Fall, Hobbits, and Lembas Bread

It has been far too long since I have done a baking post! Time to fix that.

In case you haven't noticed, it's Fall! Everyone knows that Fall is the perfect time for baking (so is Winter, Spring, and Summer for that matter). It's also a perfect time to remember our dear friends Frodo and Bilbo Baggins. Last weekend was Hobbit day. If you think I'm making that up, I'm not. In honor of that and baking, I'm going to share with you a not so secret recipe passed down by elves for millennia. It's the recipe for lembas bread--that stuff that can fill a grown man after one bite, but not a hungry hobbit apparently.




I've seen this recipe multiple places around the internet, so I don't feel bad sharing it. I honestly don't even know what the original source was! However, I have made it a few times, and I rather enjoy it. It's probably not very authentic, especially since I like to sneak a dab of whipped cream for the perfect finishing touch. Just don't tell the elves.

It's very much like making scones, and the texture is similar also. One bite is definitely not enough to fill a grown man's stomach, but it's tasty!

Lembas Bread

Ingredients:

 2 ½ cups of flour

1 tablespoon of baking powder

¼ teaspoon of salt

½ cup of butter

1/3 cup of brown sugar

1 teaspoon of cinnamon

½ teaspoon honey

2/3 cup of heavy whipping cream

½ teaspoon of vanilla

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 425F. Mix the flour, baking powder and salt into a large bowl. Add the butter and mix with a well till fine granules (easiest way is with an electric mixer). Then add the sugar and cinnamon, and mix them thoroughly.

2. Finally add the cream, honey, and vanilla and stir them in with a fork until a nice, thick dough forms.

3. Roll the dough out about ½ in thickness. Cut out 3-inch squares and transfer the dough to a cookie sheet.Criss-cross each square from corner-to-corner with a knife, lightly (not cutting through the dough).

4. Bake for about 12 minutes or more (depending on the thickness of the bread) until it is set and lightly golden.

Ignore this one's strange deformity.

***Let cool completely before eating, this bread tastes better room temperature and dry. Also for more flavor you can add more cinnamon or other spices***

I think the only thing that could have made these more complete is if I had wrapped them all fancy like in some leaves. And then perhaps I could have taken them on a long journey to new lands, never knowing if I'll ever return... Or I could just eat them.

Thanks for sharing some of your Fall treats with me on Facebook! I'm dying to make some pumpkin sheet cake, which I actually haven't done in many years. If you take a stab at making lembas bread, let me know. Share pictures even! I can't be the only one partaking in baking fun.

Happy Belated Hobbit Day!