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Monday, March 22, 2010

Flower Pot Bread - Blue Monday







From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...Saturday was a beautiful day in the Willamette Valley. We spent the morning at the Junction City Daffodil Festival, but the day was so lovely, that Bob and I couldn't bring ourselves to return home and attend to the chores we should be doing. We headed, instead, to some local nurseries to check out new stock. I also needed clay pots to use as molds for ornamental breads that would be used as centerpieces for a luncheon. I've made flower pot breads before and they are really not hard to do. While a lovely sweet bread or brioche could be used to fill the pots, I planned to use a reasonably plain white bread dough. The loaves were to be used for decoration only and it didn't make much sense to spend a lot of time or money on something that wouldn't be eaten. I hasten to add that the bread is edible, but in its unwrapped state it will stale quickly. The bread I used is simple to make and, as luck would have it, I could pass the finished loaves on to others for final decorating. Actually, the only difficult part of my chore was seasoning the pots to make them fit for baking. It's tedious work but not hard. I set aside 3 hours to season twelve pots and get the bread ready for its first, and only, rise. I'm including instructions for seasoning the flower pots, along with the recipe for the very easy bread I used to make them. Here's how it's done.

Flower Pot Bread...from the kitchen of One Perfect Bite, courtesy of Recipezaar

Directions for seasoning Terra Cotta Flower Pots:
1) Take two (6-inch) new terra cotta flower pots. Wash thoroughly, drain dry and grease them inside and outside, with shortening, butter or oil. Make sure to coat the rims as well
2) Heat pots in a pre-heated oven at 375 degrees F. for 25-30 minutes. Remove. Let cool. Repeat process two or three more times to create a non-stick surface on flower pots. Be careful not to burn yourself.

Flower Pot Bread

Ingredients:
3-3/4 cups all-purpose flour
3 teaspoons sugar, divided use
1-1/2 teaspoons salt
1/4 cup vegetable oil
2-1/4 teaspoons active dry yeast
1 cup warm water
Egg wash: 1 egg + 1 teaspoon water or milk
Optional Extras
2 tablespoons poppy seeds
2 tablespoons mixed seeds
2 tablespoons pumpkin seeds
2 tablespoons chopped walnuts


Directions:

1) Grease inside and rim of 2 (6-inch) flower pots with shortening, oil or butter. Set aside.
2) Combine water and 1 teaspoon sugar in a small bowl. Sprinkle dry yeast over water. Let sit until frothy, about 10 minutes.
3) Combine flour, salt and reserved 2 teaspoons sugar in a large bowl. Add any extras you want to use. Add yeast mixture and oil. Mix to form a smooth dough. Turn onto floured board and knead until smooth and no longer sticky, about 10 minutes.
4) Cut dough into 6 equal pieces. Form each piece into a ball. Place 3 balls in the bottom of each flower pot. Place on a baking sheet. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise until doubled in size, about 1 hour.
5) Meanwhile preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Brush top of loaves with egg wash. sprinkle with seeds if desired. Bake loaves in middle of oven for 30 minutes, or until bread is a rich golden brown and sounds hollow when tapped. Remove bread from oven. Cool on rack for 10 minutes. Remove from pots and continue cooling on wire racks until bread is at room temperature. Bread can be served in flower pots or decoratively wrapped. Yield: 2 loaves.

You might also enjoy these recipes:

Kaiser Rolls - One Perfect Bite
Anadama Rolls - One Perfect Bite
St. Lucia Buns - One Perfect Bite


This post is being linked to:
Smiling Sally - Blue Monday

This post is being linked to:
Wild Yeast - Yeast Spotting

70 comments:

  1. WOW Mary Using flower pot is such a super duper idea! This would make a great Easter bread! I love it.

    Have a lovely Monday!
    Angie

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  2. What beautiful looking flower pots! Too bad it's only decoration, it would be hard for me to resist.

