Sweet Sourdough Dragon Bread Recipes

SWEET SOURDOUGH DRAGON BREAD

Steps:

• Combine the starter, water, honey, salt and butter in a mixing bowl. Mix until smooth;. If using a mixer, you can use the whisk or paddle attachment of your mixer first. Once done mixing, replace with dough hook attachment.
• Add flour in 1 cup increments and mix until incorporated in between. The dough will clean the sides of the bowl when it is thoroughly mixed. The dough will be slightly sticky still but don't add too much flour or this will dry out the bread. See notes for more info.
• Take out the dough hook and scrape off dough into the bowl. Cover with plastic wrap or lid and keep in warm place until doubled. This can take 6-10 hours.
• Before the bread dough is ready to work, set up all the dragon embellishments on a large table with parchment paper, scissors, towels, etc.
• Prepare your baking sheets by lining them with parchment paper. You will need at least two if you are making mini-dragons.
• Wet your hands and punch down the dough. If making mini-loaf dragons, divide the dough into six even parts.
• Disperse the dough and begin decorating, reminding kids to work as quickly as they can.
• To make a basic dragon shape, roll a log of dough like a fat snake.
• Choose one end for the head and form a rounded diamond at that end to be its jaws and eyes.
• Twist the lower end up and over itself to be a coiled body.
• Press the tail end into a point.*
• Use pinched fingers to flair out ridges of dough to be raised scales. Go along these ridges and cut every quarter inch with the scissors. This will give you a scale-like bread once baked. You can also snip along the dragon's skin to create raised areas that will be scale-like once baked.
• Place raisins, cacao nibs, or small candies for eyes and nostrils, or anywhere else to create effect.
• Once ready, allow the dragons to rise a bit in a warm place, covered lightly, while the oven pre-heats.
• Pre-heat the oven.
• Brush the dragons with the egg white wash. Keep it light, but be sure to get the crevices.
• Bake at 325F/163C for 30-40 minutes or until an inserted thermometer reads 180F/82C. Cover dragons with tented foil if they are browning too quickly and you are concerned about scorching while the bake time finishes.
• Remove from the oven and allow to set up and cool a bit for at least 20 minutes.
• Serve warm with butter, honey, or jam.

SWEET SOURDOUGH

Steps:

• First, make sure your sourdough starter is active and bubbly. If it isn't, feed it again and set aside. You can check it's ready by putting a tsp of the starter in warm water - if it floats, it's ready to use. Tip the starter, most of the egg (reserving a little if you want to glaze it later), 1 heaped tsp salt and all the other ingredients except the butter, into a bowl. Mix with your hands to form a rough dough, making sure all the flour from around the bowl is mixed in. You can do this in a tabletop mixer with a dough hook, if you prefer. Leave the dough covered with a damp cloth for 30 mins.
• Tip the dough onto a clean surface and knead for 15-20 mins by hand, or 5-8 mins in a mixer with a dough hook on a medium speed, until springy and glossy. Use your hands to work the butter into the dough - this will take about 5 mins. At first, it will look like it's not coming together, but keep working the dough through your fingers and it will become smooth and glossy. Form the dough into a ball and put back in the bowl. Cover and leave in a warm place for 2-3 hrs until nearly doubled in size. Your dough is now ready to use to make enriched breads, from cinnamon rolls and babka to sweet buns and doughnuts.
• To make two tin loaves, tip the dough onto a floured work surface and knead briefly, then spilt into two. Shape the dough into two rounds, then leave for 10 mins. Form the rounds into rough oblongs, then sit them in two 900g loaf tins. Leave the loaves out for another 2-3 hrs or in the fridge overnight until the dough has doubled in size again. For a plaited loaf, place the dough in the fridge for an hour to stiffen, then split into three, roll out into equal sized lengths of dough and neatly plait together. Lift the plaited loaf onto a lined baking tray, cover and leave at room temperature for another 2-3 hrs or in the fridge overnight, until the dough has doubled in size.
• To bake, heat the oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6. Brush the top of the loaves with the reserved beaten egg and bake for 30-35 mins until golden brown. Leave the loaves in the tins to cool a little, before transferring to a cooling rack.