Rustic Flower Pot Bread Loaves or Bread Rolls

French Tart's Note:

These Flower Pot bread loaves or bread rolls will certainly be a point of conversation and no doubt bring gasps of pleasure and admiration when you serve them! Moreover, they are so easy to make especially if you start your dough off in a bread machine. Bread was originally baked in terracotta or clay pots, so these are not so different from old fashioned bread made many years ago. You must make sure your flower pots are seasoned before you bake in them, but once they are seasoned they are ready to be used over and over again. I have added a list of suggested extras, and I always like to sprinkle mixed seeds on top of these - they almost look like seeds that have been sown in the flower pots! I have listed ingredients for basic white bread here, but you can add wholewheat, granary or rye flour if you would like a variation. I am sorry, but I have to say it, these flower pot loaves or rolls should turn out "Blooming Marvellous"! Had to be said! Have fun. NB: Strong white flour is the British culinary term for bread flour, flour that is used in breadmaking with a high gluten content. All purpose flour is NOT strong bread flour and will NOT give the desired results in this bread recipe. It NEVER crossed my mind that anyone would think that old flower pots are used in this recipe!! LOL! PLEASE use new plant pots and season them before baking the bread in them, as stated in the recipe..........I hope that helps those of you who may have been "lost in translation"!)

• Total Time: 1 hrs 30 mins
• Prep Time: 1 hrs
• Cook Time: 30 mins

Ingredients:

Serves: 6

Yield: 2.0 Flower ...

Bread

• 1 lb strong white bread flour
• 2 teaspoons sugar
• 1 ½ teaspoons salt
• ½ ounce butter
• ½ ounce fresh yeast or 2 teaspoons dried yeast
• ½ pint tepid water

Optional Extras

• 2 ounces poppy seeds
• 2 ounces mixed seeds
• 2 ounces pumpkin seeds
• 2 ounces chopped walnuts
• 2 ounces grated cheese
• 2 ounces chopped olives
• 2 garlic cloves , peeled and crushed
• 2 tablespoons mixed herbs
• 2 tablespoons chopped chives
• ½ onion , peeled and grated
• 2 tablespoons sun-dried tomatoes , drained and finely diced

Flower Pot Seasoning

• oil
• lard
• butter

Directions:

1. To prepare the flower pots:.
2. Take two to six earthenware flower pots (3 to 6 inches in size). Wash thoroughly and grease them inside and outside, with lard, butter or oil. (Please use NEW plant pots, of course!).
3. Heat in a pre-heated oven at 190°C; 375°F: Gas 5, for 25-30 minutes.
4. Repeat the process two or three times for a good "seasoning" and non-stick surface on your flower pots.
5. Before baking with them, line the base with greaseproof paper or baking parchment - especially if there is a hole in the bottom of the flower pot!
6. To make the Bread:.
7. If you are using dried yeast. Dissolve one teaspoon of sugar in the warm water then add the dried yeast. Leave until frothy, about ten minutes. If you are using fresh yeast, blend it into the warm water.
8. Place the flours, salt and sugar in a large mixing bowl and rub in the butter.
9. (Add any extras you might be using here.).
10. Add the yeast liquid to the dry ingredients and mix to a soft dough.
11. Turn the dough onto a work surface and knead the dough by folding towards you, then pushing down and away from you with the heel of your hand. Give the dough a quarter turn and repeat the action. Knead until smooth and no longer sticky.
12. Cut the dough in to even sized pieces and place in the prepared and well oiled/buttered flower pots, which should be placed on a baking tray. Glaze with milk or salted water and sprinkle with mixed seeds.
13. Place the pots inside a large oiled polythene bag and leave in a warm place until the dough doubles its size, about 45 - 60 minutes.
14. Remove the polythene bag and bake on the middle shelf of a hot oven at 230°C (450°F) or Gas 8 for 10 to 30 minutes, depending on the size of your flower pots, or until the bread is browned and sounds hollow when tapped.
15. Remove the bread from the flower pots and cool on a wire rack. You can then replace them in the flower pots to serve, once they have cooled!
16. This dough can be proved in a bread maker/machine for ease and with good results. Follow your machine's instructions, I add liquids to my bread maker first and then dry ingredients last.
17. Add the extras before adding the liquids to the dry ingredients and if using a bread maker/machine, add them when the "Extras" alert sounds or add them to the "Exras" tray.

Reviews

[free-free]

Fabulously fun !! Brought some pots to a Mother's Day brunch +'ed H U G E hit...um had my eye on this for a while ...loving the idea...got super affordable pots at some mish-mash cheapo shops in both 6"&3" sizes and prepped them with mostly coconut oil...just used bread flour this time with a mix of rough ground flax,and both black and natural sesame added in...used vegan margarine...sprinkled more seeds and a sea salted mix of almond milk-honey glazed tops...baked exactly as stated {{time was dead on even for my "temp"eraMENTAL oven ;) }}...then re-potted the gifts in some festive dollar store pots with bright tissue wrappings...peeps were thrilled with the potted presents...I loved playing with this one and am already excited with more ideas like adding in veggie-J dyes (think beet for pinks) and other seeds for more colorful bouquets and using different flour mixes for different "flowering" effects...;) - FAB- FAB-FAB idea &great recipe...Thanks for a wonderful share French Tart...this will be a new go to for me as a giftie to bring with me to house invites, dinner parties , pot-lucks & what-nots...LOVED IT!!!!:) A SUPER WINNER RECIPE!!!*****

[ala-kat]

You don't use 'used' flower pots, you use new, 'seasoned' pots, or old 'seasoned' pots. Common sense. As for the flour, try 'all-poupose'.

[Bonnie G #2]

We were having company and I wanted a wow factor for dinner and these were so much fun and pretty easy to put together. The dough was just enough for my 6 pots and looked so pretty on the table. I choose to add the onion and black olives and then topped with chives. It was so impressive and the taste was awesome (I used NEW pots LOL) Can't wait to try other variations, maybe rye flour.