Scored Flower Bread
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This Dutch oven flower bread bakes up with a crisp, crackly crust and a soft, airy interior. You can keep it plain and rustic with the simple score pattern that takes 2 minutes, or dust the top with colored rice flour before scoring to create a beautiful ombre floral design.
Equipment
Ingredients
- 4½ cups bread flour
- 2¼ teaspoons instant yeast (one packet)
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 1 cup plus 2 Tablespoons warm water (between 105°F-115°F or 41°C-46°C)
- gel food dye mixed with rice flour or natural dye powders like dragon fruit (pitaya) powder and butterfly pea powder (for the surface color decoration)
Instructions
- In a mixing bowl, whisk the flour, instant yeast, and salt.
- Add the warm water to the dry ingredients, and mix everything with a large wooden spoon until it’s combined.
- On a lightly floured surface, knead the dough for 5-7 minutes by hand (or 4-5 minutes in a stand mixer with a hook attachment), until the dough is smooth and elastic. Sprinkle a teaspoon of bread flour onto your counter (not directly on the bread) as you knead it (as needed) to prevent it from sticking to your hands and the counter. Bread flour takes a little longer to hydrate than white flour, but the longer you knead the dough, the more elastic it’ll become.
- Shape the dough into a ball and place it in a clean mixing bowl. Cover with a clean kitchen towel or a dinner plate, and set in a warm draft-free place to rise and double in size, after about 1.5 to 2 hours. (I like rising my dough in the oven, turned off, with the oven light on.)
- On a clean surface, shape the dough into a round shape. Create tension on the surface of the dough by using your hands to gently pull the bottom of the bread along the counter towards you. Tuck all the seams underneath.
- Place the dough seam-side-up either in a round proofing basket or in a wide, shallow bowl lined with a kitchen towel dusted with a little flour. Cover the dough with a towel and allow it to proof in a warm spot for 30 minutes, or until an indentation made with your finger springs back to its original shape after 2-3 seconds.
- Preheat your oven to 450°F (235°C). Place a Dutch oven with the lid in the oven to become hot as the oven preheats.
- Once the dough is proofed, sprinkle a little flour or cornmeal on a large piece of parchment paper or a silicone bread sling, and place the dough seam-side-down on top.
- Spray the surface of your loaf with water from a mister or spray bottle. (This helps the color adhere to the loaf better & create more steam in the Dutch oven as it bakes.)
- Ombre Color: Place just the outer ring of a mason jar lid in the center of the loaf. Sift yellow-dyed rice flour or turmeric into the lid, to create a circle of color. Remove the lid and smooth out the powder as needed.Place the inner circle of a mason jar lid over the circle of color to protect it. Sift pink-dyed rice flour or dragon fruit powder in a ring around the lid. Then sift purple-dyed rice flour or indigo blueberry powder around the outer edges. Remove the mason jar lid. Use your hands again to gently smooth out any excess powder and blend the edges of the colors a bit.
- Flower Design: Use a bread scoring lame to score ½-inch (1.25cm) deep around the inner yellow circle to form the inner circle of the flower. Score ¼-inch (0.6 cm) to ½-inch (1.25cm) deep oblong petals around the inner circle. Score three ¼-inch (0.6 cm) deep long lines along each petal. Use sharp kitchen scissors to cut the outer points of each petal, so they are more pronounced & separate from the rest of the loaf.
- Remove the hot Dutch oven from your oven and remove the lid. Pick up the bread by holding the corners of the parchment paper, and carefully place it in the hot Dutch oven.
- Cover with the lid and place it in the oven. Bake covered for 30 minutes, then remove the lid, and bake for an additional 10-15 minutes uncovered, until the crust is crispy and the bread has an internal temperature of at least 205°F. Allow the loaf to cool on a cooling rack for at least 1 hour before slicing. Enjoy!
Notes
- Hydration: I know it seems like a weird measurement for the water, but 1½ cups made the dough too dry and 1¾ cups made it too wet and sticky.
- Spray Bottle: If you don’t have a spray bottle, you can flick a little water onto the loaf and spread it around with your hand. This step isn’t totally necessary, but I find that it helps the color powders stick to the loaf better & create a crisper crust.
- Storing: Allow the bread to cool completely then store it in a paper or cloth bag. To freeze, wrap the loaf tightly in plastic wrap then aluminum foil.
- Food Dye: I prefer using gel-based food dye that I mix into rice flour with my hands, because I can control the vibrancy and hue of each color. If you want to avoid artificial dyes though, you can use natural food dye powders like turmeric, beet or dragon fruit powder, and purple sweet potato or indigo blueberry powder, noting that your colors will be darker and more vibrant. And I included the colors I used in the instructions, but feel free to use whatever colors you like!
Nutrition
Serving: 1 slice (of 12)Calories: 177kcalCarbohydrates: 35gProtein: 7gFat: 1gSaturated Fat: 0.1gPolyunsaturated Fat: 0.3gMonounsaturated Fat: 0.2gSodium: 391mgPotassium: 68mgFiber: 2gSugar: 0.1gVitamin A: 1IUVitamin C: 0.01mgCalcium: 9mgIron: 0.5mg
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