cm long.
Punch beet dough and knead for 2 minutes. With a sharp knife, cut dough into two equal parts.
Roll each part into two 13 cm long ropes.
Keep the three ropes together. Bring the ends together, pinch and tuck in. Now braid the ropes tightly. Pinch the ends and tuck in. Grease one 8 x 4 inch loaf pan. Place the braid in the pan. Cover and keep in a warm place for one hour or till it doubles in size.
Bake in a preheated oven at 190 degrees C for 35 – 40 minutes or till the loaf turns golden from top and the bottom sounds hollow when tapped. Tent with a foil if the top turns brown early. Remove from oven. Remove from pan after 5 to 7 minutes.
Cool in the rack. Slice when cold or next day.





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9 comments:

  1. You are really amazing chef dear!!!

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  2. Wonderful colours! Chidlren would love this one too. Thanks for another lovely post :)

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  3. I love your birds and your gorgeous bread Namita. What a magnificent loaf. We lit Brunhilda for the first time this season and I want to make lots of homemade bread this year so this will be a great recipe to start with :)

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  4. What a beautiful beautiful post! The colour of the bread and the craftmanship in shaping it so pretty, those beautiful picture of the leaves and birds! Namita, you are an artist! So lovely to see such beauty in simplicity. Loved this post!

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  5. I just ran across your site, and am so glad I did! I'm going to enjoy clicking through these recipes!! I had a quick question: love the look of this bread, but I have very picky eaters in my house :( Is the beet flavor strong in this bread, or fairly faint? Thank you in advance. Can't wait to try it out either way (I'll either have lots for myself, or will have to share ;-)

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  6. Hello Luv'n Spoonfuls, So glad to read your views! Thank You. Well, the beet flavour is subtle. It isn't very strong. It is a little beety. If you want to make it lesser beety, add 1/3 cup of pureed beets. I guess that would give a great colour minus the flavour!

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  7. Thank you for the quick and informative response. I will give it a try! Cheers!

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  8. Should the water in the white dough be 1/4c vs. 1/2 c.? My white dough is too slack and I added flour, and the red dough is dry, and I'll add a bit of water.

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    Replies
    1. Hello Kathy, quantity ofwater depends on a lot of factors. Your flour being one of them. I would suggest that you start with 1/4 cup and keep adding more if required. If your beet puree is thick and dry and again depending on the texture of flour, you might have to add more water. Quantity of water can be adjdusted as per need. Happy Baking Kathy!

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