St Davids Day Recipes 1

Welsh Pot Bread

Recipe And Ingredients

2 new, unused, unglazed or painted, bare 6-inch terracotta flower pots
Parchment paper
1 1/2 cups Spelt flour
1/2 cup milk warmed to room temperature
1/2 cup water warmed to room temperature
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 oz or two packets fresh or dried active yeast
1 egg
4 tbsp melted butter
2 Tbs finely chopped scallions
1 Tbs chopped fresh chives, chopped
1 1/2 tsp salt
1 Tbs honey
1 tsp chopped fresh sage
1 tsp crushed fresh rosemary leaves
1 clove crushed garlic

Seasoning flower pots

This step can be done in advance of preparing the bread, at any time.

Pre-heat oven to 175F

Thoroughly wash pots inside and out and dry well. Coat pots all over (including the rim and the bottom) with olive oil inside and out, using a basting brush or paper towel. Place pots in oven on a cookie sheet and bake at 175F for about 20-30 minutes, or until dry. Remove pots from oven and allow to cool. Repeat this process three times.

Preparing Pot Bread

Preheat oven to 400F.

Slightly warm two tablespoons of the milk and dissolve the honey in it. Allow to cool to lukewarm and add the yeast and mix into a thin paste. Cover and set aside in a warm place for 15 minutes or until yeast is well grown and foamy.

Sift together flours and salt in large bowl, make a well in the center and pour the yeast mixture into the well. Add water, butter, onions, herbs and garlic, mix together well and knead on floured surface about 5 minutes, adding additional spelt flour in small amounts until it becomes a smooth, elastic dough. Pat dough into a ball shape. Place dough ball in a lightly warmed, greased bowl and cover in a warm place for approximately one hour, until dough has risen to double in size.

Turn dough out onto floured surface and punch down only to knock out all the air, kneading lightly. Separate dough into two equal-sized balls. Place a circle of parchment paper to cover the bottom of each pot and place a dough ball on it. Cover each ball of dough and put in a warm place for approximately a half hour to an hour, until dough balls have risen to double in size or until they stop rising. Gently brush tops of each loaf with well-beaten egg. Place pots on cookie sheet in oven preheated at 400F for 30-40 minutes, until golden brown. Remove from oven and turn out to cool.