Baking with flowers
Assortment Part 1: Sourdough Starters
6. May 2021Eye-catching color in bread: Flowers!
Summer is here, bringing us colorful summer meadows and delicious edible flowers that are ideal for preparing colorful breads. You can bring summer into your bakery and make eye-catching creations with colorful flowers. Not only do they look beautiful, they also give baked goods an interesting, floral aroma which wonderfully reflects the taste of summer.
Whether you use dried blossoms from your garden, or a mixture of flowers from your supermarket, it is important to check the origin of the blooms. Preferably they should come from organic cultivation and have no residues of pesticides.
There are no limits in your choice of edible flowers. From cornflowers grown in organic grain fields, to bold red rose petals or shining yellow marigolds, everything is possible. For a spicy aroma add starflowers or lavender. To add color without changing the flavor of your bread, you can use young birch leaves which are relatively neutral in flavor but give the dough a fresh green color. The blossoms of most flowers will add a very light and subtle floral aroma. They can be showered on the finished baked bread for an appealing look. Whether in the dough or sprinkled on the top of the bread, they will give your baked goods a colorful look.
To use flowers as an ingredient in the bread, a soaking piece must be prepared in advance. To do this, simply swell, or soak, the flowers in twice the amount of water for several hours. Any kind of bread can be enhanced with flowers, but we recommend preferably to use whole wheat or rye sourdough to enhance the contrast of the flowers with the lighter crumb and milder taste.
To use only as an eye-catching decoration on the top of the bread, brush the loaf with baker’s shine after baking and sprinkle with flowers. Then press down lightly with dry hands.
