🍞Litha buttermilk bread🍞
1 cup buttermilk (if you dont have it, mix one cup of milk and a tbsp of lemon juice or white vinegar)
1/2 cup of warm water (i mixed some moon water with normal to add in a bit of magic)
2 TBSP melted butter (when the dough was sticking I added oil instead)
2 TBSP sugar
1 tsp salt
3 1/2 cups all-purpose or bread flour
1 TBSP yeast
1/2 tbsp baking soda (it neutralizes the sourness of the dough. It will be sour from the buttermilk so add it in)
1tbs honey
optional: I added thyme, lavender and a bit of cinnamon since it is Litha bread.
Combine buttermilk, butter, honey and sugar in a mixing bowl. In a separate bowl, combine dry ingredients, including yeast. Whisk dry ingredients together to combine, then add to buttermilk mixture in the mixing bowl. Mix ingredients until well combined. If your dough looks a bit dry, add in another splash of buttermilk. Once you’ve achieved a good consistency, Knead by hand for about 10 minutes (it was a suffering for me cuz it was sticking all over my hands lol. I added in a splash of oil). Proper kneading is critical to great textured homemade bread!
Once dough is done kneading, cover and let rise in a warm place for about 1 hour; until dough has doubled in size.
Punch dough down and knead several times. Shape dough and place in a greased bread loaf pan. Place dough back in the warm spot and let it rise for another 30-45 minutes.
optional:sprinkle it with poppy or sunflower seeds.
Preheat the oven to 350 (175 °C) degrees F. Bake dough for about 30-35 minutes- until top is golden brown. Let cool and slice.
After it is done, recite: “From the fields and through the stones, into fire, Midsummer Bread, as the Wheel turns may all be fed. Goddess Bless."
Remember to fully knead. The recipe below kneads for 10 minutes and it’s worth it! Kneading dough helps to develop the flavor and texture of the bread, so don’t skimp on kneading time.
my outcome:
