Monday, May 7, 2012

BREAD ON MONDAY - Lambsquarters Bread

Call it what you want.... Goosefoot, Goose Foot, Lambsquarters, Lambs Quarters, Wild Spinach, Pig Weed, Fat Hen, Poor Man's Spinach, and the list goes on and on. But whatever you want to call it, I call it DELICIOUS!!! It is one of the most versatile and nutritious vegetables that I know of. And I am thankful that I have been so very blessed to have it growing so abundantly on my front acre, so in the coming months, you will probably be seeing lots of recipes making good use of this wonderful green veggie.

This time I used it to make a great loaf of bread in my bread machine. It came out so good that I want to share it with you. Although I did write down how I did it as I went (in case it came out good and I wanted to make it again), I will warn you, all measurements are approximate. Although most are exact (as I used) in this recipe, I usually cook on the "dab of this, dash of that" method. Add in to the mix, there are many factors that can vary from batch to batch...such as - moisture content of your flour, amount of liquid in your soft ingredients, age of your yeast, type of sugar used, room temperature, atmospheric conditions, and the list goes on. So if it doesn't work out as well as you would like the first time, don't give up... try again, making adjustments accordingly! A bread recipe may come out somewhat differently from one person to the next, but all results are usually very good.


WILD SPINACH BREAD - For the Bread Machine

   3/4 cup wild spinach puree (fresh lambsquarter cooked tender, then pureed in a food processor)
   3/4 cup warm (not hot) filtered or spring water
   4 tsp. sunflower oil
   1 tsp. natural, unprocessed salt (I used Pink Himalayan)
   1 1/2 tsp. evaporated cane juice (granulated)
   3 1/2 cups bread flour (approximately)
   1 3/4 tsp instant yeast
   Butter

Make sure the paddle is securely in place in the bucket of your bread machine. Nothing is much more upsetting on a loaf of bread machine bread than to anxiously have anticipated that finished loaf of bread, only to learn that you had forgotten to put the paddle in!

In the bottom of your bread machine bucket, place the spinach puree, warm water, sunflower oil, salt, and sugar (evaporated cane juice). Give it all a little mix. It doesn't have to be very thorough.

Add in the flour, making sure it spreads out to cover the liquid ingredients.

Make a small well in the flour and add in the yeast. Secure the bucket of ingredients into your bread machine, set it to White Bread - Medium Crust - and turn on according to your Bread Machine instructions.

After your bread dough has mixed for a few minutes, check it for proper moisture content. While you still have plenty of mixing time, decide if the dough texture is 'just right' or if it is too stiff (needs a sprinkle more water) or too soft (needs a sprinkle more flour). But KEEP YOUR FINGERS OUT OF THE RUNNING BREAD MACHINE!

When the cycle has completed and your bread is done, carefully remove (Carefully, it will be hot!) and lightly brush the entire outside of the loaf with melted butter. (I cheat and simply rub the stick of butter around all over the loaf. If the bread is hot, the butter melts as you rub it around over the bread.)  Let cool just a few minutes for easier slicing. Serve warm or slice cold for sandwiches. Would also make good croutons for salads.

This bread provides a great nutritional punch. It may also be a great way to get your kids to eat their veggies! For me, it made absolutely wonderful Grilled Cheese Sandwiches! I do hope you enjoy!

NOTE: Spinach or other greens can be used in place of the lambsquarters/wild spinach. It is measured AFTER it is pureed.
Also, this bread recipe is NOT restricted to just a bread machine. It works just as well mixed and kneaded by hand, then baked in your oven, as you would an average loaf of bread.  We loved this bread so much, I plan to put up small packages of cooked Lambsquarters in the freezer so that I can make it throughout the cold winter months to go with hot soups.

2 comments:

  1. So healthy! You know, my parents used to pick Lambsquarter to mix with poke and other wild greens. I honestly don't know what it looks like so I'm going to Google and then go picking! We absolutely love healthy breads so this is a real treasure. LOVE your blog and can't wait to look over the recipes! Thanks for coming by Granny Mountain this morning, I do a blog for our Co-op on Thursdays but the rest of the time it's a mish mash of the things that roll around in my brain! Come back and visit anytime...

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    Replies
    1. Thank you so very much!!! I am so glad you like our blog and find it useful.
      Lambsquarters is easily identifiable. And I find it most tender, and easiest to pick, if I just pinch off the ends of each plant/branch. It also helps to plant to branch out and make more tender shoots. For stir fry, I like to hand pick some of the larger leaves.

      I will add; however, it isn't wise to pick it for eating if you are in a dry spell, as lambsquarters easily absorbs nitrites from the soil. Picking it when we have had a fair amount of rain is best. And it is easily frozen for later use, too!

      And you are welcome. I will definitely have to give your site a better visit when I slow down a bit in a couple of days. It sounds very interesting. And thanks again for joining us!

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