SKILL LEVEL: Master
PREP: 20 minutes
RISING: 1 1 /2 hours
BAKING: About 25 minutes
MAKES: 2 small loaves
PAIRS WELL WITH: Butter, jam, honey
SKILL LEVEL: Master
PREP: 20 minutes
RISING: 1 1 /2 hours
BAKING: About 25 minutes
MAKES: 2 small loaves
PAIRS WELL WITH: Butter, jam, honey
Shaped like the hives of the wild bees domesticated in Eversong Woods, this blood elven bread does not disappoint. Enjoy it with jam or more honey—because you can’t have too much honey.
1 /4 cup warm water
3 /4 cup rolled oats
1 /2 cup milk, warmed
2 tablespoons butter, melted
1 /2 cup honey
2 teaspoons instant dry yeast
1 1 /2 teaspoons salt
1 egg
Up to 3 cups flour
1. Combine the warm water and oats in a large bowl, letting them sit for five minutes to soak. Add the milk, honey, yeast, salt, and one tablespoon of the melted butter to the bowl. Beat in the egg, and then gradually mix in the flour, one cup at a time—you may not need all of it—until you have a nice, workable dough that isn’t too sticky. Turn it out onto a lightly floured surface and knead for several minutes until the dough bounces back when poked. Place the dough in a lightly greased bowl and set in a warm place to rise for about an hour, or until doubled in size.
2. Butter the outside of a small mixing bowl roughly 8 inches wide and 6 inches tall. Set upside down on a baking sheet. Divide the dough into four equal parts. Roll these pieces of dough out into ropes, each about 3 feet long. Beginning at the top of the overturned bowl, coil one rope around itself, working your way outward and down the bowl. When you reach the end of the first piece, pinch another length of dough onto the end and continue coiling, forming a beehive shape. It’s fine if the dough doesn’t reach all the way to the baking sheet when you are done—it will expand as it rises. Cover the dough lightly and allow to rise again for about half the time as before.
3. Preheat the oven to 350°F, and once the bread has risen again, move the baking sheet to the oven and bake for around 20 minutes, or until the outside of the bread is a light golden color. Brush with the remaining tablespoon of melted butter, and allow to cool before gently lifting the bread off the bowl.