dandelion leaf – The Herbal Bake Shoppe

Dandelion-infused Focaccia

Dina Ranade — Wed, 15 Jun 2016 19:19:41 +0000

topped and plain

dried dandelion leaf

after 5 minutes of kneading

Bread, it has gone from the most basic source of nourishment to whole grain dieting staple to food shunned and the gluten sensitivity enemy, cause of unwanted weight gain and digestion problems. Bread itself may not be as evil as current culture pronounces it, but that which we buy in plastic bags at the supermarket may be. Not because it is bread. The chemical additives, preservatives and flour from wheat sprayed with pesticides seem to me more of a problem than eating a slice of wholesome homemade bread. I wonder if in 10 years we will look back on all the no gluten recommendations and say, as we now say for fat, gluten isn’t really that bad. Making your own bread sounds hard. Truly, controlling the ingredients and mastering some basic techniques is empowering. Use organic flours, replace water with herbal infused tea and control the chemicals by adding none. I am not saying I don’t buy bread, I do. I also think it important to balance the amount of carbohydrate we eat. I avoid eating too much gluten. But demonizing a food seems to make little sense, especially when modern processing is likely the heart of the problem. This lovely focaccia is an easy bread to bake. Personalize it with any topping you like or keep it plain. The dandelion tea can add extra nutrients and may even help our bodies absorb them. Please leave a comment below and tell me what you think about bread, gluten, and adding herbal tea to baking. Can’t wait to hear your thoughts!

Dandelion-Infused Focaccia

There is science behind herbs positively affecting yeast fermentation, translation: making bread with herbal tea can yield a rise that creates texture and taste excellence. The benefit of dandelion tea in this focaccia speaks vitamins and minerals and the addition of bitter, not to be tasted but to help with digestion of a food we have come to shun.

Herbdandelion leaf
Apothecaryinfusion
BakingBread
Special Dietdairy-free
Traditional Usedigestion, nutritive

Servings	Prep Time
2loaves	2hours

Cook Time

30minutes

Servings	Prep Time
2loaves	2hours

Cook Time

30minutes

Ingredients

Dandelion tea

2tbsp dried dandelion leaf6 dandelion leaf tea bags
16ounces boiling water

Focaccia

5 1/2-6cups all-purpose organic flour
2 1/4tsp instant yeastrapid rise is best, but regular yeast is ok also
2tsp salt
1/4cup olive oil + additional for coating pans
2cups dandelion tea
4cloves garlic, chopped
1tbsp parsley, chopped
1/4tsp salt
1/2tsp crushed red pepper flakes

Instructions

For dandelion tea

Prepare strong dandelion tea. Combine dried dandelion leaf with 16oz of hot water in French coffee press or other tea infusion vessel. Steep for 30 minutes.
Strain and reserve dandelion tea. Add a bit of water if needed to measure 2 cups. Set aside to cool.

For focaccia

Measure flour. Begin with 5 cups or 567 grams in a medium bowl. Measure the remaining 1 cup (113grams) into a small bowl and set this aside.
Add yeast and salt to measured 5 cups flour. With a dough cutter or scraper, the plastic ones are easy to manipulate, blend just to mix thoroughly through.
Add olive oil and dandelion tea and blend until dough forms a mass. If it is too sticky and soft, add some of additional flour, a little at a time, cutting in after each addition. When dough begins to hold its shape and pull away from the sides of the bowl, it is ready for kneading.
Turn dough out onto a floured surface for kneading. This dough is very soft, so begin by kneading very gently. With floured hands, fold the dough end farthest away over toward you, then push with the palms of your hands away from you. Turn the dough a quarter turn. Keep board and hands floured and scrape up any dough that sticks to the board with a dough scraper. Knead in this way, folding, pushing, then turning a quarter turn for 5 minutes.
Dough will be smooth, soft, and bounce back when you gently push a finger into it.
Return dough to mixing bowl. Cover with plastic wrap. Allow to rise for 1 hour. Dough will reach top of bowl.
Drizzle lines of olive oil on bottom of two 9 inch pans. Pans can be square or round.
Turn dough out onto a floured board. Cut in half with dough cutter or scraper. Put one half in each pan. Turn over to coat both sides with olive oil. Push fingers into top of dough to spread to edges of pan and create little crevices. Cover with plastic wrap and allow to rise for 20-30 minutes until puffy.
Preheat oven to 425°F.
Prepare topping. Chop garlic and parsley. Mix with salt and red pepper flakes. Sprinkle on top of focaccia. Alternatively, leave loaves plain or create any topping you like.
Bake 25-30 minutes until crust is golden brown and firm. Turn pans after 20 minutes if needed for even browning.
Cool on wire racks or serve warm.