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  3. What a fun idea--the bread looks lovely in the flower pot. I would want to eat it too! ;-)

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  4. Mary, you brought bck memories of happy days with my kids and with my girl scouts making these breads. (but we ate ours!)
    xoxo Pattie

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  5. What an interesting way to bake bread! Looks like lot of fun. Thanks very much for sharing.

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  6. I have actually baked bread in flower pots AND eaten it, I don't have the recipe on file and might try yours. Do you ever bake bread in flower pots with intent to eat? Is this recipe good for that? ( beautiful bread)

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  7. MAry, this is so so good....i love the idea of the flower pots so so so muc....damn cool....and super bread....

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  8. Spring -- food in flower pots -- what a great idea! The bread looks great!

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  9. Wow, loved the idea.
    Great and so beautiful x

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  10. This brings back memories for me too! We ate the bread also! But I just used my normal bread recipe.

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  11. These are gorgeous Mary. What a great way to celebrate spring.
    Sam

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  12. OMGosh, Mary...how cool is this. It looks fabulous. I would LOVE to do this for Easter and have my family eat this beautiful bread.

    We have a neat place to eat that serves their Chicken Pot Pie in these pots and, boy, are they good!!

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  13. Wow...Lovely bread in flower pot!! In India still many people drink their tea in small clay pot!!

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  14. Your talking about the daffodil festival took me back to my WA days with the many tulip and daffodil parades and festivals there. That and berries are what I miss most about the northwest. Love the bread idea. It would look great on a festive spring table.

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  15. They look lovely! I bet they were gorgeous at your luncheon. I'm willing to bet that someone tried to eat one;D

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  16. That is the most perfect bread ever...and in a pot! I remember those clay cloches they had in France... perfect bread too. I can see these breads hiding in spring flowers on a Spring table. Great recipe and execution!!!

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  17. Just when I thought I had seen it all, you hit me with the flower pot bread!:)

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  18. What a great centerpiece idea. And the look of the bread is, in a sense, in the shape of a flower itself. Plant and Garden Blog

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  19. The images are so sweet! I didn't know that you have to 'bake' the pot more than once, thank you!

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  20. Wow, these are amazing! I can't imagine making these but they look absolutely beautiful and delicious!

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  21. Mary,
    How do you take such beautiful pictures? I love to bake bread--it truly relaxes me.

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  22. Beautiful bread.
    They should be good for eating, especially if you go to the trouble of adding sugar, which doesn't show in the look of the bread.

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  23. Love the blue pot. Happy Blue Monday.

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  24. Wow, this is perhaps the prettiest thing I've seen in a long time. The flower pot breads are just darling and such a labor of love too. Thanks so much for sharing this unique idea ... its a first for me! :)

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  25. How pretty Mary...Happy Blue Monday :)

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  26. A great idea, Mary, and the break looks beautiful in the little pots. I remember my girls making something similar when they were Brownies. Your bread certainly looks good enough to eat.

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  27. Oh, man. If I was sitting at a table with these beautiful flower pot breads, I would have a hard time resisting the bread!

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  28. What a unique and clever idea! This would make a wonderful house gift.
    ♥, Susan

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  29. I have always wanted to make flower pot bread - thanks for the seasoning tips.
    They are so cute!

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  30. This is darling! What a fun gift to take to someone. Love it!! Thanks!!

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  31. Oh! Such a nice way to welcome Spring...with one of my favorite food...bread! Very cute!

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  32. Looks amazing, seems a shame not to eat it.

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  33. what a creative idea ...
    I read about it long time ago, and totaly forgot it...
    the bread looks awesome and will be a nice edible centre pieces on the table

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  34. Bread only for decoration! That just seems silly to me. Especially when it looks as delicious as this! Love those topping and thanks for the seasoning advice.

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  35. what agreat post... not so much for the bread (which sounds like a great idea for a centerpiece to me!), but for the glazing of the "ordinary" terra cotta flower pots... Last time my wife made this, she bought VERY expensive pots.

