Cooking Challenge: Lembas bread

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Challenge Season - Cooking Challenge: Lembas bread

Each year - and often many times a year because … well why not?!) I make a version of Elven Lembas bread. The basic recipe is the same, although I tweak and vary it on a whim to taste. There are MANY recipes out there, but this is the general recipe that is quick and easy and makes over a dozen squares of Lembas bread.

Ingredients:

450 butter (soft/room temperature)

170g honey

20g maple syrup

2 teaspoons cinnamon powder

1/2 teaspoon nutmeg powder

1 teaspoon of vanilla essence or extract

2 teaspoon minced ginger or finely diced crystalline ginger

1/4 cup chopped slivered almond

4 cups plain flour

Unrefined raw brown sugar crystals (to garnish)

[notes]

• I use honey as I feel that it is a natural sugar that would be consistent with what elves might use. Maple syrup adds a little flavour to the sweetness, although golden syrup would also work (and be a little heavier).

• the cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger and vanilla are to add a little spice and flavour to what would otherwise be a potentially bland biscuit. The actual volumes can be varied to taste

• I do not use self raising flour or sodium bicarbonate as this causes the lambas bread to rise and deforms the shape.

Instructions:

Preheat your oven to 350deg Fahrenheit (175deg Celsius)

In a large bowl, mix together the room temperature butter. honey and golden syrup using a beater or whisk.

Sift in the plain flour (sifting it gives a smoother texture) and then add cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, slivered almond and vanilla. Mix the dough thoroughly with a large spoon until it is relatively smooth.

To knead the bread, choose a surface of a that won’t stick (such as a marble/metal chopping board or granite/stone bench). Dust the surface with it with a very light sprinkle of plain flour.

Knead the mixture until quite smooth. You can intermittently sprinkle a little flour if necessary to prevent the dough from adhering to the surface.

I cut off little portions that will flatten out to squares of your desired sizes (I make 7-8cm sides for adults and 5-6cm for my little ones). Flatten out the portion of the mixture to about 1cm thick (I tend to use hand rather than the effort of a roller).

I then use a butter knife , pressing around the edges, to shape the mixture into a square shape.

Using the the flat edge of the butter knife to score the Lembas from corner to corner to give the Lembas bread crossed appearance as we see in the films. I usually do a depth approximately half the depth. It also enables you to snap the portions for eating once cooked.

If desired, sprinkle a little coarse brown sugar on top for some texture.

Place the square on baking paper and bake for 350deg Fahrenheit (175deg Celsius) for about 20 to 25 minutes, or until lightly golden brown. You need to keep an eye on them so that they don’t burn.

Allow to cool on a baking rack and then either serve or store in an airtight container. The triangular scoring allows the Lembas to snap easily into bite-sized portions. They go well with ice cream and fresh forest berries (strawberries, raspberries, blackberries and blueberries).

For me, presentation is also important. I’m I’m serving them for a special occasion (Hobbit Day, Tolkien Day or Tolkien Reading Day) for guests, I like to present them on a plain wooden serving board and wrap them in an “Elven leaf”.

For the Elven leaf, you could use banana leaves or some other large natural leaf. However, I found the most practical was to draw and Elven shape lea on an A3 piece of paper, color it, cut it and voilà! You have an Elven leaf the right side for your Lembas!

And decorate the board with an Elven leaf brooch, or if you have Elven coins from Shire Post Mint, they would look great too!

And I usually tie up the wrapped Lembas with coarse string.

Apart from a great desert of Hobbit Day or a general

snack (my daughter loves them!), Lembas bread is a great gift for any friend going on a holiday (an adventure!) or a Hobbit/Tolkien/Tolkien Reading Day gift presented in a box or brown paper bag (still wrapped in their leaves of course!).

This might be the only Lembas bread ever consumed at an AFL Grand Final …