Pretty in Pink Purim Beet Bread

Purim gives us an excuse to have a little fun in the kitchen. I confess, the years of churning out dozens upon dozens of hamantaschen are long gone but I try to make something special and fun each year. I’ve done etrog liqueur (a big hit) and challa and this year I was flipping through a magazine from Waitrose.

A small explanation – my buddy Paulette who lives in London (at least half time) and I hang out together when I’m there doing absolutely everything together whether tagging along whilst she ferries her grandsons to the pitch for football (soccer) or going shopping with her for groceries.

In London (and elsewhere in the UK) Waitrose is considered a posh or fancy supermarket and is great fun for me to browse in. On top of everything else they publish a gorgeous magazine both illustrating their items for purchase as well as recipes – some from famous chefs.

I took home one of these magazines and discovered a stunning recipe for beetroot (beet) bread. It looks like shattered rubies in the dough. Aside from how incredibly stunning the bread looked, it was a fairly simple thing to make. So, I made it the first time with my white whole wheat flour and the color was stunning till I baked it 😐. And it turned a light brown. OMG it was so aggravating after all that work, so be warned – this you gotta bake with white flour or you lose the beautiful color.

Look how gorg that is! It almost looks likes strawberry ice cream!

I used the vacuum packed pre-cooked beets to save time and they were perfect for this. Plunk them (you should weigh them if at all possible or try to eyeball them see the pic) in the food processor

I added all the water into the food processor to save a step and to ease the chopping of the beets. You want a bit of texture to them – not too fine.

You pour the lot into your mixer or bread maker in which already reposes the yeast, flour, salt, buttermilk/soy “buttermilk’ and I put in 2 tablespoons of plain veg oil to keep it moist. Mix/knead all together and let rise for about an hour or doubled in size.

Punch down (you will have such fun since it’s this great color and as I always like to say, like adult play doh!) and form into mini loaves. If you are not gifting them, you can make regular loaves out of them you’ll just have to increase the baking time. I prefer to make them in tins rather than on a cookie sheet so they will achieve some height.

And you sprinkle them with a bit of white flour as decoration and contrast.

This should be bake on a higher temp, 400 degrees, to get a nice hollow sound when the loaf is tapped, for 20 minutes for the mini loaves.

I’m not sure the picture does full justice, they do come out pink. The inner part of the bread is light brown but the crust is gorgeously, gloriously pink. Then, DH and I sliced and bit into the loaves with butter and sighed with delight. The beet adds a depth of flavor you don’t anticipate and doesn’t taste beet-y if you get me but utterly delish. And pretty. Did I mention they’re gorgeous? Even DH said, hey, those look really beautiful. Just wow, he noticed 🙂 .

Pretty in Pink Beet Bread for Purim (or any time of the year, yeah they’re that good)

2.2 pounds (1 Kilo) White Flour – do NOT substitute white whole wheat or you WILL be aggravated since they will turn brown in the baking. Have a bit extra flour for sprinkling on loaves

2 teaspoons salt – stir into flour before putting in the yeast

4 1/2 teaspoons (14 gram) instant dry yeast

3/4 of a pound (340 grams) of beets, approximately 3 smallish beets, peeled and cooked (I buy the pre-cooked vacuum packed)

1/2 cup + a teaspoon (125 ml) of water

approximately 1 and 1/2 cups (300 ml) buttermilk or soymilk with a teaspoon of vinegar

2 tablespoons mild vegetable oil

Directions:

Into a mixer or bread maker, put the salt, flour and yeast. Mix briefly.

Take out a food processor (or blender) and whirl together the peeled, cooked beets with all the water in the recipe. Chop till fine but not overfine. (see pic above – you don’t want it water rather chopped fine). Pour the beet mixture into the flour mixture and add the buttermilk or soymilk with a teaspoon of vinegar. Mix well with paddle beater and switch to dough hook to knead till fully incorporated and then keep kneading with dough hook for 5-10 minutes. Cover with a towel or with oiled plastic wrap and let rise about an hour or till doubled in bulk.

Punch down dough and oil both hands and the dough itself and form into loaves (I got ten mini loaves from this dough mixture) and place in greased mini loaf pans and sprinkle with flour for the rustic look. At this point, preheat your oven to 400 degrees while the loaves rise again till they reach the top of the pan (not over the pans).

Put mini loaves into hot oven and bake for 20 minutes (know your oven, if it bakes hot, check a minute or two before). Remove from oven and if you tap a loaf and get a hollow sound it should be done. The loaves stay pink, they do not brown, which of course, is the whole point. Gorgeous and yummy, what could be bad?