Shopping list
10.5g of dry yeast
450 ml lukewarm water
350g white bread flour
400g wholemeal flour
a dash of sea salt
10g butter
2 raisins
optional:
free range oraganic egg, beaten
pieces of fondant icing, red, orange, yellow
Every child at a Waldorf School knows the Michaelmas feast, it is the first annual feast of each new school year. Archangel Michael weighs good and evil first and then he fights for good and conquers evil. Evil in this context is the dragon.
There is a lot of red in the classrooms, the colour of Michael's cloak. In kindergarten classes the Fall, the harvest and thanksgiving are celebrated and that goes together with the making of jam, apple jelly and applesauce. But also the traditional Dragon Bread is baked. That's what we are doing today too!
How to make a Dragon Bread
Pour water and yeast in a saucepan and put it on low heat.
Stir yeast and water together until the water is lukewarm.
Combine the 2 flours with the salt and make a well in the middle.
Place butter in the well, gradually add the water mixture, knead it 10 minutes.
Shape the dough into a ball.
Put it in a clean bowl and cover with a tea cloth.
Let it rise 1 hour in a warm spot.
Knock the air out of the dough.
Back in the bowl and cover it.
Let it rise for another 30 minutes.
Shape the ball into an oval.
Preheat the oven to 220°C / 200°C Fan
How to make a dragon shape (of sorts ;) )
Place the dough on waxed paper and pull all body parts out of the Dragon, loose pressed on pieces break easily
Stretch the dough and shape a head and tail.
Pull out legs and scales on the back and tail.
Cut claws on the legs and cut the beak open.
Keep the beak open with tin foil en put in teeth.
We use the cut off dough from the legs to make the teeth and press raisins in the head as eyes
Now brush the Dragon with beaten egg.
Move the dragon to the oven.
Also place 2 cups of water in the oven.
Bake the Dragon Bread in 45 minutes golden brown and cooked through, with the oven door ajar for the last 5 - 10 minutes (knock on the bottom of the bread, if it sounds hollow, it is done)
Allow the bread to cool on a wire rack.
Remove the tinfoil from the mouth and stick in fondant flames.
This was our first Dragon, next year we want to give the dragon wings! Merry Autumn and a Happy Michaelmas Day!