29 Days of Honey – Elul 5781 – Honey, Pepper, & Pumpkin Seed Bread

I’ve challenged myself to post 29 honey recipes in the next month – BEFORE Rosh Hashana.

Not just your Bubbe’s honey cake. As a beekeeper and avid cook I can take you and your honey places you’ve never been before- culinarily speaking.

So let’s get Buzzin’.

The energy in 28g of honey would provide 1 bee with enough energy to fly around the world. Therefore (this is my personal theorem) the 30g of honey threshold in each recipe I’ve listed should elicit some awe of how something small can accomplish something so impactful.

Bees do not naturally fly around the world unless hitching a ride- and that does happen. But if you were that energized, what would YOU choose to do?

Prolific producers of seeds. To make a seed a flower must be pollinated. Pollen from the male part of one flower travels to the female part of another flower where the seeds are made. This recipe is inspired by seeds. It’s packed with 2 of our favourites – pumpkin and sunflower.

To make this as challah (חלה) – technically – double everything.

Honey, Pepper, & Pumpkin Seed Bread

You will need: 

• Stand mixer with dough hook or a serious bread bowl
• Oven
• Baking pan or sheet w/baking paper

Ingredients – using grams here because I weigh everything bread 

• 10g Dry yeast
• 200g Warm honey water
• 25g Olive oil
• 1 egg for egg wash prior to baking
• 30g Honey
• 456g Unbleached flour
• 6g Salt
• 1/2 Teaspoon black pepper
• 100g Sundried tomatoes, chopped
• 100g tomato puree
• 20g Flax meal
• 30g Sunflower seeds, toasted
• 30g Shelled pumpkin seeds, toasted

Phase 1 – yeast slurry 

1. Combine yeast and 150g of flour together in the bowl, then mix in the warm honey water until smooth.
2. Park for 10-20 minutes until it begins to puff slightly

Phase 2 – knead  

1. Mix the oil, salt, pepper into the yeast slurry until dissolved
2. Stir in the remaining flour and eventually knead for about 5 minutes
   • the dough should will be stiff
3. Allow to rest, covered until double in bulk

Phase 3 –  add ins 

1. Punch down your risen dough
2. Add your tomatoes and toasted seeds and divide into desired loaf sizes
   –   add more flour or liquid as necessary – the dough should be firm and dry
3. Knead for 10 minutes
4. Form into a single ball and park in an oiled bowl (covered) until doubled again

Phase 4

1. Deflate the dough gently 
2. Separate into desired loaf sized portions and form each into a  taught ball
3. Allow to rest, covered until doubled – approx. 30-45 minutes
4. Preheat your oven to 200c
5. Beat your reserved egg with a little water and brush liberally and carefully on the risen loaves. 
6. Sprinkle with the seeds of your choice-make it count
7. Bake for 25-30 minutes.

The loaves are done when they sound hollow when tapped. Allow to cool on wire racks. The air circulation is important.

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