Nettle bread: how to cook, delicious recipes

Content

1 Cooking features
2 Best Recipes
3 Conclusion

In spring, the first harvest from the garden is greens. However, in recipes you can use not only “cultivated” herbs, but also those plants that are considered weeds. An unusual but very healthy baked product is nettle bread. In addition to the “basic” one, there are several recipes for its preparation; additional ingredients change the taste and aroma.

Cooking features

The quality of finished baked goods naturally depends on the “raw materials”. It is recommended to collect nettles away from “civilization,” especially from busy highways and industrial zones. The most juicy and fragrant greens grow in the lowlands and near water. It is easily distinguished by the rich, dark green hue of the leaves. You can pick it in May-June with your bare hands; it does not leave burns. Next you will have to use gloves.

Nettles for bread must be collected before flowering, otherwise a significant part of its benefits will be lost.

For old plants, you need to remove the stems and the largest and driest leaves. Then pour boiling water over the greens for 2-3 minutes so as to completely cover them. After this time, the water is drained and replaced with cold water. The lower its temperature, the better; ideally, you should use completely ice-cold one. As a rule, after such preparation no contaminants remain, but if this is not the case, the nettles should be washed in cool water.

Blanching helps get rid of the characteristic “hotness” of the plant.

Before adding to bread dough, the leaves must be squeezed and crushed to a paste. The easiest and fastest way to do this is with a blender. Recipes call for adding water or milk. In this case, first pour the liquid into the blender bowl, then begin to gradually add the leaves.

Nettle “puree” is not only an ingredient for dough, but also an almost ready-made smoothie

During the baking process of bread, the original “workpiece” greatly increases in volume. This must be taken into account when choosing a mold or baking sheet for the oven and lining it with parchment paper.

In addition to the “workpiece”, be sure to place a container with water at a lower level in the oven (preheated to the required temperature). This will create the necessary steam and the baked goods will remain soft.

To bake nettle bread you need a fairly large mold or baking tray.

If the loaf cracks during cooking, it is most likely due to a lack of flour. Or its low quality may be to blame. In the first case, the taste of the baked goods will not be affected in any way.

Nettle bread can be eaten with anything. But steamed fish or chicken cutlets are considered one of the best “companions” for it. You should not expect any special specific taste from baked goods; nettle is “responsible” for the unusual color, amazing aroma and health benefits. Vitamins, macro- and microelements are not lost during preliminary preparation and heat treatment.

Important! Ready-made nettle “puree” can be added to dough not only for bread, but also for omelettes, pancakes, and pancakes. In combination with cottage cheese you get a very tasty pie filling, and with vegetable oil and/or balsamic vinegar you get an original salad dressing.

Best Recipes

The “basic” nettle bread recipe does not provide any additional ingredients. However, there are also variations that can significantly change the taste of baked goods. You can even experiment and add your favorite spices and herbs, but little by little - 1-1.5 tablespoons per serving, so as not to “overwhelm” the aroma of the greens. You should not mix many components at once (maximum 2-3), especially if you are not sure that they are harmoniously combined with each other in taste and smell.

Classic recipe

This bread is prepared relatively quickly, in 3 hours. The ingredients are for 6 servings. Required:

nettle “gruel” – approximately 100 ml of water and 420-450 g of fresh herbs;
premium wheat flour – 0.7-0.9 kg;
refined vegetable oil (most often they take sunflower or olive oil, but you can try other varieties) - 1 tbsp. l.;
granulated sugar - 3 tbsp. l.;
salt (preferably finely ground) – 1 tbsp. l.;
“fast-acting” powdered yeast – 1 sachet (10 g);

How to prepare nettle bread:

Add yeast, sugar and salt to the nettle smoothie. Mix well. It is better to use a mixer or blender for this.
Add 150-200 g of flour and knead the dough. Cover the container with a towel, cling film or plastic bag and leave in a warm place for half an hour.
Add flour into the dough in small portions, while kneading the dough for nettle bread. At this stage it is ready, when it still stretches strongly and sticks to your hands, but you can already roll it into some kind of ball.
Pour in the vegetable oil and gently mix it into the bread dough. Cover it again and wait another hour. After this time, it should increase in volume by 1.5-2 times.
Add the remaining flour.The finished dough for nettle bread does not stick to your palms; its consistency is quite soft, “pliable”.
Form a loaf, place in a baking pan lined with baking paper or on a baking sheet. Give the nettle dough another 10-15 minutes to fully rise.
Brush the top of the loaf with vegetable oil. Place a container of water in the oven. Bake nettle bread for 10-15 minutes at 280°C, then 40-50 minutes at 200°C.

Important! If desired, the nettle bread “blank” can be sprinkled with white or black sesame seeds, flax seeds, pumpkin seeds, and sunflower seeds before putting them in the oven.

