Learn How to make this Deliciously beautiful Lotus Flower Bread. Using simple scissor techniques, this Loaf is far easier to make than it looks.

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The Joy of Homemade Bread

Quite Simply. There is nothing like Home baked Bread. Apart from the treat that is warm bread straight from the oven! The sensory aspects of homemade bread are magical! The feel of the dough as you mould and shape your homemade loaf, the wholesome scent that fills your home as it bakes in the oven. The whole picture is as ‘Homely’ as it gets! Which is why Bread will always be my favourite food to bake.

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

• Convenient- simple Cupboard Staples , just 4 ingredients..Yeast, Water, Flour and Salt

• Unique- A very creatively Beautiful loaf, proudly made with your own 2 hands

• Centrepiece- A wonderful loaf to serve at a party or Celebration, serve along side cooked meats and other sandwich fillers for a self serve buffet spread.

• Surprisingly Easy- Easy Scissor techniques for an intricate looking loaf

How to make Lotus Flower Bread

Ingredients

• Strong White Bread Flour
• 1 Packet of Quick action Yeast
• Warm Water ( not hot)
• Water
• Salt

Instructions

• Sprinkle the Yeast on to of the warm water, set aside for 20-30 minutes to dissolve and activate
• In a large mixing bowl add the flour and Salt, mix together
• Make a well in the Centre of the flour, add the yeast mix and stir in
• Add the water and stir until you have a Shaggy Dough
• Turn out on to a floured surface, knead for 5 minutes until smooth and stretchy ( if the dough feels too wet, add sprinkles of flour until workable)
• Work the dough into a ball and place in an oiled bowl or proving bowl, cover and allow to rise for 2 hours until doubled in size
• Turn out the dough onto a lined baking tray, pat down with flour and create a circular shaped loaf (see video)
• Mark out a star shape by pressing a Barbecue Skewer into the dough then using Kitchen Scissors start cutting the petals, see video(on the recipe card at the end) and images below
• With a wooden tooth pick or barbecue skewer, punch decorative holes in the petals

• Preheat the oven to 230°c
• Once you are happy with your Lotus Flower, cover with cling film and set aside to puff up for 30 minutes

• For a crispy crust , place a baking tin 1/3 full with water in the bottom of the oven ( the water creates a steam environment within the Oven, which makes for a Golden Crusty loaf)
• Bake for 25 minutes until the base drums hollow

Why we knead bread dough

There are 2 reasons why we knead Bread dough before baking.

The first reason is because the process of kneading adds strength to the dough, the second reason is because it provides structure for the final baked product

How Flour Becomes Bread

Within Flour is two proteins, Gliadin and Glutenin, when the two are combined Gluten forms. The first step in making Bread is the standard mixing of the ingredients (Yeast, Water, Flour and Salt) at this point the dough is basically a Jumble of Proteins without any real structure, a shaggy mess of no particular uniformity.

Building The Dough

The next step is designed to make the dough more orderly, the process of Kneading forces the proteins to line up forming long chain amino acids that become the building blocks of the dough, creating a stronger dough- The longer you Knead the stronger the dough will become.

You are essentially Creating uniformity, you will feel the dough become smoother and more elastic as you work. You are building an elegant matrix of proteins. By Kneading, the action is trapping gas released from the yeast within the dough, which in turn helps the dough to rise. A well kneaded dough is what makes a loaf hold its shape while baking, giving you a sufficiently plump loaf and not a flat one!

What you’ll need to make Lotus Flower Bread

• Digital Kitchen Scales

• Mixing bowl

• Proving Bowl/ Oiled bowl

• Long Barbecue Skewer ( to form a star pattern guide on the dough)

• Kitchen Scissors

• Baking Tray

• Baking Paper or Baking Liner

How long Will Lotus Flower Bread Keep

Homemade Bread will keep for 3-4 days, you can extend its shelf life by 4-5 days by keeping it in the fridge.

Can you Freeze Lotus Flower Bread

Of course! Wrap in cling film, pop in a Freezer bag and freeze for up to 3 months

Looking for More Bread Recipes ?

Artisan Dinner Rolls

Salt and Pepper Bread

Boule Loaf

Fougasse Bread

Caramelised Onion Focaccia Bread

Did you make this Recipe ?

If so, please leave a rating and comment, I would love to know what you thought. Did you take a picture? Great! Tag me on Instagram, I love to share your creations on my stories.