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  36. Wow, your blog is always full of great, novel ideas. This looks gorgeous. Thanks for the idea, Mary!

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  37. A local KC restaurant used to serve a flower pot of bread with honey butter to each table. Yum!

    Martha in KS

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  38. Using flower pot is such a lovely idea Mary!!! the bread looks wow!!!!

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  39. The bread looks absolutely delicious and what a fun and creative Spring idea with the pot. I love this and it would make a great gift as well.

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  40. Such a cool idea to use a flower pot! Wow. It's pretty much the same material as the bakeware but about 20 times cheaper. Genius :-) ANd your bread looks so beautiful!

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  41. Absolutely luscious. How do you take your photos with the white background. Please tell me. I just got a new dslr and am dying to know. Great Easter Bread.!!!
    :)
    Valerie

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  42. PS - I am a follower and have never received an update or a recipe from you as indicated on your left column. Can you upload a plugin so that I can sign up and receive your new posts into my e-mail?
    Thanks,
    Valerie

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  43. I didnt relize you had to season the flower pots first. Cant wait to try this!

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  44. Haha, how whimsical! I've actually heard of this, but never saw it for myself...it's like from a fairytale or something! So delightful.

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  45. Ciao Mary! grazie della tua visita!!

    il pulsante traduttore lo trovi a destra sotto la mia foto del profilo!!

    buona giornata!! ciao ciao!

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  46. I love the look of this, have never attempted it, but would make such a great presentation for a special occasion.

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  47. This is beautiful! I've never seen flower pot bread before - it's charming!

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  48. Mary, you never cease to amaze me. I know the flower pot bread will add so much to the ambiance of the occasion.

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  49. Such a pretty dish......wat a fun idea!!!!

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  50. Thanks for stopping by my site, Mary - and now I'm so excited to come and visit yours! I have never seen flower pot bread before but it is SO adorable! What a fantastic idea! I imagine these are a huge hit when you use them as centerpieces.

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  51. The recipe sounds simple enough, but the execution is wonderful! So original!

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  52. Ah Mary, this is beautiful! I love those glossy little loaves, looking so warm and inviting. :-)

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  53. Very clever and creative. Lovely presentation!

    Your 'like-ability' has moved up in my book. I like and appreciate people who think outside the box. :)

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  54. Wow you are very creative. I love BREAD! This recipe looks good. Thanks for posting it.

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  55. GREAT idea. I have one small pot that I have used for cakes, but had not thot of breads. Now I will.

    Thanks for visiting my blog earlier.

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  56. What a cute idea. I did something similar to the ends of my cinnamon rolls by baking them in a ramekin. Your bread looks beautiful.

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  57. Longwood Gardens used to serve flowerpot bread. So yummy! Have a great week!

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  58. Now that you've got all of those seasoned pots, take a look at the desserts posted by Pioneer Woman - http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/2010/03/a-blast-from-the-past/
    We used to call it Dirt Cake. Bet your grandkids would love them!
    Martha in KS

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  59. We had bread baked this way at a restaurant in Cambria, CA called the Sows Ear. They did a marbled white/whole wheat bread. I was of course very distracted by the it. I had to stare at it, pick it up, look in the pot as I ate the bread. It's a very clever idea, really cute!

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  60. What a WOW idea - bread baked in a terra cotta flower pot - edible and a centerpiece. Any I thought my use of herbs as a centerpiece was inspired was green, clever and fun. Your flower pot bread is so inspiring!

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  61. Homemade bread in a clay pot! What a fabulous idea, Mary!! Such fun for a luncheon.
    The recipe looks healthy too.. all those seeds and nuts!
    You win the clever idea or the day for sure!

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  62. seems so delectable bread, hopefully it's less sugar so can taste it a lot :D
    Love from Valentine day flowers :)

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