Birdseed Bread Recipes

BIRD SEED BREAD (ABM)

Steps:

• Start at the top (recommended) or the bottom of the list, and put all the ingredients into the bread machine. Just make sure the salt and wet stuff stays away from the yeast until it mixes. If you like the old fashioned way, that will work too - just use your usual process.
• For rolls, use the dough cycle. When that cycle is done, dump it out on a floured surface and cut everything into even quarters, twice. Put the wads, evenly spaced, on a lightly oiled cookie sheet. Let them rise once more in a warm area covered with waxed paper for a half hour or a little longer until they have roughly doubled in size, depending on how knocked down they got while cutting. Cook in an oven, preheated to 375 degrees, for 20 minutes or until they are nicely browned top and bottom. Brush with melted butter if desired.

BIRDSEED BREAD

Steps:

• Dissolve yeast in warm water and 1/2 T sugar.
• Add salt, honey, margarine, and buttermilk.
• Then add all seeds, corn meal, and rolled oats. Then whole wheat flour and oat flour.
• While its mixing slowly add the bread flour. You may need more or less of the bread flour, just enough till nice and elastic. Knead well by hand or with mixer.
• Place in a sprayed bowl and cover with a towel. Let rise till doubled. This is a heavy bread and may take awhile, placing in a warm place will aid this.
• Punch down and divide in 1/2.
• Shape into loaves and place in greased pans, cover, and allow to rise till doubled again.
• Bake in 375 preheated oven for 30 minutes or till tops are browned and bottom sounds hollow when tapped.

BREAD BIRDS

Steps:

• In a large bowl, combine 1 cup flour, sugar, yeast and salt. In a saucepan, melt butter. Add milk and water; heat to 120°-125°. Add to flour mixture and mix well. Stir in extract and egg; beat until smooth. Add enough remaining flour to form a soft dough. , Turn onto a floured surface; knead until smooth and elastic, about 6-8 minutes. Place in a greased bowl, turning once to grease top. Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 1 hour., Punch the dough down; divide into 16 pieces. To shape birds, roll each piece into a 10-in. rope; tie into a knot. Cut one end a few times with a scissors to form tail feathers. Tuck in the other end of the nose to form beak. Place on a greased baking sheet. Cover and let rise until almost doubled, about 30 minutes. , Bake at 350° for 17-20 minutes or until golden brown. Combine honey butter ingredients; brush over the hot rolls. Return to the oven for 3 minutes. With a toothpick, make small holes for the beak and eyes. Insert a slivered almond for the beak and currants for eyes. Serve with remaining honey butter if desired.

BIRD BREAD (BIRD FOOD)

Steps:

• Slowly melt peanut butter, grease or fat over low heat.
• Add cornmeal or stale cereal crumbs.
• Slowly add enough warm water to make a stiff dough.
• Add birdseed and raisins, nut meats or chopped peanuts.
• Pack mixture into small foil pans or a large flat pan.
• Refrigerate overnight.
• Cut into pieces for tying onto tree branches.

BIRDSEED BREAD

Steps:

• Mix Birdseed (I make several individual bags at once.) Add bread ingredients in the order suggested for your bread maker.
• Mine uses liquids and butter first, then a layer of flours, followed by the remaining dry ingredients.
• Do not allow the yeast to come into contact with the water if loaf is time delayed.
• Add Birdseed Mix last.
• Bake 1 1/2 pound loaf on Medium whole wheat cycle.

VEGETABLE BIRDSEED PILAF

Steps:

• Cook and stir millet in a large saucepan over medium heat until fragrant and toasted, 5 to 8 minutes.
• Bring vegetable broth to a boil in a large saucepan; add millet and return to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover saucepan, and simmer until liquid is absorbed, 18 to 22 minutes.
• Heat olive oil in a skillet over medium heat; cook and stir onion and garlic until onion is translucent, 5 to 10 minutes.
• Stir onion mixture, spinach, and peas into millet; add wine and rosemary and stir. Increase heat to medium, cover saucepan, and cook, stirring occasionally, for 7 to 10 minutes. Add tomatoes, salt, and pepper; return cover and cook until tomatoes soften, 2 to 3 minutes. Remove saucepan from heat and stir Parmesan cheese into millet mixture.

WHOLESOME BIRDIE BREAD FOR PARROTS

Steps:

• Pre-Heat oven to 400.
• Place muffin mix, oatmeal, and baking powder in large bowl and set aside.
• Wash whole eggs thoroughly and place in blender (shells and all.) Add baby food, applesauce, and wheat germ, and puree.
• Pour blended puree into your bowl of dry ingredients and stir with a large spoon. Stir in Tahini, cheese, grated carrots, and broccoli (if you have a fussy bird, you can puree these items in the blender in step 3.).
• Spread mixture in a lightly greased 9 x 13" pan and sprinkle the seed (or pellets) over the top.
• Bake for approximately 30-40 minutes. (Time may vary.) Let cool and cut into squares that are the size of a daily portion for your bird and freeze accordingly.
• Defrost daily portions in the microwave before feeding. Depending on your bird, either crumble the birdie bread into their bowl (especially smaller birds) or give them talon size chunks (bigger birds).
• Don't be afraid to experiment with the ingredients. The recipe is very forgiving. Instead of baby food, I sometimes substitute frozen mixed vegetables, a can of pumpkin, mashed bananas, or mashed sweet potatoes.
• Instead of oatmeal, I often use cooked brown rice, baby rice cereal, or wholegrain Cheerios. Other things I've experimented with include chopped nuts, raisins, cooked lentils, chopped kale, pureed chickpeas, or pasta.
• Tahini (sesame seed paste) is preferable to peanut butter, if you can find it. It's very high in protein and calcium.

EASTER BIRD'S NEST BREAD

Steps:

• Sprinkle yeast onto warm water in a mixing bowl; let stand 5 minutes. Stir in 2 tablespoons sugar and 1 1/2 cups flour until smooth, then cover and set aside in a warm place until doubled in bulk, about 1 hour.
• Cream together the shortening, 1 cup of sugar, and salt in a bowl. Add the 2 eggs and egg white, one at a time, mixing until smooth between each addition. Stir in the yeast mixture along with the lemon zest, lemon juice, and remaining 3 1/4 cups flour until a smooth dough is formed. When the dough has pulled together, turn it out onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth and elastic, about 8 minutes.
• Lightly oil a large bowl, place the dough in the bowl and turn to coat with oil. Cover with a damp cloth and let rise in a warm place until doubled in volume, about 1 hour.
• Deflate the dough and turn it out onto a lightly floured surface. Divide the dough into four equal size rounds; cover and let rest for 2 minutes. Roll each round into a long rope about 18 inches long.
• Grease two large baking sheets. Using the two long pieces of dough, form a loosely braided ring on one of the baking sheets, leaving spaces for three colored eggs. Seal the ends of the ring together and use your fingers to slide the eggs between the braids of dough. Repeat to form second loaf. Cover, and let rise until doubled in bulk , or until your finger leaves a dent when the bread is gently pressed, about 30 minutes.
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Beat egg yolk together with 1 tablespoon heavy cream; set aside.
• Bake in preheated oven for 10 minutes, then brush on egg yolk mixture and decorate with candy sprinkles. Continue to bake until the loaves are dark brown and sound hollow when tapped on the bottom, 30 to 40 minutes.