The readiness of nettle bread is checked in the same way as any baked goods - with a wooden stick.

With garlic

Nettle bread differs from the classic version in a light creamy flavor, subtle notes of garlic and an original dill aftertaste. In addition, this is just a shock dose of vitamins.

To make garlic nettle bread you will need:

fresh nettle – 100 g;
warm water – 1 glass;
butter – 2 tbsp. l.;
wheat flour – 350 g;
granulated sugar – 1 tbsp. l.;
salt – 1 tsp;
fresh pressed yeast – 10 g;
fresh dill - a small bunch;
dried ground garlic – 0.5-1 tsp;
vegetable oil - for lubrication.

Step by step instructions for garlic bread:

Beat a “smoothie” from water, nettles, sugar, washed and dried dill in a blender. Literally 20-30 seconds is enough.
Pour the resulting slurry into a deep bowl, add finely chopped yeast, and stir. It will take them about 15 minutes to “earn” it. You can tell that the process has started by the bubbles and foam on the surface of the nettle bread dough.
Pour salt, garlic and sifted flour into the same container.Mix gently and add very soft butter.
Knead for 5-7 minutes. The finished bread dough is very soft, tender, slightly sticky. Having formed a ball, put it in a warm place for 40-60 minutes. It depends on how warm the house is.
Knead the nettle bread dough lightly and let rest for another hour. After this, it should become porous, literally “airy”.
Form a loaf, brush with vegetable oil, and leave in a warm place for another 40 minutes.
Sprinkle with a little water and bake for 45 minutes in an oven preheated to 180°C.

Important! It is best to cool the finished nettle bread on a wire rack. The finished baked goods are transferred onto it 10-15 minutes after removal from the oven.

There is no strong taste of garlic in this bread, only a light taste and aroma

With coriander

The finished nettle bread according to this recipe turns out to be very tender, with a “milky” taste and sweetish (somewhat reminiscent of a “sliced” loaf).

Ingredients needed for Nettle Coriander Bread:

fresh nettle – 200 g;
milk (the fattier the better) – 220 ml;
wheat and rye flour – 200 g each;
fresh pressed yeast – 25 g;
granulated sugar – 1 tbsp. l.;
salt – 1 tsp;
coriander seeds or dried herbs - 2 tsp;
vegetable oil - for lubrication.

Nettle and coriander bread is prepared a little faster than other recipes:

Beat nettles with milk in a blender. In a saucepan or thick-bottomed saucepan, heat it to a temperature 2-3°C above room temperature.
Pour the pulp into a deep bowl, sift rye flour into it, then wheat flour. Add sugar and chopped yeast. Stir with a spatula.
Gently knead the dough for 5-7 minutes, add salt and coriander a couple of minutes before the end.
Let the nettle bread dough rise for 1.5 hours, keeping it warm.
Form a loaf, place in a pan greased with vegetable oil or on a baking sheet lined with paper. Bake for 45 minutes at 200°C.

Important! Coriander is a very “specific” spice, not everyone likes its taste, therefore, in this recipe for nettle bread you can do without it.

Sugar in this recipe can be replaced with birch sap (approximately 50-70 ml).

With ginger

Nettle bread can also be made without yeast. But this does not make it any less soft and tasty. For the recipe you will need:

fresh nettle – 150 g;
wheat flour – 250-300 g;
olive oil – 3-4 tbsp. l.;
chicken egg – 2 pcs.;
sour cream 20% fat – 2-3 tbsp. l.;
baking powder or baking powder - 2 tsp;
ground dry ginger or fresh root grated on the finest grater - 2 tsp.
salt - on the tip of the knife.

How to prepare ginger nettle bread:

Wash the leaves, dip in boiling water, cook for 5-7 minutes.
Place them in a colander and allow excess water to drain. Grind in a blender with 1-2 tablespoons of broth and one egg.
Pour the paste into a deep bowl, add the second egg and the rest of the ingredients (leave a little oil to grease the pan), stirring constantly. Add the sifted flour last, without ceasing to stir. The consistency of the mass should be homogeneous and resemble pancake dough.
Pour the nettle bread dough into a greased baking pan or heavy pan. Bake for about an hour in an oven preheated to 180-190ºC.

Important! You can add raisins, nuts, and other herbs and spices to this nettle bread. Ginger goes harmoniously with the zest of any citrus fruit, cumin, cardamom, and ground nutmeg.Baking with marigold or lavender petals is even more original.

Ginger goes well with many herbs and spices, so you can experiment with this recipe

Conclusion

Nettle bread is a seasonal baked product that very successfully combines excellent taste and amazing aroma with health benefits. It’s not that difficult to prepare; even a less experienced cook can do it. There are several recipes for such bread with various additives, among them you can easily find the one that suits your taste the most.