Recipe Notes

* Fresh dandelion leaf can be substituted for dried dandelion leaf, but in larger amounts. If using fresh dandelion leaf, add 1/4 cup chopped to 16 ounces water.

**Using organic ingredients whenever possible will make baked goods all the more nourishing. For this bread use organic flour, olive oil, garlic, and parsley if available.

Red Clover Herb Blend BonBons

Dina Ranade — Mon, 30 May 2016 16:43:37 +0000

nut buttter and honey

ingredients in bowl

inside a bonbon

I think it’s hard to bake. It takes time, time that I don’t always have especially when there are piles of laundry to do, dogs to walk, a house to clean, writing and researching to do and it is enough that I feed my children breakfast lunch and dinner. And when I do bake, my results never look like the perfect pictures I see on Instagram and all the food blogs I follow. Sometimes I get frustrated, despite the time and money spent on ingredients, I throw it all in the garbage.

But I love to bake. I am not sure why. It may be the challenge, perhaps the result will be that success I have been waiting for, the breakthrough that makes me a talented baker. It may be the alchemy, for how can the mixing of simple ingredients produce such joy? Sometimes it just feels so good to work through all of the steps, therapeutic almost. And it’s interesting because people like to know what you are baking. I would love the day to come when it’s easier for me. Someone told me recently the key to enticing people to bake with herbs is to make it easy. So, there is my goal for myself and for others.

These bonbons are not actually baking, but they’re easy. The most labor intense part is rolling the dough-like batter into balls. But once finished, you’ll have a large supply of instant snacks that keep for a long time in the fridge.

Red Clover Herb Blend BonBons

Eating one or two of these bonbons is super satisfying so even though they taste chocolate-nutty yum, I don’t think you will feel tempted to eat many at one time.

Herbdandelion leaf, nettles, red clover
Apothecarypowdered herb
BakingConfection
Special Dietdairy-free, gluten-free
Traditional Useanti-inflammatory, nutritive

Servings	Prep Time
30balls	30minutes

Servings	Prep Time
30balls	30minutes

Ingredients

For red clover herb blend

1/4cup red clover buds, dried
1/4cup oat straw, dried
1/2cup dandelion leaf, dried
1/2cup nettle leaf, dried

For bonbons

2cup organic tahinisesame seed butter
1cup organic almond butter
½cup organic raw honey
5tbsp red clover herb blend, powdered
2 1/2tbsp ground flax seed
1/2cup cocoa powder
1cup granola, groundfor coating bonbons

Instructions

For red clover herbal blend

Measure and mix herbs together in a small bowl.
Using coffee grinder, blend mixture for about 10 seconds until fine powder.
Let stand for about 2 minutes to allow powder to settle before uncovering.

For bonbons

Combine tahini, almond butter, and honey in large bowl and mix to form a paste.
Add flax seed, cocoa powder, and powdered herbs and mix to combine. Add more cocoa if needed to thicken and form soft dough.
Chill in refrigerator at least 30 minutes prior to rolling and coating.
Whirl granola in a coffee grinder until coarsely ground, not a fine powder like herb blend but with no large pieces remaining.
Roll into small balls about 1 tablespoon in size. May also roll smaller if desired. Spread ground granola on flat plate and roll bonbons to coat.
Store in covered container, refrigerated these will last for about 2 weeks.

