This recipe comes with a warning that you will require protective clothing to make it, but nothing to scary, just a pair of gloves !!!
You may be thinking that Nettle Bread is a little bit extreme in my bid for healthy eating, but nettles are really really good for you, they are full of Vitamin A, Calcium, Iron, Vitamin B-6 and Magnesium, plus they are really low in calories, also they are free, so well worth a try.
This Nettle Bread was delicious, I received the silly comments that it stung when you ate it from the jokers in the family and my Daughter said she was nervous to try it, which did make me chuckle, but once they all tried it they had to admit that is was gorgeous.
I hardly ever buy bread, I hate that it may be full of nasties that I would rather not be putting into my body, the joy of making your own, apart from the wonderful smell wafting around the house is you know exactly what has gone into it. You can use any flour you like, add seeds, make it gluten free and even use honey or maple syrup instead of sugar, you can tailor it to your own dietary needs and taste.
I never think you can have to many bread recipes and to have some quirky ones always adds interest, a great idea when having guests over or to take as a gift, they may be rather impressed with your amazing Nettle Bread!
Next up on my list of breads is blackberry, well you know me, I do like to keep it seasonal.
Buon appetito
Makes 2 small loaves
600 g flour (I used strong bread flour, I chose wholemeal but you can use what ever you prefer)
1 teaspoon salt
10g fresh yeast
400ml lukewarm water
1 teaspoon sugar
100ml olive oil
75g nettle leaves (Gloves)
1 teaspoon Maldon sea salt
Combine the flour and salt in a bowl.
Put the yeast in lukewarm tap water, add the sugar, stir well to dissolve. Let sit for about 10 minutes. Then make a well in the flour, pour in the yeast mix, cover lightly with a bit of flour and let sit for a further 10 minutes, until bubbles form.
Add 3 tablespoons of the olive oil and then being to knead. Knead the dough either with a mixer or by hand for 10 minutes.
Put the dough back into the bowl and cover with cling film.
Let the dough rise in a warm place for 1 hour until doubled in size. i
In the meantime, clean the nettle and take off only the leaves (discard the stems). Pat dry with kitchen paper.
Once the dough has risen, knead in the nettle leaves, leaving some to put on top.
Half the dough into two equal parts and with floured hands shape into balls.
Preheat the oven to 220 c / 430 f.
Put the breads on a baking sheet lined with parchment, garnish with the remaining nettles, brush with the remaining olive oil and sprinkle liberally with Maldon sea salt.
Let the breads rise again for 15 minutes.
Reduce the oven’s heat to 180 c / 360 f.
Bake the breads for 20 to 23 minutes.
Allow to cool slightly but serve slightly warm.
Comments (0)