Recipe Notes

* Any combination of dried herbs can be powdered and used in these bonbons if the listed herbs are not available. These are especially delicious made with only red clover buds. Just powder herbs and add in proper amount to other ingredients.

* Using organic ingredients will make these bonbons even more nourishing. If available, use organic tahini, almond butter, honey, cocoa powder, and herbs.

Dandelion Fudge Brownies

Dina Ranade — Wed, 23 Sep 2015 15:37:31 +0000

dandelion fudge brownie

dandelion puree

cut brownies

Because some ingredients may be hard to find, links are provided to make buying easier. I may earn a small commission for some of the product links in this recipe. Your purchase will lend support to this website at no further cost to you. Big love and thanks for that.

Dandelion Fudge Brownies

Eating leafy green vegetables takes on a whole new meaning here in these fudgy treats. They may not offer a full serving, but that would depend on how many brownies you eat.

Herbdandelion leaf
Apothecaryfresh herb
BakingCake
Traditional Usedigestion

Servings	Prep Time
16brownies	25-30minutes

Cook Time

30minutes

Servings	Prep Time
16brownies	25-30minutes

Cook Time

30minutes

Ingredients

For dandelion leaf puree

1 bunch dandelion leaf greens(1-2 cups)
1tbsp organic unsalted butter
1-2 tbsp water

For brownies

4ounces (1 stick) organic unsalted butter
2ounces unsweetened chocolate
2ounces semisweet chocolate
3/4cup dandelion leaf puree
2 organic eggs
1 1/2cups (300g) organic granulated sugar
1tsp vanilla extract
1/8tsp kosher salt
3/4cup organic all-purpose flour, sifted
1/2cup milk chocolate chips
powdered sugar for dusting

Instructions

For dandelion puree

In medium saucepan, bring 1 inch water to boil, add chopped dandelion greens and cover. Reduce heat to medium and cook for 5 minutes. Alternately, dandelion greens can be steamed over boiling water for 5 minutes.
Immediately remove from heat and rinse with cold water to stop cooking. Place steamed dandelion greens into food processor with melted butter, process until pureed, adding water as needed to obtain smooth consistency.
This does not have to be totally smooth, a coarse puree will work fine.

For brownies

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Prepare a 9 inch square pan by measuring a 12 inch piece of aluminum foil, turn pan upside down and place foil shiny side down over pan and shape by turning down sides and corners. Remove foil, turn pan right side up and place shaped foil into pan, pressing gently into place. Coat foil with butter either very soft or melted and spread all around with pastry brush or crumpled wax paper.
Combine butter and chocolates into top of double boiler and place over hot water in bottom on moderate heat. Cover and heat until almost completely melted. Remove from heat, stir, and allow to sit covered until completely melted. Stir in dandelion puree and allow to cool slightly.
In electric mixer, beat eggs for on high speed 30 seconds, no more, just until frothy and a bit increased in volume. Decrease to low speed, gradually add sugar, beating only 2-3 seconds after each addition. Add vanilla extract, salt, and chocolate mixture, scraping sides with rubber spatula and beating just until barely mixed.
Add flour, continue to scrape bowl with spatula and beat until mixed. Stir in chocolate chips. It is important not to over mix batter to assure moist and fudgy consistency of brownies.
Pour batter into prepared pan and smooth top. Bake for 35 minutes until toothpick inserted in center comes out barely clean. Do not over bake.
Cool on wire rack for 45 minutes then refrigerate until completely cool before cutting. Slice with a sharp knife into 16 2inch squares and dust with powdered sugar. These can be wrapped individually and freeze nicely.

Recipe Notes

*Using organic ingredients whenever possible will make your baked goods all the more nourishing. For these brownies, use organic butter, sugar, eggs, and flour if available.